WSOP PLO 1K Tourney, bustout hand

Well you got it all in with 58% equity - happens.

Overlimping AA can be a good strat in spots like this. I would just isoraise though.

We can't factor in ICM unless we know how many players remain and what the payouts are.

The worst part for me is our hand looks face-up like bad/weaker aces, so BTN is getting very good implied odds to call with your last 500k going in frequently, or even try to bluff you.

But there's really not any great way to play this hand (and would want some more info on payout structure for context). You certainly could raise pre to various sizings, but its easy to get bullied post-flop. Calling the 245k is an option, though still could go wrong, and will face some tricky decisions post-flop.

Raising also is a bit more attractive with a 500k stack left to act in the blinds or something, since its harder for big stacks to get out of line. Really, raise is almost certainly the best play with most upside, since losing even up to 30% of our stack isn't a huge loss from an ICM perspective - Hero would still have a lot of chips in play to stay competitive.

What advice did the tourney players give you?

With three tables left, I'm going to assume the payouts are mostly flat for third table payouts and everyone that finishes at the second table gets about the same pay jump from a third table finish.

You said the average stack was 1.2 million and you were a little bit better at 1.3 million. In tournaments, that tiny difference is huge . It is other players obsessing and struggling to leap frog the average stack amount. You are already above, albeit only by a little, but a little is huge. Also what is most important to you, going for the bracelet or trying to chip up a single pay jump for thousands or tens of thousands. An extreme example would be you folding almost everything and blinding your way down to a top two table finish and getting a couple thousand more than if you risk busting out now. Also, did this final table get televised? Would that have been a lifelong fun story to tell and have a record of for you? You didn't tell us what was the most important priority to you. You said you asked 3 good tournament players and got different opinion. It is likely because even for them their priorities are different.

As for the preflop play, I think you should have minimum raised the limpers as a way to get others behind you to fold, as well as, to try and keep everyone honest. Those different priorities I mentioned earlier are going through the minds of others too and no one is looking to just bust out bluffing off their stack this deep in tournament. Everything after that is speculation. Does your min raise help control this situation and stop the BU from raising?

#1 If BU doesn't raise preflop then you are likely off to a flop multi-way, maybe at least 3-way, and you can curse the flop and get away from your AA72 when the flop is KK8 as players are playing high cards and one of your several opponents has the King.

#2 If BU still raises preflop, what are your priorities? Is it ev money, bracelet, trying to make final table especially if televised? The blinds were 15k/30k and you had 1.3 million for about 43bb's. In a cash game, if you play AAxx aggressively preflop with about 200bb or less, then it can't be too bad. But this is a tournament. And it is a tournament in which you are already above the average stack. I try and small ball this by min raising the limpers and if I get raised by button preflop I just call, and I am willing to get away from many mediocre or bad flops as being out of position sucks. However, I don't know your priorities for this tournament.

Once he does limp and button raises, do you prefer a flat or 3bet at that point? Assume priorities are pretty neutral.

If preflop the Hero did limp on first action and the Villain did do the raise to 245k then I am calling the raise instead of 3betting and playing small ball.

But no matter what, this hand is a cooler heads up postflop. How does anyone get away from AAxx when the board is paired PPx? If Hero limps preflop, Villain on button raises preflop and Hero only calls the 245k, then the flop pot is about 550k and Hero has about 1 million left. Hard for Hero to Hero fold at any point. Villain can get it in over two street by either betting small on flop or delaying the cbet until the turn. Hero got coolered especially if it goes heads up to flop because hard to fold AAxx on paired flop.

But my way of doing things would have been for Hero to minimum raise preflop as an attempt to pot control anyone else raising larger preflop. And players postflop still often, "check to the raiser" on the flop so there is a chance for flop pot control too...all because of a preflop min raise.

Thx for some very insightful answers guys !

Add. Info I didn’t provide:
It was 24 left at this point, 8K payout, 237K for first.

My thought process (also bc of how the table operated):
If i raise pre myself, I get at least 2 callers, people were not limping to fold to a single raise, and then I’m playing bad aces postflop still pretty deep … not a good spot to be in.

So I wanted to either play a small pot (in case nobody raises) or 3bet being able to commit like 75% of my stack pre.
(With a slight change of getting folds pre also)

If I limp and then just call the open, I still will have to call at least one bet on a paired board flop, meaning I’ll loose at least 50% of my stack there.

One of the Greek guys I know tells me it’s even possible to fold these aces pre, or fold after the open raise (bc I play either against better aces (ds, more connected), or a hand that plays very well against them in a bad situation ICM wise (the guy has me covered, I’m above average, with a few guys very short on all tables combined).

Tricky spot, bad outcome … but that’s tournament poker I guess :-)

I hadn’t thought about the min raise pre, very good point, and makes a lot of sense, will take it into my strategy. Thx for that.

Other than you should have been the one to ISO raise pre this is played fine and the situation you wanted

Can’t be results oriented. You limped to back jam and got the opportunity to do so, just didn’t win the hand.

Gas