Advice on how to play short stack in blinds in live MTT
Join Date: Oct 2023
Posts: 6
Hi Gang,
Average player here that loves a good MTT live freeze out.
A key weakness for me is now which hands to call with when 4-5bb in the blinds.
For example recently I had A9 off in the Bb with around 5 Bb remaining. UTG raises 6 Bb and CO shoves over the top all in. I folded and would’ve won as it stood but would going all in be the right move on my part?
Sorry if laggy
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 10,971
Near the money? This is a fold most of the time ..
In the money? This is more likely a call to try and triple up. Are you near a pay jump?
IMO A9 is not ideal when against a UTG 'huge' open and a 3b shove. Perhaps A9s is OK.
You are very short and most Players will probably say that any Ace under 6-8bb is a shove since you will have very little to no fold equity in future hands .. so you want chips.
A UTG open to 6bb is HUGE and needs some context to consider. Was CO the chip leader or at least 20+bb?
There really is no right or wrong answer at 5bb, so you need to consider the other factors of the tournament more so than just having Ax. GL
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 1,155
Is almost rather have a lesser hand to call this spot. A9 is too likely to be dominated given that action. Something like a JTs seems like a better candidate for a call here; you are more likely to have live cards and less likely to be dominated. IMO between the two ranges there would be a LOT of AT+ hands that would really kill your equity.
With the CO overshove, your equity drops pretty precipitously in any case. You really don’t want multi-way action when calling with a marginal hand most of the time.
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 20,004
The right move is to shove almost anything when you were UTG (or earlier if you are first in the pot). You need chips. You aren't winning anything at this point so you might as well take your chances. You'd be surprised at how often everyone will fold in a live tourney. Or, you might get lucky.
should be called sevenfour
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 74,880
Yep, get it in first and get it in hard. Flatting A9 against an UTG open and then a rejam does neither, the probability that you're drawing dead to a pair of nines on the board is huge
