Shooting Star resteal / move

[SeriousStudent]

Blinds 300/600/75 9 handed. I have 14K, avg stack 40K.

I've been at the table about an hour, shown down no hands, picked up 2 pots with preflop raises and no calls.

Paul McCafferey has a ton of chips ( 100k) two to my right and has been raising every time it is folded to him and he is in MP to LP so I figure he is raising light. Also, an Asian guy I don't know is to Paul's right and has been raising a lot.

I decide that if I get a resteal hand in the blinds that plays well all in and one of these two raises it, I'll pop it up, particularly if it is the Aisain guy.

Paul raised to 2K, I look down to see 4h5h. This will play pretty well all in against two high cards, and terribly against a pair he might call with. I figure I can get him to fold 70% of the hands he might open with there if I give him less than 2:1 to call. On the other hand, I wish the Aisan guy would have popped it rather than the table chip leader, and this is an awfully small suited connector. I could just fold and hope for better spots, but I pop it up to 8K total as I think it looks stronger than an all - in.

I figured he would at least call with an pair 77 or higher, and AK, maybe AQ.

Instead he goes all in. I don't think he would do that with a pair so he can see what happens on the flop, so I think it is highly likely he has AK. I'm getting pot odds of around 3:1 so I call.

Comments on the play and thought process?

[the_doantster]

I think your decision of trying to resteal from a big stack is a huge mistake, especially considering the strength of your hand, and his and your chip stack.

Your raise to 8k holding 4h5h is horrible, do you think somebody sitting with a 100k stack is going to fold for another 6k considering he's getting almost 2-1 on his money here? If your intention was to resteal and take the pot without a flop, your best bet would have been to stick it all in to start with.

Given the way the hand was played, you have no choice but to call here since your getting the right odds, and hope for the best.

[SeriousStudent]

A couple of comments on your reply.

What do you think he would raise with initially? The big blind had about 20K, I have 14K. I think he will raise with Ax, K8+, Q9+, J8+, any pair, suited connectors. That's about 35% of all hands.

I've played with him a few times. He is thoughtful, and I don't think he will call off my raise or raise all in without a real hand whether he has 100K or not. He would not, in my view, take the 2:1 with less than AJ, 77, KQ, KJ, and some larger suited connectors. That's about 10% of all hands, so my view is that he would fold 70% of the hands he might raise with.

You think he would call with many more hands because he has the chips to do so? Given my past experience, the fact this is a live WPT tournament, he is in the hunt for the $10K day one prize, I believed he would fold a large percentage. If you are correct, than it was a horrible play. If I am correct one might come to a different conclusion.

I also think an all in looks more like a steal than a raise where it's clear I am pot committed. Since I wanted to show strength, I chose the 60% of my stack approach.

What do you think he would fold to an all in where he would get 1.5x pot odds, that he would call with 6K and 1.9x when he knew I am pot committed for the last 6K?

By the way, I planned to lead out for my last 6K into any flop if he flat called.

[BarryLyndon]

I just doesn't matter what it looks like...he's not going away from this hand. Wait for something stronger / someone else to raise. I think at 60K - 65K, you could get someone to fold. Anything above 70K, I doubt it.