poker idol round 2 answer Calling allins with fractional odds

I will edit this and insert the full question later

here are the answers you will understand why it was very hard to chose two to be voted off each answer had both its strengths and its weaknesses although the overall quality was pleasing high.

1
Whilst I'd generally be happy with calling a situation where I am getting correct pot odds, my decision would be to fold here and I'm taking the example of my AK versus a pocket pair.

The position isnt stated in the question. If I'm last to play, I know it's a straight race with pockets and it's more or less a flip with me a slight dog.

If there are players to play after me then it's possible I may get better pot odds for my call. However, say one further caller comes, I think it's fairly likely to be playing pockets also or jumping in with their high cards, their Ax, Kx and reducing my outs and draws and making me somewhere around a 2:1 dog in those cases. I'm going to be wary of calling this with players to play.

If it does come heads-up, then it's a 50-50 or worse.

If I win I'm up with the big stacks if I lose I'm out. I'm happy to wait for a situation where I can be confident that I'm a more of a favourite to win the pot.

It's the middle of the tourney and I don't need that risk there. Give me the same situation late in the game where my stack needs it or can handle it and I would be more likely to take it.


2
You simply just can't base a call off of pot odds alone because there are other things to consider. These are what your hand is, what hand you think that your opponent has, and what style your opponent is playing (aggressive, conservative, etc.). Consider also the buy-in of the tournament. If the tournament is a lower buy-in then people are more likely to move all-in with garbage. But that is not to say that people will not move in with garbage in the higher buy-in tournaments also, it is just less likely. Also another major factor is how you like to accumulate chips. If you like to take coin flips or if you like to be well ahead when you put your money into the pot. If you do not have a problem with taking coin flips then I like calling with any reasonable hand here. If you do not like to take coin flips the I recommend that you only call when you think that you are well ahead.

I would personally call if I thought that I was slightly ahead because I would be trying to accumulate as many chips as possible in order to win the tournament. This is just the style that I have found that works best for me and I am not saying that it will work the best for you. That is the beauty of all poker tournaments, you can use a number of different styles and still come out on top.


3
Anytime in a tournament, a person’s main goal should be to win. If have a middle stack, and a short stack goes all in and you have AK and it is pretty much a coin flip at worst or AQ or lower for the other person, the play here depends all on chip stack size. If calling here leaves the person with more than five times the big blind (which would be considered short stacked) after the call, then a call should be made every time. Losing the hand, while it would hurt, would not cripple the person to where they would be short stacked and have to change their play. It is a risk/reward assessment. Here the risk is small (a small fraction of your chips), while the reward is high (elimination of a player, which is the main point of every tourney, to eliminate players and take chips).
If calling the all in would put a person below 5x the big blind, then position may play a factor. If the short stack is all in right away and the next person to act is you, with more people to act, then a fold is a possibility, because a call just pot commits you, and you could be in problem if anyone else comes into the pot. If last or next to last to act, the person should probably call every time as they get pot odds, no one else will be in, and they are at worst 50 percent to win (assuming the other guy doesn’t have AA or KK as the question says).
Concluding, here would generate a call almost every time, unless a call makes one short stacked and there is already one other caller, or the person is in early position with a lot of mid to large stacks behind them.

4
It’s a wellknown fact that some good tournament players are willing to gamble to get a big stack. This is very important for their playstyle which involves a lot of bullying/bluffing and blindstealing. These gambling players will take first place more often than the abc-players who only go All In when they know they are in front. Especially in tournaments which etremely favor a top 3 payout it serves to take a gamble once in a while. And what better time to go All In when someone thinks it will be a coinflip situation or even ahead. Some players don’t know how to play with a small stack but are really good playing with a bigstack (like above) and for these players calling an All In when they also have the pot odds to call is the only decision.

Where AA and KK are usually played with a strong raise preflop, medium pairs and Ax get the All In treatment. Not wanting to play with them but if someone calls they still have a decent shot at winning a large pot. As for the caller, he needs to be certain he is not a huge underdog. If his reads are good this will rarely be the case and he will be up against a medium pocket pair or A-anything (if he is holding AK).
(safe an incomplete answer but says more stuff on interest than other posts)

5
If you are holding a hand with no pairs or draws and someone goes all in,lay it down.That goes for flops,turns and definitely rivers.
Exceptons:
1.You believe you are ahead in the hand
2. You have a large stack that wont feel the effect of making a bad call and taking a chance,preferrably before river
3.You consider yourself pot commited (which is different for every person)In those cases remember sometimes a laydown will get you farther than calling with nothing

Thats just one scenario there are alot more where that came from ,but when you get down to it they all have the same theme for me.
Do you have the best hand or do you believe you will after the river has hit.
If the answer is no,then forget about pot odds unless your stack can take the loss.Pot odds wont make your hand any better,it just gives you an excuse for the horrible call you just made(or the great call you just made).
The only instances I will call 100% of the time is on open straight/flush draw hands and when I hit have a pair with a flush draw(river excluded).