Should you play differently?

Hey guys, here's something different to think about:

You are a very small time player online but you extremely good at the game. This year, you are able to play in the World Series of Poker main event, something that you have always wanted to do. This is your gift to yourself, and you know for a fact that this is the only big, important tournament you will ever play in.

In this situation, do you think it is a better idea to NOT play exactly the way you are 'supposed' to by the odds, percentages, etc? For an example, if you are going to play in 1000 tournaments over time, you should always follow pot odds, etc when deciding how to play your hands. But if you are in a situation where you have KK on the first hand and someone pushes all-in without giving any tells, would you call? You have a VERY good chance of winning, so it would make sense over time, but this is your ONLY tournament. A simple Ace-2 would have a decent shot at putting you out for good. Should you alter your style of play, or would you still play the technically 'right' way and call? Remember, this is the ONLY chance you will ever have to play in a tournament like this.

I ask this because I've always wondered about those people who play small stakes with their friends or online, and then participate in the WSOP because they won a very cheap satellite. If you were in this position, how would you play?

Wow, tough question. I think I might want to stick around in the tourney for awhile just to enjoy the experience of being there and possibly fold. Then again I would think that the caliber of player in the WSOP wouldn't go all in on the first hand so I'd suspect a bluff. Even if you caught AA wouldn't you try to slow play it? Thinking that way, I would call....Jeeze I quess that's why I'm not there. I suppose I'd call because KK is such a strong hand that any lower pair would be an underdog and at worst I'd be in a coin flip....unless of course they did have AA, in that case I'd just shit my pants and hope for the best. Great question, I look forward to reading all the answers.

Well tbh there is no one "right" way to play each hand everytime you get it. There is simply a BEST way and a BAD way depending on the situation you find yourself in. NOW you mention calling the first hand preflop allin with pocket Kings in the "tournament of your life". Assuming we are dealing with a huge field very small blinds in relation to your chip stack and an average to slow increaseing blind structure the BEST play is probably to live to fight another hand early, and take your chances later on when the blinds are bigger and things have settled down somewhat. Things are different when it is win or go home, better to survive early and make your moves later on. Being the early chip leader is all well and good but the advantages are outweighed by the risk involved in going out early.

I'd fold.

Survive, and live to make money some other hand. I think Phil Hellmuth wrote an article on a situation like that, and decided that it didn't matter that he was a huge favorite; he would still lose with that hand once in a while, and he decided not to risk it.

I'd probably go for it with the KK.

However, I wouldn't make every bet based strictly on pot odds and probability. I remember seeing one of the televised WPT or WSOP events recently, and one of the players (I think it was Cyndy Violette) was tearing herself up about whether to call an all-in bet with TT. She was getting tremendous odds and if she had played strictly by long-term probabilities the correct move would have been to call. After much deliberation, however, she folded, and found out later that she'd been up against KK and would likely have been out of the tournament if she hadn't laid down those tens.

Are you taking lessons from robwhufc? You have KK and you are thinking of folding it?
Why are you in the game anyway? You should take the money that you staked for this tourney and put it in some low yeild CDs and save it for a rainy day.

Of course you call it. This is called gambling and its why chose to go to the big game in the first place. Look at it this way, how many times during your online tourneys do you get cowboys? And you want to throw them away in hopes of lasting? Your only hope that you will get from doing that is the hope that no one finds out you did that.

Hypothectically, that is.

If you play so weak-tight that you're folding KK there, a lot of the more skilled players at the WSoP would have great fun with you. If you fold KK here fearing Ax, wow, you're going to get blinded off waiting for 80% edges.

I'd do my best to treat it as a $30 buyin tourney, or however much I'd paid for the satellite entry.

If you fold this what ?? Are you going to wait for AA before you bet ? If you want to soak in the atmosphere fine, just sit back for the whole tourney and fold every hand, but why not just watch it on TV.

At least if you get busted with the cowboys on the first hand you will have a great story to tell your poker buddies for years to come !!!

Lessons from robwhufc ummmmm having played Mr.whofck that just doesn't seem to fit. Anyways in the situation at hand we are probably dealing with more than 1 allin caller KK likes to be heads up in NL so there is more than one legit arguement against calling. Poker absolutely is gambling the BEST way to play it is play the hands where you believe you are the favorite, but huge tournaments especially when you only have one shot are different animals as opposed to cash games. oh well tbh folding or calling can be justified more of a strategy issue at this point.

Right. It is a strategy issue. An more detailed analysis (which is kinda bogus, since it's a hypothetical) could give, for instance:

1. You don't know anything about this player. No tells, no reads. What kind of hand would he go all-in with? QQ? AK? Or does he have AA and figured that if someone is stupid enough to call him, he'd double up? What other hand COULD he have that he'd be willing to risk getting knocked out on the first hand, for the measly profit of level 1 blinds?
2. What is the expected outcome if you do call? Well, worst case scenario, you're out, that's a given. Best case scenario, you now have 20k chips. But 20k isn't going to get you very far. And if you're ready to go all-in everytime you're a big favorite, you won't survive to be in the money, unless you manage to win almost every time (which, statistically, is unlikely even if you're the big favorite).

To add to the hypothetical, there's also the risk of more callers, as dman pointed out

No, I stand by my decision to fold. I understand perfectly why not everyone agrees with it, and arguments can be made for both sides, but if it were me, I'd make the laydown.