Final Table Hand Analysis.

ryanhealy

So I'm at the final table of the $9500 guarunteed $30+3 freezeout at UltimateBet and I'm in 5th out of the 6 remaining players of the original 350.

I'm short stacked, with about 9 big blinds in my stack, but the 6th place player only has about 2 big blinds.

I'm dealt AQ UTG and I raise to 3XBB, puttin a third of my stack in. I get called by the chip leader and the flop is J-Q-10 rainbow. I have top pair with top kicker and I don't think this guy would've called my raise with a combination of those cards for two pair, and if he'd had a big pocket pair he would've reraised preflop. So I figure that if I'm behind right now, it's to AK. I decide to push all-in and hope he doesn't have the AK. I could check, but then I let him bet out, and he is the bigstack. If I call, it won't make a difference in which order the money went in. If I fold, my stack will have taken a substantial hit. So I decide pushing is the best option, and I'll just hope he's not holding AK. I push, he calls and turns over 8-9off and I'm out in 6th.

Here are my questions:

1) In this situation with AQ, are you looking to play this hand as cheaply as possible, or even fold it, in order to move up the ladder one step, even though it might mean you're throwing away an opportunity to work towards first place?

To me, I feel like at this point, I'm playing to win, so if I get a hand like AQ, which is quite powerful 6-handed, I'm going to play it toi to try and move closer to winning it all. However, due to the relative rarity of winning tournaments, is it more financially responsible to just sit back, lay down the big hand and wait for that really small stack to get knocked out?

2) After the decision has been made to play the hand, and the raise has been made, what do you do on the flop? Would you check it and look to bow out? Bet all-in? Bet the pot?

The call with he made with 89off was probably a mistake in that situation, but I'm just trying to find out if I made a mistake on this hand as well, and if so what a better option would be?

SirWatts

I would push all-in preflop. The hand is too big to get away from once you make your 3xBB raise anwyays but you would prefer to take the blinds down without a flop and not risk busting. So push and they can't call you with trash, and if they do they're just giving you a chance to make a run at the big money anyways.

Mike

sweetjimmi

UTG with only 9 BB pretty much = push or fold. I think I push here hoping to coin-flip or win the blinds.

literation

ryanhealy wrote:

So I'm at the final table of the $9500 guarunteed $30+3 freezeout at UltimateBet and I'm in 5th out of the 6 remaining players of the original 350.

[snip]

To me, I feel like at this point, I'm playing to win, so if I get a hand like AQ, which is quite powerful 6-handed, I'm going to play it toi to try and move closer to winning it all. However, due to the relative rarity of winning tournaments, is it more financially responsible to just sit back, lay down the big hand and wait for that really small stack to get knocked out?

Would you have played it differently if it was a $95,000 or even a $950,000 guaranteed?  I'm just curious what the difference between 5th and 6th paid.  Would you have been much happier with 5th?

You were playing to win and had to make a stand.  I don't think you position yourself to win it by waiting for the really small stack to get knocked out.  After that, you are the really small stack.

Dave Scharf

So I'm at the final table of the $9500 guarunteed $30+3 freezeout at UltimateBet and I'm in 5th out of the 6 remaining players of the original 350.

I'm short stacked, with about 9 big blinds in my stack, but the 6th place player only has about 2 big blinds.

I'm dealt AQ UTG and I raise to 3XBB, puttin a third of my stack in. I get called by the chip leader and the flop is J-Q-10 rainbow. I have top pair with top kicker and I don't think this guy would've called my raise with a combination of those cards for two pair, and if he'd had a big pocket pair he would've reraised preflop. So I figure that if I'm behind right now, it's to AK. I decide to push all-in and hope he doesn't have the AK. I could check, but then I let him bet out, and he is the bigstack. If I call, it won't make a difference in which order the money went in. If I fold, my stack will have taken a substantial hit. So I decide pushing is the best option, and I'll just hope he's not holding AK. I push, he calls and turns over 8-9off and I'm out in 6th.

Here are my questions:

1) In this situation with AQ, are you looking to play this hand as cheaply as possible, or even fold it, in order to move up the ladder one step, even though it might mean you're throwing away an opportunity to work towards first place?

I ALWAYS play to win. Period. It's not in my nature to "move up the money ladder." And, with 10bb you are still a viable concern. A-Q is too good to lay down pre-flop if you are the first one in. I like your play pre-flop. Somewhere there is a LONG thread about the 10bb "rule" that it's move or fold. I think moving in with 10bb is a BAD idea. I move in at 6bb, not before.

To me, I feel like at this point, I'm playing to win, so if I get a hand like AQ, which is quite powerful 6-handed, I'm going to play it toi to try and move closer to winning it all. However, due to the relative rarity of winning tournaments, is it more financially responsible to just sit back, lay down the big hand and wait for that really small stack to get knocked out?

I have never seen a good quanitification of this, but the money is in 1,2,3. If you don't play to win, you are giving up EV (a lot of the time) by simply squeeking up a level or two. Frequently, profitable play if high varaince. Play to win... or go broke will make you more money in the long run (I think).

2) After the decision has been made to play the hand, and the raise has been made, what do you do on the flop? Would you check it and look to bow out? Bet all-in? Bet the pot?

I move in, just like you did. You are not going to get away from the hand and you do not want to give a hand like 6-6 a free shot at a set.

The call with he made with 89off was probably a mistake in that situation, but I'm just trying to find out if I made a mistake on this hand as well, and if so what a better option would be?

His call was gross. You can only get away with they when there are big implied odds or your opponent is VERY predicatble.

As a side note, the error you did make was the box you had your opponent in. You did not think he could call with any hand that would give him 2 pair and yet he called you with 9-8o. So, you were wrong. It doesn't make any difference to the play of the hand, but it was an error.