Push, or Stop 'N Go?

[blankoblanco]

This play happened at a WPT final table, with 6 players remaining. Average chip stack is just over 800k. The chip leader has 2.1 mill. The blinds are 10k/20k with 2k antes.

The shortstack is UTG with about 470k chips. He looks down at JJ and raises to 66k total. We can assume this player's UTG raise is respected-that the other players believe he has a strong hand. UTG+1 is a fairly well-known pro who is typically on the aggressive side. He looks down at his hand and re-raises to 195k. We figure his range for re-raising UTG from UTG+1, a very strong play, to be TT+, AQ+. It's folded back to UTG, and it's 129k for him to call with his JJ. He will have 276k left behind if he just calls, and the pot will be about 430k.

Question: Should he push all-in now? We can be almost certain he will be called if he does. Or would it be better to see the flop and push any flop? Or only push any flop not containing an Ace? Why?

[blankoblanco]

Er, even though this was from a WPT final table, I meant this to be in the regular MTT forum. Could someone move this? Thanks.

[BigBuffet]

Six handed JJ is a big hand. UTG made a good 3xBB raise. UTG+1 is either raising with a big also or is trying to buy the pot since he is 'aggressive'.

He probably has Ax or Kx, and JJ is ahead preflop. With the chip stack, JJ has to double up soon. He's getting 2-1 to call, but if he calls and folds he'll have a very short stack. I would go all in for double or nothing. The JJ may hold up or make a set. And it may be the best hand he'll see.

With the preflop pot being a little less than 10% of his stack, an all in to just take the pot may have been an idea and if called he'd be in the same spot as he would anyway.

At a six handed wsop event last summer, Lindgren raised 3xBB preflop. Folded to me, I called. One hour left in Day 1 and I needed to double up to survive the blinds (I had about 20k and he had about 60k) and return for Day 2, so just winning the pot preflop wasn't enough. On the flop he made a 5k pot bet and I re-raised all in immediately. I had AdKd. He made an audible sigh as I was moving my chips in. Hemmed and hawed. Looked at his cards a few times. Asked me if I had a goof hand. Smiled and nodded...

He finally said "I can't fold this" and turned over JJ. I'm sure he was trying to figure out if I slow played AA, KK or QQ or flopped a set--board was something like 369 rainbow.

He wasn't too happy too see AK. But I missed the turn and river and was out, but cashed $5k in 61st.

Of course I second-guessed myself for a few weeks. I was new to the table, but had played and won a small pot a few hands before this one. We checked down my K10 and his Q9 with an A on the flop. I could have re-raised preflop and maybe he would have folded. Or just called on the flop and bt or raised the turn. Who knows. We both had good hands, and he almost folded to my flop raise.