I am mainly a cash games player, but I want to add tournaments to my play. I've played a few online, but last night there was a $40 buy in MTT at Santa Ana Casino, here in New Mexico (I'm from LA, but here in Albuquerque to work on a film) so I played - my first live tourney.


At any rate, I'm tight and I've played two and won two hands. The last one, I had QQ and flopped a set, rivered a boat - we are still on the first level, and no one is really deep.


The hand in question:

RELEVANT STACKS:

UTG: 225
UTG+1: 2600
HERO in MP1: 3200



Hero is dealt A K


Action preflop:


UTG pushed all in for 225, UTG+1 raised to 500, Hero raises to 1500, all fold to UTG+1 who calls


FLOP: 2 5 5


UTG+1 pushes for 1100

Hero??


Comments on all streets - for example, as this was the first level, would it have been more prudent to only call UTG+1's raise?


Thanks


AB

push or call the first time around...I like a push most of the time to try to isolate shortie...your raise puts you in an awkward position with so much of your stack in already...flop IDK...guess I make the call

Shove pre, as played snap call.

Shove Pre. As played insta-snap

call yes but you'll see 77-99 a lot

+1

Anytime you put in half your stack, you might as well just push all-in because your effectively pot committed. As a cash player, you know that AKs is a drawing hand. With your stack, you have FE to push and see all five cards.

After the flop, you could still be ahead AQ who might be making a play. I'd make a crying call and hope to get lucky.

I would have called pf and then probably fold to a bet post flop depending on my reads. As is, you have pot odds to call but it ain't a pretty situation. You would have been better off shoving than the pf bet you made.

Thunder...don't mind a call but explain to me why you want to call pre...do you have him on a range? I think it looks like an isolation play and we are in good shape and should push pre

To realise the maximum equity from AK you really need to be seeing all 5 cards, which is why I would advocate a preflop push. Villain looks like he's playing standard stop n go here. You've got over half your effective stack in there already, and he could still be sitting on AJ AQ. To any pair below kings you're still about 3-1 and the pot is almost offering you that price for the call. Factor in that you could be a 6-1 favourite over villain and this is a snap call imo. Agreed that you will see 77-TT here quite a lot, but you'll also see dominated aces.


Plus people play like ass in live $40 tournies.

I don't mind a push pf here, it is certainly better than the raise that was made. I agree it is an isolation play, but with what? I don't mind a call here because we have position on him, and I think villain plays this different with a call pf and rag flop.

Okay, my read was that UTG+1 had most likely 88 to TT. I did indeed call, getting better than 4 to 1 from the pot, and about 3 to 1 to make a hand, given 7.5 outs.

RESULTS:


thanks for all comments


AB

no problem...love when I nail the range too...makes me feel like I have a clue