I was in a deep stacked $560 today seated early with Darryl Fish, the same tournament as explained in this post. Please help me understand Fish's play here.

We were recently 6 handed and both seats adjacent to Fish were empty. Floor sends over 3 players. Both players that sit to Fish's right and left have just bought in with fresh 40k stacks. The player to his right looks 17 and nerdy; the player to his left is a young African American unknown.

Fish was in loose small-ball mode when I first arrived earlier, but over the past hour or so has tightened up quite a bit to a more abc style.

Blinds are 200/400-50. All players involved are eff 40k. Less than an orbit has been played since these new players sat.

9 handed, Fish is in hijack

Young kid opens to 1k
Fish flats
CO 3bets to 5k
Young kid calls 5k
Fish instajams 40k

Both call.

Clear case of TMM syndrome.

I played with him last year in Vegas in a 1k and there as well he SPAZZED and punted away his stack in a similar spot.

Guess he's at times to impatient to let the game come to him (as David Tuchman says) but tries to force it and build a HUUUUUUGE stack early on.

No one tries during reentry in these huge field bs events

Not a huge field this one, and a very generous structure for these stakes. (40k, 40/60/90 mins)

I guess I get TMM punting mode, but at the table it was clear to me that kid's 5k flat was incredibly strong. Very much felt to me like aces or kings trapping. Was actually surprised to see a hand as "weak" was AK there given the context. And was further purplexed why Fish didn't see what I saw, so just assumed he knew something I didn't!

All the Fish will not be able to get staked when you post stuff like this

Fish will gamble in reentries.

Fish's play here is obv silly

What do we think of AK calling 100bb off after two all-ins?

Easy call in reentry when people are gambling with AJo and whatever.

Not saying I agree with the play at all, but if I'm trying to rationalize...

If you interpret the flat by the kid behind him as capping his range (assuming he's often 4-betting AA/KK) rather than being strong, maybe this is a spot he thought he could squeeze. There are going to be hands in our flatting range that make sense as 4-bet backraise bluffs. I think those hands are often going to be unsuited Ax hands because they block AA or AK, and you could use that hand to balance out some of your bet 4-bet jam for value range.

people just aren't allowed to gamble anymore, it is known

Pretty standard. I mean just look at his name.

wow

I suck at poker

wp gg