blonde poker forum

Live MTM

50ish runners, 5 remain, 4 places paid.

Blinds 3000/6000

Table has 2 smaller stacks, 2 big stacks & my medium stack.

I am on the button with  Aspades Ks, a lovely looking hand, but not a made hand yet.....

I limp in.

Firstly because I was wary of being knocked out on the bubble.
Secondly because I was being a bit sneaky.... There was a chance to end it right there.

Maybe a mistake?

SB (Big stack) - Raises to 24000, just slightly over half my stack
BB (Smallest stack) - FOLD

Button (Me) -  I think for a short while, wondering whether I should just muck my hand, even tho I am 95% sure I am ahead? Then I think it better to get all my remaining chips in and let the cards decide.

I ship for a total of 53000. SB thinks for a minute....

He decides to call, and justifies it by letting me know it is only 20% of his total stack.
I guess he though he could end it here also.

I show  Aspades Ks,

SB doesnt look happy.

He shows  Ahrt Jd


FLOP -  5h 7h 4h

I am in trouble, many a bullet to dodge.

TURN -  Kh

I pair up, he makes the nut flush.

RIVER -  Qc

I am in trouble.....

Not because I bubbled the tourney, but because my ride home & 2 friends who were knocked out early on have been waiting in the car for 6 hours now.

So my question is...

Should I have mucked my AK suited & waited for a smaller stack to either be eliminated or blinded out?

Should I have shipped it pre-flop?

With an effective stack of 10xBBs, you definitely shouldn't be limping with Aspades Ks here.  If it was a satellite bubble and there are shorter stacks who might be eliminated first then you can fold.  If it's a standard comp then you should really be shoving here, unless there's a ridiculous amount of money for min-cashing and this means more to you than making the 'correct' play.

Oh, and :hello: and welcome to blonde!

Thanks for the welcome & the advice Kinboshi!

open shove pre pick up the dead chips and be happy

 ;carlocitrone;

Definitely just shove first. The guy with AJ probably wouldnt have folded, but long term thats gonna be good for you!

As it turns out, you've probably played it perfectly lol

You've managed to get your whole stack in with 6 left as a 73% favourite, doesn't get much better.

But as others have said, open pile next time, its an unexploitable play.

This is actually not correct. AKs IS a made hand, you've just slightly confused the meaning of a "made hand". The actual value of a poker hand is entirely dependent on the type of hands you are likely facing.

Here you have AKs, and if you go all in, what hands will call? Most pairs, A9/ATs? AQ and AJ, KQ and so on, against all these hands AKs is very strong, he has JJ you're flipping, he has KQ or AQ you're in great shape.

Lets spose you have 44 here, a "made hand" you go all and the same types of hands will call you, you run into JJ you are in terrible shape, you run into KQ/AQ etc you are only flipping.

This is why AKs is actually a much stronger hand to find here than 44. The way to think about a hand is not its physical value (A high, 1 pair, 2 pairs on so on) but its value RELATIVE to the situation you are in.

Welcome to Blonde :)

David

All in.Welcome to Blonde.Also my first contribution to a hand analysis,felt this was one that was pretty simple straightforward :-)

Wp sir

Thanks for the advice & welcomes guys.

Welcome to blonde, just shove this all in. A lot of the time you'll pick up dead money in blinds and ante's and you crush a MASSIVE part of what people will call you with and you're flipping vs the rest apart from AA/KK (Which is unlikely because you have one of each)

You're even suited ;)

sometimes with this stack size 10-15 bb on the bubble with a hand like this you could min raise to induce the shove from the Big stack. You have a top hand and as long as bubbling is not going to be a huge issue (in terms of monetary value or say in a satellite. ) you then can become a big stack rather then a medium stack at a key time in the comp.

There are a lot of very very good poker players that have posted in this thread, and now my turn.

All in please, hi-5 dealer, call mum and tell her 'we got dis one', get out the violin for the other guy.. Then wager your betting discs.

When he calls with AJ and finds the J-ball corner pocket, we need to say gg everyone and walk out with our head held high.



Only argument is if we have 14bb's+ and there are stacks with less than 5bb's in which case its probably correct to fold anything but AA/ KK because it is a satellite and they have to go all in before you.


Best of luck

I was playing the hand to ensure that I didn't bubble, and that I would be in a comfortable position to let the 2 shorter stacks either make a move & fail, or be blinded out.

Prizes 1-4 were all the same, a £125 buy-in to any comp in a Grosvenor casino, so I guess that winning wasn't the main aim, but to make the final 4 was a more sensible target.

Do you think that a straight fold would have ever been a viable option given the circumstances? Or is that just crazy?

Thanks for the advice, reading this made my day!

Would have been helpful if you mentioned this information originally as of course it can make a huge difference.

What stack size did the small stacks have?

agreed if the shorties are really short you can pass here. Limp is still the worse option really. Still should be ship or fold.

shipping it there

5 handed in this tournament with AK suited its always a jam on button regardless not deep enough to play pretty poker your going bust anyway as AJ wont be folding but least you had no decisions to make , if your saying you were wary about being bubbled i suggest stepping down a level shouldnt be playing scared poker effecting decisions this easy all the best in future but poker will throw these curve balls at yer 30% of the time gl