I keep meaning to post these up . . . but have just been so damned busy.

Ok, we're 5 1/2 hours into the tournament. The Tournament Director has announced that there are 80 of 460 players remaining. We've all just come back from a break, myself barely making it back to the table in time to catch the hand below. As soon as I sit down, I notice that the previously empty seat to my left has now been filled with . . . . the friggin' chip leader. He's not in this hand yet, but waiting for the next hand. I took a bad beat (TT vs. 88) on the hand before the break and went from about 9000 to 6500 - still the biggest stack at the table. I've been pushing the table around, winning most of my pots with PF raises.

200/400 with 50 ante
Starting pot is 1050 (9 players)

Hero (seat 1): UTG 6500
Seat 2(empty)
Seats 3-7: Mostly other medium stacks in the 3000-5000 chip range.
Seat 8(button): Short stack with about 2000 left
Seat 9-10 (blinds): Medium stacks with about 3000-5000 chips

I pick up:

I look down at my cards, and notice seats 3 and 5 are again peeking too early at their hands. Looks like they're folding this hand.

I raise it to 1600.

Folds around to seat 7, who quickly looks at his hand and announces "all in" for a total of 4900. Folds around to me.

It's now 3300 to call a pot of 7550. I try and talk to the guy to get a read on him . . . . he's not giving me anything. He just sat down to the table about 5 hands before the break, so I have zero reads on him.

What do we do?

I would call without thinking about it. Stacks are getting short, you have the odds to call.

Lay it down..........

This is the reason most people complain about AK. We should use it to knock people out of a pot, not to call an all in.

I know your pot odds are great, but we don't need this fight. You are no better than in a race, and often a huge dog to AA or KK.

Lets wait for another hand.

Beav and me typed at same time........... I knew he would say call.

Call.

call.
chances are he has 88-QQ

its probably a coin flip. thats my read anyway. so assuming im right, and cant get any info off the guy, ill give him credit for a pair (even though a shortie could move in with AQ, AJ, you did say you had been taking down alot of pots with pf raises. could provoke a push/steal)

so assuming its a coin flip, look at the pot. you are getting better that 2:1 odds. fold and leave those 1600 chips out there, in 2/3 rounds around the table without a pot you are in all in territory and will be HAPPY then to take a coin flip. here you can take a coin flip with chips to spare, 2:1 odds, increase to a very healthy stack, and eliminate a player.

there are points in a tournament i fold this hand. not here. heave your chips onto the playing surface, yell call, and beat your chest with your fists.

Antneye says we dont need this fight. look at our M Antneye, do we have enough chips to sit and wait for a hand? either way you are going to have to gamble to stay alive(or get aces). its either here, or do it with less chips, bigger blinds, and probably a worse hand.

Missed that.......M is around 6..........but low M play is about pushing when you are 1st to enter a pot and using your 1st in vig. Not about calling someone who came over the top. If we want to use our low M as justification for calling, then we should have pushed from the get go.