Heads up do you jam AT? Final Battle

4 million in chips each. Blinds 100k 200k Should I not have Jamed the AT he called with 88 and won the match. I was getting tired and just wanted to end it. He was loose so I knew he'd call with KQ Maybe even KJ or Ax suited. Now I think I should have just raised. I think he was more skilled so that kind of lead to my jam decision. Right wrong what do you think?

Even if he folds with A2-A8o, no way to fold A9o and Axs. Also KTs. QTs maybe is a call, even from fish. I mean still a profitable shove, not borderline, profitable. Maybe you will shove with something weak, let's say 96s, 86s, A2o. A little balance . A balance "for free" is never bad. You have the "rights" to do that, it can't be mistake. You was tired as well. Pretty normal.

I will limp-shove with this hand. But this is just me...My style. I use limp, I want limp-shove as well. The normal option is min raise. And call vs shove.

"He was more skilled", I saw that after. Then good shove. He will call wide. Axo, A5o for sure. Even KTo is a call. Very profitable then. Than raise...But limp-shove is better. He will raise wide, if he is "|more skilled". Be sure...

RiverRick said:

4 million in chips each. Blinds 100k 200k Should I not have Jamed the AT he called with 88 and won the match. I was getting tired and just wanted to end it. He was loose so I knew he'd call with KQ Maybe even KJ or Ax suited. Now I think I should have just raised. I think he was more skilled so that kind of lead to my jam decision. Right wrong what do you think?

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Out of interest, what was the difference between 1st prize and 2nd prize?

I like your play to be honest.

If you are tired, it means that your opponent is more prepared for heads up. Constant pressure leads to a reassessment of their cards.

At 20 BB's I wouldn't be shoving any hand as first to act, however, Shoving AT is probably profitable because of how often it makes the opponent fold and even when he calls you're going to have reasonable equity except against AA or TT.

This is a heads-up game and here, in addition to the middle card, you often need to bluff. Try to intimidate your opponent with raises and reraises. Inspire him that you are in control of the situation. But do not frequent, otherwise he will catch you on a mistake.

Shoving with ATo is +EV in that it wins money relative to folding. So it's a good/profitable decision.

With that said, I think that you miss out on some value since this is such a strong hand heads-up. Personally I would min-raise here and be happy to call him if he shoves on you.

But with AT vs 88 heads-up, unless stacks are very deep, all the money is going in pre-flop!

Heads up is a weird variant of poker. It can last one hand or one hundred hands. The leader can become a small stack in a couple hands, and he can return to leader as quickly.

Heads up often comes down to one hand, when both players pick up good hole cards. This was one of those situations. I don't think you were coming off AT, just as villain wasn't coming off 88. I don't think it matters if you limped, raised, or shoved. Villain was getting their stack in either way.

I usually don't shove premium hands in heads up. You want to get as many chips as possible in when you are ahead. Shoving often leads to just winning blinds. Of course much depends on the villain's play. With a premium hand, you should probably limp into an aggressive player, raise into a passive player, and shove into a calling station.

RiverRick said:

4 million in chips each. Blinds 100k 200k Should I not have Jamed the AT he called with 88 and won the match. I was getting tired and just wanted to end it. He was loose so I knew he'd call with KQ Maybe even KJ or Ax suited. Now I think I should have just raised. I think he was more skilled so that kind of lead to my jam decision. Right wrong what do you think?

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You need to have a better mentality. Staying hungry and focused from start to finish. It will make you a better poker player and put you ahead of others.

sn0112 said:

Out of interest, what was the difference between 1st prize and 2nd prize?

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like 40 bucs. I got 97 he got 140

RiverRick said:

4 million in chips each. Blinds 100k 200k Should I not have Jamed the AT he called with 88 and won the match. I was getting tired and just wanted to end it. He was loose so I knew he'd call with KQ Maybe even KJ or Ax suited. Now I think I should have just raised. I think he was more skilled so that kind of lead to my jam decision. Right wrong what do you think?

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I think you said it - "I was getting tired and just wanted to end it."

But AT is a monster headsup ------ even if you raised would you fold to his jam (if he would have jammed) ?

I don't hate getting it all in preflop w AT. But could you have found a fold preflop....fold preflop??

If there is no way you were folding preflop then you can't evade the outcome - in this case a loss.

Good luck !

Given the circumstances that you describe, I don't really have a problem with an A-10 jam. I might have raised, rather than jammed. But I probably wouldn't have folded to a shove, especially if the other guy is loose, as you say.

Typically, this is how heads up play goes. Each player is looking for a good spot to get all of their chips in, hoping that the other guy has a decent enough (but weaker) hand to call with. It will frequently come down to a hand like this.