This hand happened a year and a half ago and people still ask me about it. I’m a little bit older, more mature and wiser than I was when I originally posted it – and this seems like a good place to post it. I’m quite curious to see hear various opinions now that the hand has been discussed to death.

History/lead up:
2007 EPT Monte Carlo, 15k starting, 90min levels. I had great control of the table and hadn’t shown down many hands while running my stack up to 35k. Patrik Antonius took the empty seat to my right and it was the first time we’d played together, so I was unknown to him at this time. I knew what he was capable of, but he was still in the dark against me.

The first big pot we played together was the last level of 100/200. 2 limps, PA (20k) made it 900 from CO+1, I (32k) make it 2,700 from the CO with A4o. Blinds and limpers fold, PA calls.

Flop was 743 with 2 clubs.

PA checked, I bet 4,500, he called.

Turn was Qh, PA checked, I jammed (slightly over pot sized bet), PA tank folds. Seemed like a good double barreling spot.

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We played a few more pots during the next few levels, but nothing too notable. Patrik had built back up to around 45k and I still covered with 55k or so. At this point I believe I’m perceived as a good young aggressive asian internet kid……..*eyeroll*

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Anyways…last hand of 150/300/25 (3hrs after that double barrel posted above)

Patrik opens for his standard raise of 1k from the CO. It’s important to note the players in the blinds were folding to virtually any LP aggression. I opt to re-raise AJd to 3.2k from the button. I call most of the time with these cards in this spot, but Patrik was opening very liberally. *shrug*

Blinds fold and Patrik put in another raise, making it 9k total. I didn’t read Patrik for strength and still had Patrik playing off his opening range. In fact I kinda think he’d be calling with a hand like AQ or AK (or raising larger). It was 5,800 more to me, now….

Do you like shoving over this raise if you feel like Patrik’s weak here? There’s a decent amount in the pot (14.5k or so when the action was to me) but I thought shoving 44.5k total wouldn’t be nearly as fun or profitable as having Patrik in this awkward postflop spot. However I do feel like he was folding out a decent % of the time PF, (but I also thought he’d be check or bet/folding most flops). Looking back at the hand now, I sorta think I should be shoving here, especially given my read.

I decide to call, putting Patrik in a very ridiculous spot, playing out of position with 34.5k behind in a 19k 4-bet pf/call pot, with my read saying he was on an extremely wide range. I think it’s safe to assume my perceived range is very strong here as well….

Flop comes down Q 42 (suits may be slightly wrong, but it was Q42 with 2 clubs, and w/one of them being the Q).

Patrik thinks for about 45 seconds and then announces all-in. (34,475)

This certainly came as a surprise. What to make of the overbet? I think if we had more history he could be shoving for value….but at the time his hand just looked like a draw – something that could have decent equity against KK, and if I’m ever folding JJ it’s gotta be good. He can’t have AK since I have the A. I also don’t think Patrik is shoving 1.5x pot with AKo here (and think he’d either 4-bet larger preflop with it, or just call).

Just a plain flush draw, A3, A5 and 53 seemed like the most likely hands he’d be shoving here. Against the flush draw or OESD we have around 55% equity, and need only 39% equity to show profit given the pot size. We’re significantly bigger favorites against A3 and A5 of course. He could also have a random pair+flushdraw….(4X)

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Now, it’s only Day 1, I can fold and still have a very healthy stack. There was one level left in the day, and I have position on the only other tough player at the table, so I could probably cruise into day 2 with a lot of chips. Is it too early to be considering this stuff and should I just be worried about building my stack? Also, if I call and bust PA here, there’s very little doubt in my mind that I could raise every pot during the last level, and nobody from that table was going to try to get me to fold. Neither of these played into my final decision too much, but maybe they should? Either way, there’s no money jumps for 2 days of play, so I was just trying to accumulate.

I called 34,475

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Aside from flatting preflop, do you like shoving over the 9k if you think he’s folding a lot? Many people thought this was an “ego call” and that I was just trying to take a shot at PA – but you’ll have to trust me, this was not the case. I’m not one to waste a major tournament like that….