PokerStars - 7000/14000 Ante 1750 NL - Holdem - 7 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG+1: 7.22 BB (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 15.38, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 40)
MP: 11.33 BB (VPIP: 20.47, PFR: 14.29, 3Bet Preflop: 6.06, Hands: 128)
CO: 38.64 BB
BTN: 48.62 BB (VPIP: 18.52, PFR: 18.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 56)
Hero (SB): 17.92 BB
BB: 29.26 BB (VPIP: 23.08, PFR: 11.11, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 40)
UTG: 48.01 BB (VPIP: 21.95, PFR: 10.26, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 83)

7 players post ante of 0.13 BB, Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.37 BB) Hero has 4 A

UTG calls 1 BB, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls 0.5 BB, BB checks

Flop: (3.87 BB, 3 players) 5 T K
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG bets 1.08 BB, Hero calls 1.08 BB, fold

Turn: (6.04 BB, 2 players) 3
Hero checks, UTG bets 1.69 BB, Hero calls 1.69 BB

River: (9.43 BB, 2 players) 8

Hi, how would people have played this hand in the final table of a progressive knockout tournament? I wouldn't normally call preflop like this from sb, but with 18BB, I didn't think it would be a good move to go all in and didn't want to fold. Would be interested how people would play post flop.

I'm intrigued that you mention that it's a progressive KO, but then don't mention anything about the value of bounties.
It's extremely weird that UTG+1 is limping from a 7bb stack, when literally everyone will have an incentive to bust him. Unless he's really clueless, shouldn't he have aces or kings like 100% of the time?
If he doesn't always have KK+, the right pre-flop play is presumably to jam or fold. Completing seems almost as weird/bad as limping in the first place, since the effective stacks aren't ideal for playing post-flop with a speculative hand, and the BB could just jam on the pair of you.
Since you flopped the nuts, you should be trying to get all in one way or the other. Villain has less than 6bb by the time you see the flop. You could either get all in there, or wait to the turn. Villain can't really fold anything once most of his stack is in the middle. If he has anything left in his stack after the turn bet, check-jam in his face.

You're gonna have to put me out my misery and confirm he had KK, (right?), because his line is so damn weird.

I can't remember exactly what the bounties were at that stage, and it didn't factor into my decision. It's actually UTG with 48BB who limps.

Oops. The converter formatted so weirdly (with UTG listed last) that I didn't notice.
Since he has you covered, and there are a few much shorter stacks, I think this becomes a clear fold.

If you were playing vs a strong field, then maybe you can raise (or just shove), because it would look so strong, but in this spot, I'd fold every time.

The size of the bounties actually has quite a strong effect on correct strategy in progressive KOs, I believe, so it's important to keep track of them. e.g. If your own bounty was massive, but other people cover you, you're gonna have much less fold equity than normal, so you can't expect your bluffs to work so often.

Oh, and you should be check-raising flop or turn for sure when villain has a bigger stack. You've got the nuts and villain will check back all rivers that don't give him a better hand (i.e. when he has a set that makes a boat). It's pretty much criminal that you aren't all in by the turn.

Thanks for the advice. Yeah I can see how it should be a fold pre.

I didn't check-raise on the flop because I thought this would make him fold most hands and I wanted to entice him to bet the turn as well. I can see now that I should definitely have check-raised the turn at least, as I didn't really have any idea what to do by the river.