$200 NLHE MTT Turbo: $ : Would you fold KK in this spot?

[Poker_Mike]

Live $200 tournament 30 min blinds.

A little more than half-way through.

Blinds are 1k/2k.

The table folds to the button with KK.

Button makes min raise.

SB - very active and aggressive player (likes to shove on turn or river) - shoves preflop to barely cover the button's stack.

If you're the button would you call or fold and why?

I think I am always calling in this spot.

I would expect AA to raise some amount preflop for value.

 

[fundiver199]

What were the stack sizes of SB, BB and BTN respectively?

 

[Poker_Mike]

What were the stack sizes of SB, BB and BTN respectively?

Button had ~28BB.

SB had ~34BB.

BB had ~15BB.

Spoke with button and SB afterward.

The button was trying to get action from the big blind and then the "opportunity to double-up" presented itself to the button and he took it.

The SB claimed to not know what he was doing LOL. Why did you shove there? "I was trying to get the button to fold his garbage."

 

[fundiver199]

Then its a very trivial call obviously. With that stack size BTN needs to call at least something like 88+, AQ+, maybe even wider, if SB was a kind of wild player.

 

[Badday94]

Considering all the data you have provided, this is a call with kings. I have not witnessed so many pocket kings vs pocket aces so in that position I would definitely not stop to think oh, but maybe he has aces. If you fold pocket kings there, you play too tight. Unless you have some crazy gut feeling. Otherwise, all the way with kings anytime anywhere.

 

[fundiver199]

Considering all the data you have provided, this is a call with kings.

And not just kings. We should be opening something like 40% of hands from BTN, and then we obviously cant continue against a 3-bet with only 1% of hands, even its a large sizing like here. If we do that, then SB can profitably 3-bet jam any two cards against us, because even factoring in the player behind he get it through more than 95% of the time, if that guy is playing equally nitty.

Its really simple math actually. Pot is 4,5BB assuming a 1BB BTN or BB ante, as is now common for live tournaments. SB is risking 28BB to win 4,5BB. If he get folds 86% of the time, he is making an instant profit, even if he had 0% equity when called, which is of course not the case. So calling KK here is not even a decision. Its much more interesting to ask, what we should do, if we had a hand like AJ or 77.

 

[kkonicke]

Unless I'm missing something, this seems like an extremely easy call. As fundiver pointed out, BTN should be opening pretty wide when action folds to him. SB should also be playing wider considering how wide BTN will be opening.

It frankly would take a pretty unique situation and read for me to fold kings preflop. Either some crazy ICM pressure or stacks are just so crazy deep or I don't know honestly...kings preflop should pretty much never fold.

 

[fundiver199]

I would expect AA to raise some amount preflop for value.

Exactly. Which is just another reason in top of all the others, why this is a snap call. The realistic worst case scenario is, BTN is against a suited ace. Then BTN is still a 2:1 favourite, so they are literally printing money by calling.