Preflop AK decision, Middle-Later Stages of $55K Guaranteed Tourney

hott_estelle

hott_estelle

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Later stages of the MTT. It was a $11-Rebuy, about 2 and a half hours in.

I have AK, middle position, UTG minraises, and there is one caller.

The tricky minraise made me think.

Anyways, original raiser is basically straight up TAG up to this point. I've seen him actually minraise a couple times before UTG and early, both times he had mid pairs, I believe 88 and 10s.

The caller is a bit more of a wildcard. He plays fast, but controlled.

What is my play here? Straight call? Fold? Reraise? How much if the reraise? Why fold, why call, ect? Explain your reasoning behind your answer. I will obv post what I did, what happened in the hand, and my explanation after there have been a few responses and discussions.

pokerstars Game #11821923761: Tournament #59099204, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level IX (300/600) - 2007/09/02 - 00:28:11 (ET)
Table '59099204 56' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: mayhem920 (9725 in chips)
Seat 2: razrback (31505 in chips)
Seat 3: Deuce2Four4 (35440 in chips)
Seat 4: hott_estelle (40865 in chips)
Seat 5: TallyPoker (1665 in chips)
Seat 6: SammySpackle (8805 in chips)
Seat 7: Nicoton (31088 in chips)
Seat 8: outl4w (12290 in chips)
Seat 9: LAUGEN98 (20585 in chips)
mayhem920: posts the ante 50
razrback: posts the ante 50
Deuce2Four4: posts the ante 50
hott_estelle: posts the ante 50
TallyPoker: posts the ante 50
SammySpackle: posts the ante 50
Nicoton: posts the ante 50
outl4w: posts the ante 50
LAUGEN98: posts the ante 50
TallyPoker: posts small blind 300
SammySpackle: posts big blind 600
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hott_estelle [Ad Ks]
Nicoton: raises 600 to 1200
outl4w: folds
LAUGEN98: calls 1200
mayhem920: folds
razrback: folds
Deuce2Four4: folds
hott_estelle: ???
 
hott_estelle

hott_estelle

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What is your table image?

Pretty tight, straight-forward, I've made a couple plays here and there, both preflop and postflop, but I've basically been playing tight up to this point.

Showdowned I think 5 times at this point, and I've won every showdown.
 
hott_estelle

hott_estelle

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Great analysis Jay.

You exceeded my expectations.
 
I

imlosinit4u

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According to how you explained the other two players I would probably call.IF UTG has pp then you are beat at the moment.If I did not get any help with it then i would fold depending upon the rest of the betting after flop.If i hit and both players come out betting I would have to consider next move.I do not think I come over top pre-flop though since he may have pair and other player is an unknown.Curious as to how you played it.
 
jayneseo

jayneseo

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You expect a serious HA from me??
 
jayneseo

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I would reraise though because I don't want the blinds getting a cheap flop, maybe to 3000 or so. You'll have position after the flop so you can reevaluate then.
 
Effexor

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Here's a good place to put on a squeeze play, or float. I'd raise the pot and take control of the hand. The strength of AK is it's fold equity plus you just don't get many great hands (at least I sure don't) in MTT's to play this hand passively.

But then again, I just donked out of my $10 MTT on a nut flush draw, so....
 
jayneseo

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You reraised and villian pushed right? Then showed 72 os .......classic
 
Egon Towst

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Flat call. The pot is giving you odds of ~3.1 to 1. Your chance of hitting an Ace or King on the flop is ~2.8 to 1. Therefore you have odds to call.

If you don`t connect with the flop (and relying on your read that opponent is apt to have a mid pair), you can lay it down to any sizeable bet, without having put too much of your stack in the middle.
 
I

I Eat Twinkies

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I would have re-raised to 3.5times the BB(standard betting practices right?), as to not let them get a cheap look at the flop, as AK is a decent starting hand. However, if they call you, they probably have a nice mid pok pair, but I would definitely play to the flop at least.
 
bubbasbestbabe

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Flat call. The pot is giving you odds of ~3.1 to 1. Your chance of hitting an Ace or King on the flop is ~2.8 to 1. Therefore you have odds to call.

If you don`t connect with the flop (and relying on your read that opponent is apt to have a mid pair), you can lay it down to any sizeable bet, without having put too much of your stack in the middle.

But wait, didn't it say in Jay's texasholdem article that it's 118 to 1 to getting a monster hand with this?:p

Actually with two other players in the hand you have a few choices here. You can reraise, (pot size bet), with the hope of pushing the smaller stack out or taking the pot down right then and there. This will give you control of the hand for now. Min. raises are usually,IMHO, players looking to improve with J 10 or such.

You can flat call. Two players in so far, two after you. In my opinion not a good move. Your position here stinks for that type of call. The only thing going for you here with that is if the flop misses you and there is a large bet you can lay it down with min. loss.

You can push and take what comes. :D How lucky do you feel, punk?
 
J

joeeagles

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Flat call. The pot is giving you odds of ~3.1 to 1. Your chance of hitting an Ace or King on the flop is ~2.8 to 1. Therefore you have odds to call.

If you don`t connect with the flop (and relying on your read that opponent is apt to have a mid pair), you can lay it down to any sizeable bet, without having put too much of your stack in the middle.

With the read you have on UTG player, I think this ^^^^^^^ is what I would do. I usually play AK aggressively PF but there are times when I prefer seeing a flop and this is one of those.

It's an interesting situation though because if you raise it to 6k you might force a middle pair OOP to fold, and take down this pot that has 3.7k in it (a lot of it is dead money). Even if, based on your reads, you're behind as of now, playing it aggressively could reward you, so I don't necessarily disagree with those who want to 3bet this.

It carries some risk though, and because you're sitting nicely at almost 70 BB's, and it looks like you're behind UTG raiser and you have position, I would just flat call. If your stack were 10k< I'd shove and worse come to worse you're flipping.

Besides, an argument can be made that if you hit the flop you'll make more than just the 3.7k vs a risk of losing 1.2k.
 
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Agree with the general consensus...you're read is everything in this play.

Ordinarily I would've put in a big over-the-top raise to AT LEAST isolate the original raiser, knocking out the blinds, and limper aiming to go heads-up increasing my advantage to the flop.

The tell that he's probably sitting at a decent pocket pair merits the call though, this time. As someone said before, believe it was Egon (?), you're getting 3.3 to 1 odds on a 2.8 - 1 chance of hitting top pair, that's good enough odds to at least see the flop. Another merit for simply calling here, even if you did know he wasn't playing pocket pairs is you're position. You will have position on him throughout the entire hand and that's everything.

I would never fold in this situation, complete wrong decision. You have position on everyone at the table, you have an excellent hand, you're getting superb pot odds, you have to make this call.
 
bubbasbestbabe

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Yep. And don't tell me you haven't either. At any stage of the tourney unless it's bubble time I've seen this.
 
hott_estelle

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Yep. And don't tell me you haven't either. At any stage of the tourney unless it's bubble time I've seen this.

I have never minraised UTG or any position, with J-10 at this stage in the tourney or any stage in the tourney. So no, I havn't.

Now have I seen it? Rarely, can't recall a time when UTG minraised and the person ended up having something similar to J-10.

But that's your opinion.
 
Egon Towst

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I`m with Estelle on this. A minraise from UTG is a statement of strength. Unless you know him to be a maniac, you have to believe he has a hand.
 
A

alan1983

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When a player is somewhat very active i do see minraises by hands like 109s and qjs...., by players who cant let them go but dont want someone raising them out of seeing a flop.

Id say that and KK/AA are much more commong than middle pairs doing it, ive rarely seen middle pairs do it.

But in this case where UTG is tight and has minraised with pairs, we have no reason 2 assume that drawy type hands are the case here.
 
Homey Jeromey

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Im gonna call with the strong hand and the analysis u have made even in the position tho u didnt raise preflop and with the chip count u have and be prepaired to fold come the flop if favorable cards dont fall still seems like a good gamble.
 
hott_estelle

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PokerStars Game #11821923761: Tournament #59099204, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level IX (300/600) - 2007/09/02 - 00:28:11 (ET)
Table '59099204 56' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: mayhem920 (9725 in chips)
Seat 2: razrback (31505 in chips)
Seat 3: Deuce2Four4 (35440 in chips)
Seat 4: hott_estelle (40865 in chips)
Seat 5: TallyPoker (1665 in chips)
Seat 6: SammySpackle (8805 in chips)
Seat 7: Nicoton (31088 in chips)
Seat 8: outl4w (12290 in chips)
Seat 9: LAUGEN98 (20585 in chips)
mayhem920: posts the ante 50
razrback: posts the ante 50
Deuce2Four4: posts the ante 50
hott_estelle: posts the ante 50
TallyPoker: posts the ante 50
SammySpackle: posts the ante 50
Nicoton: posts the ante 50
outl4w: posts the ante 50
LAUGEN98: posts the ante 50
TallyPoker: posts small blind 300
SammySpackle: posts big blind 600
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hott_estelle [Ad Ks]
Nicoton: raises 600 to 1200
outl4w: folds
LAUGEN98: calls 1200
mayhem920: folds
razrback: folds
Deuce2Four4: folds
hott_estelle: raises 3000 to 4200
TallyPoker: folds
SammySpackle: folds
Nicoton: folds
LAUGEN98: folds
hott_estelle collected 4950 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 4950 | Rake 0
Seat 1: mayhem920 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: razrback folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: Deuce2Four4 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: hott_estelle (button) collected (4950)
Seat 5: TallyPoker (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: SammySpackle (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: Nicoton folded before Flop
Seat 8: outl4w folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: LAUGEN98 folded before Flop

He had shown me before, he would do this with mid-pairs/hands he wasn't completely in love with but wanted to play.

I would rather take down the dead money in the pot preflop, rather than see a flop with 2 people already in, and possibly more with the blinds.

I think this is the best play in this situation, even though UTG minraised and could be playing sneaky with AAs or KKsp--if you're going to come into this pot you have to come in raising. If I get reraised here, I'm obv folding it preflop. With the chip stack I had in relation to the blinds and everyone else at my table, I think reraising here is the best play.

I don't particularly like the call here, even though I would have position, it would allow too many people to come into the pot, instead of isolating against a single player with a raise or just taking the pot down preflop altogether.
 
Homey Jeromey

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Very nice!!!
:party: :party: :party:
 
jayneseo

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I would reraise though because I don't want the blinds getting a cheap flop, maybe to 3000 or so. You'll have position after the flop so you can reevaluate then.


Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee see I ain't so dumb :D
 
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