AK deep in a $10 MTT, reraise from a big stack. Insta-call?

[JammyDodga]

Hi Sherman,

I like your posts alot, but I think you tend to give to much weight to pokerstove calculations. It's never simplya matter of doing the maths, because pokerstove is only ever as good as the range you put in.

You don't really do this, but there's a tendency on these boards to make an arbitrary range, whack it into pokerstove and then post the numbers as if they are a proven fact which dictates the play.

Here, I think a range of TT+ AK+ is way too tight, people make odd moves sometimes, a guy might read you as weak and push AJ, you never know. I don't think its ever justified giving such a restricted range after a raise and a single 3-bet.

Finally, I disagree about the effect of being late in the tournament. I'd say that doubling your chip stack here, MORE than doubles your $EV. The reason is the big stack is so powerful on the multiple bubbles that you will be going through. Once people really start caring about busting out, then the guy who doesn't have to worry about that has a huge edge.

I know this is a bit of an old chesnut, but I think I'd rather flip for my stack here than I would on the first hand in the tournament.

That said, I think you have the right approach looking at your total stack utility if you win, or if you fold. This si definately a fluid thing which depends on a lot of factors - the other stacks, the flow of play, your image, others image, your skill vs others skill, your position on the table vs the other size stacks, etc. It's not just something that can be calculated for every tournament you enter.