Big PP with all-in to you

Okay say you have KK and a player before you goes all in. You have him covered. How do you play it?

I had an instance of this earlier today, and I raised all-in after him. He had about 2k in chips i had about 3. So I'm wondering if it's better to raise all-in and hope that you've got at least one of them covered, or smooth-call and try to triple up. Basically if you're up against AA you're dominated, but if someone called your all-in with AK you're sittin good to win the side-pot.

Thoughts?

KK plays best heads up, push. Why call 2k and leave 1k in front of you, and invite others into the pot? Yeah, so it's only 1k more and people might be calling anyway, but at least you're almost certainly getting your $ in while ahead.

I would like to know the amount of players left and what the blind sizes are? although all in is probalbly the right move here, these other factors could help to see if there are any other plays that are worthy enough.

Here is my food for thought. I am going on the assumption that this is early to middle stages of a tournament based on the stack sizes you gave otherwise you are both shortstacked and the answer is really easy, ALL-IN.

The general rule that people will blast you for is to check it down if there is a dry side pot. I only like this if the pot is very small compared to your stack size or final table of a tournament and you are in the money (then I still don't like it that much). Some people think this as a golden rule and you should follow it even if it close to all your chips. You still want to win this hand and the tournament so you need to do what is best to win this hand. You would be investing 2/3 your stack preflop so you might as well go all-in now and make any want to be callers pay the extra 1k.

With the 2k raise and the blinds you will be close to doubling up already so that is good enough, don't get greedy preflop with this hand. I don't want someone with Ax to get a good value and make a stupid call and out chase me. Make the statement that you have a monster and stay away.

Hmm, i see what you guys are saying. But what the situation I'm really talking about is if the player before you has AA, would it better to smooth call and try to get a 1 or 2 more people to call with lesser hands ie. AK, KQ. If you re-raise an all-in, those hands probably are going to go bye-bye. If you raise the all-in you're pretty much hoping they don't have AA, if they do you're in bad shape. But if you had 1-2 others that called it as well, you're probably in decent shape.

If he has AA, then that is just bad luck.

You don't want a multi-player pot with PP. You win % goes way down the more people in the pot with PP. Even AA with 2 callers drops down to around 60% win and even dip below 50% with the right cards facing it. You will be investing to much of your chip stack to let weaker hands in the pot.

You still want your best shot at winning the pot. You best bet is to isolate, even if it is against AA. The ONLY TIME I can imagine just calling is late in a tournament and you want to knock a person out to move up the ladder. I could then understand wanting more callers to try and take him out. You are still in the accumulate as many chips as you can stages and the best way to do it is isolate and take what you can now and not risk letting a weaker hand out draw you.

I'd tend to push. You may win significantly more from letting others into the pot, but you also noticeably increase you chances of someone flopping either 2 pair or trips and taking you out. With Kings if you're against a smaller pocket pair then you don't want an AX hand calling as well, and vice versa, because that will noticeably increase the bad cards for you.

push to isolate.

If someone else has AA, then that's just bad luck - the only way you're going to put someone on AA is if you both have big stacks and he makes a massive reraise or push.
with shortstacks, I push. Like t4e said, you don't want a multiway pot with big PPs. You want it heads up if possible, or 3 handed.

I see what you mean though spore, like if the first pusher (whom you have covered) happens to have you beat, then you want to draw others in so you can possibly win something.
I don't like this line of thinking, because like i said, its improbable that 1st pusher has AA, and you really can't put him on it.
Also because you really don't want an AJ or AT type hand in to hit their ace and obliterate your KK.

and you definately dont want someone with their KQ or KJ to catch a straight or a flush or 2 pair. too much can go wrong in a multiway pot with your KK

odds of AA are 260:1 or so...the odds of AA v KK are even slimer. You have the second nuts preflop and i don't see you folding here. Push while its good, and isolate. Chances are you're against QQ JJ or AK. You're a favorite here.

Most people don't lead out All-In with AA. Wouldn't worry about it. Someone behind you may have it, but as Styrofoam says, the odds are too small to worry about. 220:1 actually. Don't try to tripple up. Your cowboys aren't that good. No starting hand is. You must isolate to hopefully drive off any callers.

Good advice guys. Thanks much!