So I'm playing a 200-player tourney (there are only 15 players left tough), we're at blinds level 1000-2000 and the average chip stack is about 40K. I have 22K remaining, blinds go up every 15 min.
It is folded around to me in the small blind. I got two black 5's so I raise the big blind 4K more. He calls. Flop comes 4-6-8 with two spades. I think of it for a while and push in my remaining 16K, thinking my opponent (who is the table chipleader at the moment) might only have ace-high or some kind of crap (he's been playing lots of hands). He finally makes the call and tables K-4 offsuit, no spades.
Well, the turn comes a six and the river an eight, forfeiting my pair of fives and giving the BB the winning hand: 6s and 8s with king kicker.. ouch! this one hurt.
Would anyone have any advice on playing such "middle-strength hands" in the late stages of a tourney? Should I've went all-in before the flop or just called? Isn't the "all-in approach" a bit too reckless at this point of the tournament?
Call, likely he has at least one over and if he has good cards you are not likely wanting to see the river with a pair of 5s.
If he comes over fold.
If the flop does not bring trips, give up the pot.
my play anyway.
There were 3 players in the 20K range on the table, including myself (out of seven seated players). I really saw this hand as an opportunity to double-up at this stage.
Found myself in a similar spot last Friday, cept we weren't quite in the money yet. I was in the cutoff with 55, folded to me, I had about 6 BB's, SB was a big stack, BB about the same as me.
I'm in auto jam mode here.......my luck was about as good as yours, as the SB picks up A's and I'm out.
But, with <10 BB's you should be shoving here....all day, every day.
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