Ok I wasn't gonna reply to it, but I like to have fun, so I'll bite
I call pre because I'm getting 8 to 1, w 200bbs, and I close the action, in a live MTT with human beings. I don't feel anyone that is at THIS table is going to " outplay me", in a 6 way pre ante pot, with 200bbs. If Moorman was at my table I might fold. He wasn't. And I'm never going broke on an AK7 board w 200bbs. You guys aren't that good...
A7 is an easy fold on almost all boards. I invest 1.5% of my stack here. I don't see pre flop as a problem, but I understand it avoids situations like this. I may be over estimating my edge when 200 bbs deep like this, but this is a live MTT.
But on to the flop. I didn't wanna give "live reads" on any of the players because I wanted for someone to just do the math. But, UTG bets Ah97cc flop OOP vs 4 callers who haven't acted. I put him on AK AQ AJ, sets, and KQcc, KJcc, and maybe QJcc, TJcc,. He seemed like more of the passive type. I don't think he's 3x opening UTG w other flush draws, or A9 or A7.
The MP calls and he was a middle aged guy, and I'll just say that he did not look like a professional poker player. He was looser and I felt his range was much wider. I could see him calling with 87hh on this board, even JTo, honestly. He seemed weak but with 2 players who hadn't acted yet, I'm not sure if he raises his sets here either. It's still the 15th hand of the tourney. It gets to me and I have the decision to raise. If I raise here, my standard would be around 2500
If I do that, that would leave me with a little over a pot sized bet on the turn if one player calls, and 2/3 if both call. This is the 15th hand of a tourney with 60 minute levels. I was trying to take more passive lines, especially at the table I was at, with only 2 players who appeared to be decent.
And the main point I didn't raise on the flop, I wasn't sure if I was ahead. When the UTG cbets into 4 people on A97cc, I take him as very strong. I would range his cbet range like this:
AA 99 77 = cbets 100%
AK AQ AJ = cbets 80%
KQcc, KJcc, QJcc, TJcc = cbets 50% and maybe less. Players fear the top pair and nut flush draw where they are drawing dead. He 100% seemed like that player. These are the only hands I think he cbets.
When he cbets, I'm not sure where I'm at, so I call. If I'm behind, I'm far behind. And I'll have invested 6% of my stack by calling. Versus putting in near 30% of my stack in on a raise where I'm not even sure where I'm at.
I posted this on here because at the table, I really wasn't sure of the spot and took way longer than I normally do. Just wanted to get any insight. Everyone saying fold pre is like telling someone to invest in bitcoin 5 years ago. Thanks, I gotcha. Still playing a live MTT where human error comes into play at a rate that I would say is substantial, at least from what I've seen. If the flop comes 772 and utg has Kings, I could double up without a doubt in my mind. I play a style where they pay me off. Because again, they're human. For instance.
If you never fold your big blind early in a tournament, people will take that as you defend your big blind 100%, and may open at a lesser rate later in the tourney, thinking you're going play back at them. If you planned this out, then you've gotten them to error from their strategy, because they're human. The better the player, the less this will be true. But I've been at many tables where someone says, "He never folds his big blind" and folds while I'm in the big blind. This is what I mean by we're human. You can get people to do or think certain things, by how you act. I wan't people not to think, that I'm folding A7o in the big blind, getting 8 to 1, with 200 bbs and closing the action.
I haven't played much live poker in the past couple years, so I'm definitely rusty. But the "keep regging 1k mtt's" comment is funny. I wondered what happened to the High Stakes MTT forum, and now I'm reminded.
If anyone was wondering tho, I folded the turn, and UTG called and ended up having AdQc, and MP player had K3cc. The river was a J of spades, so it was Ah9c7c5cJs board, and it went check check on the river. The MP player said "just in case you have the nut flush, I check back". Yea, I guess I over thought the hand but I don't see people play good when I play live poker. The exact opposite actually. And hands like this, make me think that calling with A7o in the big blind, getting 8 to 1 on a call, with 200bbs, versus these opponents, could be profitable.
I guess I could be wrong tho. Thanks for the advice