Originally Posted by Joem04

Playing in 25-30 person tourney with friends and it is down to 6 people, top 3 get money but 3rd only makes $5 blinds are at 30/60 and i have 300 and some change in the sb, UTG limps, button limps, and I get 44 and move all in, im trying to pick up the blinds here but figure if i get called it will be a coin flip, any thoughts?

Actually, I'd go all in with any 2 cards here. You've only got an M of 3. Gotta start getting lucky sometime.

I think you should have pushed a while ago.

What's the payout structure?....what is the average chip stack?.....are you short stacked? if not how many are below you? How are the short stacks playing? What does the button limp mean as it is a strange play from a strong player...or is he a weak player and limp all the time?

You never heard anyone use the term "M" before Harringtons book. But since this masterpiece is out (and I think this is a great book and must read) you always get canned answers like this to questions like yours.

"Your M is 3 you gotta push with anything piece of junk" In many cases this is true but in many "home game" low buy in action tourneys this is far from true.

I would need more information on the style of the Button and BB player and the situation of the table to give you the correct answer.....but I advise you to be careful and evaluate the entire situation and don't sim plify your play by just thinking if Harrington says push it with an M of there than I'm pushing.

I'd agree that normally this info would be very important, but this situaiton seems pretty stark.

Like he said, there were 25-30 people in the tourney, now it's down to 6. If they started off with any reasonsable # of chips - say even 300 each initially playing 1/2 blinds - that's a total of 9000 chips or an average stack of 1500. Unless 3 of his opponents have smaller stacks, he's in big trouble. And even if 3 do, what's the likelihood that they're all going to bust (and not double up) before him? Fairly low.

There's no way he's folding his way to 2nd (I don't consider $5 in third place real money, LOL!).

So his choices are pretty stark: Double up or die. And I don't think he can reasonably assume that he can win any pot uncontested. So the reraise all in probably isolates him against the button or UTG. With a pair, hopefully you're a coinflip.

I am pushing here also, but you are definately facing at least one caller, maybe more as pot odds grow for each subsequent caller.

The mistake was not pushing sooner in a spot where you could be the 1st one into the pot. The presence of any limpers greatly reduces your shot at taking this pot uncontested.

It's DH's good ol' "1st in Vigorish"...............it's one of the truest things in his books.