Wait, Wait, Wait and then WTF?!?!?

Okay, it is weird timing, but I had an opportunity to put my short stack theory to the test last night. $20 180 player tournament. Get down to 50 players, comfortable in chips and then lose a race AK v. JJ. Now I got sort of short stacked, about 12x, but I had to get through 32 other players to make it into the money. I go into the short stack tank. 45, 40, 35, 30, 28. I get one walk over, and get down to 6x. Keep folding. Go in with A5o in late position, no callers. 9x. Fold some more, fold some more. down to 20. I have 4x the BB on the button and pick up QQ. Win a race v. AK and now I know I can make it. I am 17/20 in chips. Break through the bubble, now the next goal, get to the final table as 11-18 only pays $43.40.

Down to 11, I am 11th in chips with 8x BB using the strategy below. Pick up AK0 in the cut off position and move in for around $6000, blinds are 400-800 with 75 ante. The button, who has around $30,000, INSTACALLS.........

With K8o. now I do not mind the call, but WTF? Why call off 20% of your stack with trash? He of course flops an openend straight draw, and rivers the 8 to knock me out. I just said, "Why?" and he says, no lie, "I play to win, not place." I could not resist and responded, "calling 20% of your stack off with trash is not playing to win. It is stack suicide." He then rants that I am a sore loser, yadda, yadda, yadda. I respond one last time and say, I knew it was very unlikely I would win, but I would NEVER make that call, it is bad poker and you used your stack size as an excuse to play bad poker. Good luck." He kept it up and went out 8th. I guess he only cares about the win.

I guess that I will have to follow up this post with some thoughts on big stack poker, which is a little different than what the average player thinks is appropriate. Until then,

Good Luck and See You at the Felt...............