Well, I final tabled the Stars $300 today, but I took 9th which was only good for under five buyins. I actually want to look at a hand from the FTP $50 1 rebuy/1 add-on (not sure why I played this, was just in the mood for tournaments today):
Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold’em Tournament, 250/500 Blinds, 50 Ante, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter
UTG: 8,217
UTG+1: 10,977
MP1: 5,795
MP2: 13,211
CO: 2,386
Hero (BTN): 15,929
SB: 36,045
BB: 10,620
Pre-Flop: (1,150) A
K
dealt to Hero (BTN)
4 folds, CO raises to 2,336 and is All-In, Hero calls 2,336, SB raises to 35,995 and is All-In, BB folds, Hero calls 13,543 and is All-In
Flop: (34,994) 8
J 9
(3 Players – 1 is All-In)
Turn: (34,994) A (3 Players – 1 is All-In)
River: (34,994) T (3 Players – 1 is All-In)
Results: 34,994 Pot
CO showed Q J (a straight, Queen high) and WON 7,908 (+5,522 NET)
Hero showed A K (a pair of Aces) and WON 27,086 (+11,157 NET)
SB showed A 6 (a pair of Aces) and LOST (-15,929 NET)
I see a lot of people reraise or shove with AK in this spot to isolate the all in player. With these stacks, I think that’s a mistake. The all in was for more than 5x the BB, so it’s not like anyone is going to overcall especially light. By flat calling, however, you keep your range much wider. In other words, since you are putting less money into the pot, you can call here with many more hands than you can reraise. Any time you keep your range wide, you increase the chances of your opponents making a mistake. For instance, the SB here probably would not called my all in with A6. However, by giving him the illusion that he could isolate the short stack and my dead money, I got him to put in a lot of money very bad.
Granted, AK is not a huge favorite against random cards. Even if SB had something like 87s, I’d probably prefer that he fold it, since I’m only a small favorite for the side pot, and I lose substantial equity in the main pot. But flatting stuff like AK also helps me call with hands like KT that I will fold to a reshove. The presence of AK in my range makes it harder for my opponents to exploit that KT call by reshoving aggressively.
There are certain hands where I’d be committed to calling an all in but wouldn’t want to induce one from almost anything. I’m thinking especially of small pairs. With those, I’d rather re-raise or shove to isolate the short stack and maximize fold equity against everyone else. But AK, though not quite a monster, is the top of my range, and it’s important to play it that way.