Common problem I have - EP with low M

[Dan87]

66 person live tournament down to 11 players. My table has 5, other has 6. Blinds are 400/800, my stack is 3700 (average is 9500, but there are a lot of shorties like me and a couple huge leaders).

UTG at 5 handed table I get TJo, push or fold? I think if I had 2500 or less its an easy push, with over 6000 its a marginal fold, what are your thoughts?

[Airharley]

I'm probably pushing this with this low an M (M~3). You're about to hit the blinds again, and lose 1/3 of your stack if you don't get a hand. I assume only the FT gets paid, but it would suck to get to the FT as a super shortstack. Maybe I'm wrong, but I like to play to win. It sucks to go out on the bubble, but I'm never satisfied with just finishing in the money.

[Mondogarage]

Hmm...since my situation was nearly identical, thought I'd add it into this thread for feedback.

50 person live tourney down to 11 players (6 on my table, 5 on the other). Folded around to me in the SB, and I find 77. Blinds are 1500/3000, I'm in for 1500, have about 11-12k behind (M~3). Table chip leader (by a lot) is in the BB. Two shorter stacks than me at table (one guaranteeed to be blinded all in this orbit), and one at other table, so I'm 8 of 11.

Do I shove here? If I make any raise at all, I'm pot committed. Folding seems extremely weak tight, but there's a kicker -- the entire final table qualifies for a tournament the following weekend ($60 buy-in) where the winner gets the bonus of a $1500 WSOP buy-in, on top of the standard tourney payout. On the other hand, the tourney I was in was only paying five spots, and I was playing to cash (or win), not to make FT and finish 8th or 9th.

So do I shove my 77, or fold, knowing I'm likely to not be the next player out.

Variance: Bubbled a final table there the week before, shoving suited Ax from SB into BB who had AK, when I had an M of 5, and it was folded around to me.

[Akeshish]

play to win. I think that 1500 wsop seat is worth way more that a 60 dollar buy in tourny.

[Mondogarage]

Well, rereading my post, maybe that part wasn't clear. The tourney I was in at that time was a typicaly $60 buy in. Making final table of that tourney would allow me to buy in to another $60 buy-in the following Sunday, which I would have to finish 1st in to get the $1500 seat (also, qualifiers for that tourney got more chips the more FT's they made during the week, and this was the only day I was up there to play, so I wouldn't have qualified for extra chips).

I guess the question I'm really trying to ask is, should I have been trying to win the tourney I was actually already in (and would the best play in that spot be a fold or a shove), or should I have just been trying to qualify to buy in to a tourney which I'd have to win (probably anywhere from 70-80 players) to get anything more than I could have won in the present tourney.

I agree a 1500 seat is worth more than the $900 or so I could win in the tourney I'm already playing, but I'd have to FT this tourney, and then win the following tourney (while likely starting out short stacked compared to a few at my opening table), etc.

[Airharley]

Mondogarage,

I think the 77 is an easy push regardless. You said you were there to win it, so 77 is a great hand to push here. Situations like this really depend on what you want to get out of them. If you really really really want to play in that next tourney, you obviously fold it with those present stacks, cause you'll definately get to the FT.

Me personally, I shove this anyway, cause that next tourney is only another $60, and the money I can get by giving myself a good shot at winning this present tourney is worth more to me then a Freeroll in a $60 tourney.

[Mondogarage]

Unfortunately, BB had AA, and IGHN. Ugh. But I was really questioning my play in that situation. Thanks for the feedback.