Playing AK to a raise...

[MVPSPORTS]

Early in a SNG, what is your guys opinion on calling an early raise w/ AK, suited or not...

I have about the full allottment of chips (about 1000)... The only time I've seen the PF raiser play was the 2nd hand of the game... Raised to 100 (blinds 5-10)... Gets reraised allin for 1000... HE ACTUALLY CALLED w/ pocket 10s... The other guy had Aces, and he pulled a 10 on the turn...

Anyways, so he's got about 2000 chips... I'm in the BB w/ ... he raises in MP to 250 (I think the blinds were 15-30... This guy doesn't know dick about raising levels)... Everyone folds around to me... What do you do...?

[wulf]

i'd fold, just because its too early for all that

[GlassJoe]

I may be in the minority here, but I'm moving in with AKs at this point. It seems a golden opportunity to try to double up early, and he's likely going to give his chips to someone, so it might as well be me. I think you're, at worst, a coin flip, and I'd bet you're likely to have him dominated (though him raising with QJs or TJs or something similar isn't out of the realm of possibility either). I know it's early, but why wait when you're probably the favorite and, at worst, a coin flip?

My $0.02.

[Nashvegas]

You should not push all in, here's a couple reasons:
(1) You only have a 43% chance to beat a hand like TT, that's not exactly a coinflip. He'd have a 33% chance against you with 23o. 43% is halfway between "coinflip" and calling with 2 undercards.
(2) You don't want to take even a 33% chance of going out to double up THIS early in a SNG. Later yes, but not this early if I understand correctly how slow UB blind structures are.

That being said, I definitely call. If you hit an ace or king, you're ahead. You might be ahead even ifyou don't hit. You'll be in position to milk him for chips or try to fold him. So call away with AKs.... you'd have to be pretty dang tight to fold that when you're not even risking your whole stack.

[Acidjoe]

[flafishy]

I'm in Wulf's camp. I'm not calling much of anything early with AK, which I think is the most overrated hand in THE and one that easily will get you in trouble. Why fool with it against a raise this early?

[MVPSPORTS]

I folded, mostly because it was REAL early in the tourney, and he was betting WAY too much (this is the kind of idiot that WAY overbets his strong hands, then bitches when everyone folds to him)... After I folded, he showed ... Damn, knew I should've listened to Nash...

But, to those who promote calling...

What do you do if you flop a King and:

a. Bet pot and he calls... Turn play...
b. Bet pot and he raises allin...

What do you do if you flop nothing:

a. Check and he bets pot at you...
b. Check and he bets weakly into you...
c. Bet and he calls...
d. Bet and he raises...

Sorry for all the questions...

[bensberg]

I call this bet every time.
I will not push. I want to see the flop.

What do you do if you flop a King and:

First, if a K or A comes off, I will probably check raise all in, depending on the board. If there are draws I will lead.

a. Bet pot and he calls... Turn play...

Push.

b. Bet pot and he raises allin...

Call.

What do you do if you flop nothing:

a. Check and he bets pot at you...

Fold.

b. Check and he bets weakly into you...

Depending on how weak.. if we are talking the minimum bet of course I'm calling. I would call 1/3 pot, but a lot depends on my stack size and future maneuverability.

c. Bet and he calls...

I wouldn't bet, but I would let him have the hand assuming an unimproved turn.

d. Bet and he raises...

Fold.

[flafishy]

I thought about this some more after I posted, and I think a key thing here that we missed is: DON'T CALL A RAISE OUT OF POSITION unless you're absolutely compelled to.

Think about it. Why would you call this raise, anyway (as opposed to reraising)? Because you have a strong hand, but you're not sure if it's going to be good against the hand of the raiser and you want to see a flop? That's all I can think of. But you're putting yourself at a severe disadvantage -- no matter what the flop, you will have no real idea whether it hit your opponent or not, and you have to act first. Why put yourself in that position, especially in the shadowboxing stages of the tournament?

[Nashvegas]

Yikes... I didn't notice that you were in the big blind. That makes things a little more marginal, but it's still a call. I'm not loving the situation, but it's better than folding your blind dead.

Be very willing to let go of this hand if you miss the flop. If you hit the flop, it depends on your opponent quite a bit. Aggressive opponents who will bet if you check, you should probably checkraise. Passive opponents you should bet into (if they raise you, you're probably able to fold it).

If you're playing lower stakes ($10s or $20s), then treat TPTK with AK like it's the nuts if there's no flush, straight, or paired board out there.

[GlassJoe]

Because of lack of position is exactly why I advocated moving in PF. It's the bullies like this that overplay the ever loving snot out of Axs. I mentioned that you would, at worst, be a coin flip and that I thought you very well may have him dominated. You did indeed have him dominated, and I think you stand a good chance (roughly 3:1, I suppose) of doubling up early and hopefully being the table captain from here on out. I like playing big hands (AA, KK, QQ and AKs) strong early on, and without position I want to play this hand for all five cards, hence my reasoning for moving in. I don't like calling for the simple fact that if you miss the flop, you're done with the hand because he WILL ABSOLUTELY bet out the flop and take the pot away.

If, however, I did call and hit an A or K, I'm check-raising or check-calling him (depending on how scary the board is) and will try to get all my chips in with TPTK against a guy like this.

Of course, I play at Party, and even though though I've been playing lately at the $100 tables and you start with 1000 chips instead of 800 chips, the blinds are still relatively out of control by the time we're five- or six-handed, and doubling up early is a huge advantage.

There's no way this guy is raising like this with AA and KK. He'd make it much less expensive to get in. That's why I'll push AKs against him, because I'm at worse a "coinflip" and at best (and I'd say more likely) dominating him. He may make a similar raise with 44-88, as well, and even he may be able to get off this hand, though I doubt it. I'm willing to take my chances at him when I'm likely best, though, because he will give his chips away sooner or later.

All of my advice on this hand is based on the prototypical maniac, though, that way overbets and sometimes has a mountain of chips early. I would not play it this way against a reasonable PF raise or a reasonable player.

[flafishy]

I don't like a push here, either. It's just too damned early to commit all your chips in a pissing match. But I will concede that if you're playing a Party or a Bodog where the blinds do get out of hand very quickly in the middle stage of a tourney, it's not an awful idea -- and under any circumstance, I would prefer it to a call if for no other reason than to negate your positional disadvantage.

Bottom line, I think a call is the absolute worst option. I would prefer a fold, but I wouldn't argue too vehemently against a push.

[MVPSPORTS]

I'm drunk... and agree with all of you... I think...

[flafishy]

Hey, good afternoon (by the time you see this), Sport. Just checking ... are you now hungover?

Sport right about now:

[shoesnatcher]

Good discussion on this hand, I know I am probably in the minority, but if I were in the hand I would fold it. Why? Because you wouldl be committing 25% of your chips (250 of your 1000 chips) preflop with a call out of position or elimitation with an all in. To make matters worse, there are very few chips in the pot to contend for (the blinds are even small), so why risk elmination early in a SNG to win an empty pot? I would pick a better spot and wait. Admittedly maybe this is one reason my ITM % is not as good as it should be (I don't take enough chances early on). So folding is not an option here?

ShoeSnatcher