Vegas Rio Tourney - To Call or Not To Call

[davenklee]

First, let me say I love this forum and have learned a lot over the last year of lurking. Thanks to all.

I was in the Rio tourney that was $40 Buy-In + $40 ReBuy. It was early in the tourney and most people were playing tight except for a few. I had lost a huge pot and about a third of my stack to a bigger set. I used the Re-Buy so that I could maximize later action if I caught a monster.

I'm in SB, LAG who is UTG pushes all-in with a short stack, it's folded to the chip leader who hesitantly calls, then folded to me. I tell myself that unless I have a huge hand that I am going to fold. I look down and find KK.

I think for a minute. I put the chip leader on Ax with one over card to me, UTG could have AJ+ and any PP. I figure that I have both of them beat and raise all-in. To my suprise, the BB calls all-in and the chip leader calls. We flip over our cards and UTG has 99, Chip Leader has ATs, I have KK, and BB has JTs. Flop comes Axx and chip leader takes us all down when no one else improves.

I've thought a lot about that hand and waffle between "No one wins the tourney in the first round" and "Get your money in when your ahead." Should I have folded because I had already used my re-Buy? To win you've got to survive. If all the action had happened after the flop, I know I would have folded, but PF I am not sure that I made the right decision.

What do you guys think.

[mervhage]

Push all in and don't think twice. You're questioning yourself because of the outcome on this particular hand. There's not much more you can do once you put your money in with the best hand.

How much did the chip leader call off with his AT? I certainly wouldn't want to be in that position with AT, but some people easily fall in love when they see that ace, you know?

[davenklee]

It's been about a month since that hand, but I believe that the UTG had 600, I had 1300, and chip leader had 1800. He had already called the 600 when I pushed for another 700. (approximately)

Thanks for the validation and input.

[puckhead23]

To win you've got to survive.

Many of the great MTT players on the forum also say that to make a final table, you must accumulate chips. In other words, not just survive, but thrive. This was an excellent opportunity for you to do just that, and it just didn't work out for you. I would have gone broke too, and I'm sure many others would have as well. You shouldn't think twice about your all in.