We are down to final 6 in a small tourney. Top 4 paid. I am sitting 5/6 with 9bbs, 6th has 8bbs, and 4 has 11bbs. Blinds are about 12.5% of my stack .I am dealt A-Kos UTG and shove. Get called and lose to SB who flips over JJ. I had $2 invested. 4th was $4, and first was $12. IMO opinion this is fold or shove position. Am I right?

A lot depends on the players, how they play aggressively or tight! Well, from your goal-do you want to win the tournament or just get into the prizes! In a vacuum of 6 max, I would probably push such a strong hand!

It is a shove situation in my opinion. With blinds so big and stack so low, you can't fold this. A 3 bet is no good also, you can miss the flop and you're screwed, he bets big and you don't get to see turn and river. You did what you were supposed to do, bummer you didn't pair.

This is an easy and obvious shove, and you dont even need a program like ICMizer to figure it out. AK is only a bad shape, if someone have AA or KK, and you block both those hands. Sometimes you will get called by a lower pair, as happened here, but even then its not the end of the world, since you have lots of equity, and there is an overlay from the blinds and antes. Just to give you an idea, who wide you are actually supposed to shove, I plugged the following scenario into ICMizer:

Tournament: 18-man on PokerStars (40% for 1. 30% for 2. 20% for 3. 10% for 4.)

UTG (Hero): 9BB
HJ: 13BB
CO: 8BB
BTN: 15BB
SB: 20BB
BB: 11BB

Hero jamming range: Any pair, A9+, QT+, A2s+, K7s+, T9s+

You are supposed to be jamming with hands as bad as K7s or QTo, yet you question yourself, because you jammed AK, ran into JJ and lost. This is simply way to results oriented my friend

I don't think any person can tell you exactly what to do because we don't know how your opponents played you at the table all the time and how to react to their game. We don't know the range of hands that are playing and whether they can bluff, there are a lot of questions that only you know the answer to and can decide.

Originally Posted by overtop69

We are down to final 6 in a small tourney. Top 4 paid. I am sitting 5/6 with 9bbs, 6th has 8bbs, and 4 has 11bbs. Blinds are about 12.5% of my stack .I am dealt A-Kos UTG and shove. Get called and lose to SB who flips over JJ. I had $2 invested. 4th was $4, and first was $12. IMO opinion this is fold or shove position. Am I right?

Yes easy shove - and this highlights why I don't play SnG's. The luck factor is amplified, compared to regular MTTs where edges and stronger/solid play are amplified.

I think you did the right thing. Aggression in this situation at the table is mandatory. If you were to raise, the small blind would go to all in, and you must call it (with your stack and the current blinds). It's a shame to leave the tournament, but you fell into a trap, and you can try to survive, but throw away the AK and what to expect next? pair? I don't know.. I don't see any other successful development of the game, you played correctly, but luck was not with you)

Easy shove - don't dwell on the outcome. Happens often. Good job making to FT.

Congrats on reaching the final 6 of a tournament. I know it comes with a lot of anxiety and nonstop thoughts bombarding your head. The key here is to stick to your guns and playout your strategy. Don't let the upcoming trophy get in the way of the cards at hand. Some of my best plays were at a final table because I had the momentum. Sometimes that same momentum comes with blinders and ends you up in the gutters. Stay calm. Play your cards. And Bet Like There's No Tomorrow. You'll get it eventually.

I think you played it right. You give it a good shot based on the cards it gives you. Not gonna have a much better premium hand that deep into a tourney. Those are tough to shrug off when it does not keep us in the tourney, simply because we keep saying what if.

Yes. It is a fold or shove spot. When you're down to 9xBB, every time you look at a hand it should pretty much be a fold or shove decision.

Come on its an easy shove no matter what.

Originally Posted by poliaris747

I don't think any person can tell you exactly what to do because we don't know how your opponents played you at the table all the time and how to react to their game. We don't know the range of hands that are playing and whether they can bluff, there are a lot of questions that only you know the answer to and can decide.