$165 buy in live MTT game

I was playing at a $165 tournament live game with around 300 players. I knew it was a good value game because so many people in the tournament were free rolling from satellite tickets.

The hand played out like this: Blinds were 200 - 400. 3rd level of blinds of the tournament.

MP2: Raises to 1,000, HJ calls, CO calls.
Hero:Button: With KK(45,000). I 3-bet to 4,000.
Villain in BB raises to 12,000(80,000). MP2 folds and HJ folds and CO folds.
I think out playing in position with KK but i thought the SPR would be really small and i would need to really call his all in if there is no Ace of on the Flop or if it its a cold deck.

I jam and he snaps with AA. Flopping a set and leaving me to drawing dead on the turn.

Should i have waited for a better spot and just flat? Play in position and evaluate situation. I have been wondering about this hand for two weeks

It kind of depends on a few things. One is how you want to play it out, it is early in the tournament, you have 100bbs, you can call the raise and fold to an A on the flop and still be in good shape, even though it is not ideal. Just because of a low SPR doesn't mean you have to call when you think you are crushed. Another thing is the reads you get from playing live, I find that you can figure out a lot just by the type of person you are playing against. Where I play if you are up against an older guy and he 4bets you there is only one hand he will ever have and that's aces.

Shoving here is also fine, even against a range of QQ+, AK you are 57% to double up and if he folds to the shove there is a whole lot of dead money in the pot that we pick up.

He was a guy with middle east back ground aged from 30-40. He have been playing pretty tight and showing good hands but the only think was i thought his range of 4 betting was QQ+ or AK. So i was beating only 2 hands and loosing to one hand.

I guess his 4 betting range is only KK and AA then. My read was bad.

in general, you should be pretty happy to get it in preflop in a multiway pot with KK.

that said....I also play with a couple of older guys who if this hand happened, it could only mean one thing: aces. In that instance I would probably fold preflop (eek) but vs about 99.7% of the rest of the poker population I would always be happy to get it in here. online I happily get it in 100% of the time.

Paf, you can't fold this.. You are played this very well - all in pre flop, easy game. But that's also unlucky to run versus AA.

I would have flat and evaluate from there.

Since A showed up, I can save my chips from then on.

If this isnt a $165 buyin, I would do the same.

You did have more than 100 big blinds. I can never tell someone they are "wrong" for 5bet shoving KK. However, a cold 4bet from the BB is pretty much never a bluff - so there are a lot of aces in villains range.

If we flat here we get away because of the Ace on the flop. What happens on a non-ace flop? I'm not sure I guess we just check/call in oblivion or make a sick fold.


That's why AA vs KK is one of the worst beats there is.