Live final table, 2 preflop hands, facing reraises

[bismillahno]

I'm going to do these one at a time as the results of the first are important in the decision on the 2nd hand.

$770NZ dollar tournament (~$550US), 89 started, 8 remain. For New Zealand this is an unusually large tournament, and is part of the NZ champs, the main event of which is a $4k buyin. The field was generally weak, but former Aussie Millions champion Lee Nelson is on my right, and has the chip lead.

I have roughly 45000 chips, which is the average stack. Blinds are 1k/2k with a 300 ante. We've been at the final table for 45 minutes or so(~3 orbits), and I'm yet to play a hand. Villain has me covered by 10k or so, and is definitely on the LAG side. He seems strong though, and definitely comfortable with the table and stakes. The immediate prior hand I had open folded the button, a short stack of ~12bb's had opened, then folded to villain's big blind shove.

I'd been at his table earlier (for 30 minutes or so), but hadn't done anything of much interest. My image should be very tight to him.

Its folded to me in the cutoff, and I open to 6.5k with AcQc. Button folds, and villain in the SB raises me to 17.5k. Big blind folds and its back to me.

Fold, call or shove?

[PantsOnFire]

Even though you might be seen as tight, this hand is probably above average for an open raise from CO. So SB might have a pretty wide range here to test you.

I'd be inclined to shove here. You are only in trouble against Group 1 hands. And I believe SB can make this reraise with lots of other hands. If you call and see a flop, a cbet by SB will make it difficult for a reraise shove by you to be folded due to pot odds. You have good fold equity for a preflop shove so that's my play here.

[Chimp__greg]

[ QUOTE ]
Even though you might be seen as tight, this hand is probably above average for an open raise from CO. So SB might have a pretty wide range here to test you.

I'd be inclined to shove here. You are only in trouble against Group 1 hands. And I believe SB can make this reraise with lots of other hands. If you call and see a flop, a cbet by SB will make it difficult for a reraise shove by you to be folded due to pot odds. You have good fold equity for a preflop shove so that's my play here.

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[bismillahno]

I thought the previous hand was a fairly clear shove, but wanted to get a little feedback before proceeding. I did push, he tanked but folded, from later table chat I think he laid down a mid pair. I'm barely done stacking my chips when I look down at the next hand, which is JJ. I open to 6500 again. Blinds are 1000/2000 with a 300 ante.

Its folded to the small blind who has roughly the same size stack as me (~60000) who reraises me to 17.5k again. We've clashed a few times through this tournament, starting from early.

Villain is ~50, and was to my right at the first table. He lost a big pot to a young player when he was caught bluffing, and managed to get his stack back playing loosely and hitting hands. He was also quite verbally aggressive to the young guy who had won the big pot from him, and they played several more pots together.

I had doubled through him when I completed A4o in the SB after one limper, had lead out a pot sized bet on the Ah7h4h board and he'd shoved with 7d9h. Later I laid down to a 2nd barrel from him on an A high board, but didn't show my hand.

That table broke fairly soon, but several hours later we'd come back together for the final 2 tables. He was that table chip leader and I'd been 2nd. I'd played very tight initially, but after a couple of players busted, he was to my immediate right. One hand he completed the sb, I checked, and then raised his min bet on a K high board, he folded.

Sometime later, close to the final table (and cash) bubble he opened from the cutoff, and I reraised the button. He seemed genuinely angry, but after talking for a while folded. I then raised the next 3 hands, taking them all down without showdown, and villain seemed very pissed about it.

I quitened a little before the final table, but it still seemed like he was keen to take a shot at me. However, in all our history together I can't remember a 3 bet preflop from him.

If we go to war, the winner will be the clear chip lead, with 3 shortish stacks. Loser will be crippled/out. Payouts are typically top heavy, $22k, $12k, $6k, $4.3k and decreasing by $620 for each spot after that.

Best course of action? Again it seems at least some case can be made for fold, call and shove.

[Cornell Fiji]

second hand is an easier shove than the first.

[PantsOnFire]

This time you only have three hands to worry about, and AK, AQ or KQ still gives you an edge. And you making the same raise again might just make a guy like this make a 3 bet with some tilt behind it.

So with that in mind, he might call and flip over 22-TT, which would be sweet. For that matter, he just might call with AJ, A10.

On balance, I see more that can go right than can go wrong.

[bismillahno]

One thing I want to give weight to, before I give results. That I'd just won a big pot and am playing another one instantly, its a clear tell (in Caro for example) that I'm not bluffing, as you're unlikely to choose to bluff while still distracted by stacking chips. I'm almost sure villain is aware of this tell. Does it change your thought process at all?

[Cornell Fiji]

[ QUOTE ]
One thing I want to give weight to, before I give results. That I'd just won a big pot and am playing another one instantly, its a clear tell (in Caro for example) that I'm not bluffing, as you're unlikely to choose to bluff while still distracted by stacking chips. I'm almost sure villain is aware of this tell. Does it change your thought process at all?

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I might think about it but this is a clear shove anyway.

Something to be considered is that the villain does not know if you were bluffing on the last hand so he does not have an accurate baseline to judge your tells against. Even if your reads are correct and he knows that you are really strong you still want him to incorrectly fold AK/AQ and he is reraising with both of those hands.

This is a clear shove. Sorry you ran into his pocket kings.

[bismillahno]

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Sorry you ran into his pocket kings.

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Bingo.

I was second guessing my shove afterwards, glad that I got it right at the time, even if the result sucked.

I was crippled by the hand, doubled once but was out 7th not long after. The $3210NZ is a nice days work though. Generally very happy with the way I played, it was my first live cash and the biggest final table I've made, live or online. Lee Nelson ultimately beat villain heads up, but I was long gone by that point.

[PantsOnFire]

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Sorry you ran into his pocket kings.

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?? Am I not getting all the posts in this thread?

Or do you have a read on OP?