When Cannibals Chat

So I get to the Final Table of the satellite last night. Five of the remaining nine players get seats to the $200K and 6th place gets a consolation profit of $70. There's a Big Stack, with T22K, better than a quarter of the chips in play. Three medium stacks, including myself, in the 12K-10K range. An 8K, two 6Ks and two very short stacks.

The Big Stack, oddly, is playing nearly every hand. Not just open-raising to pressure, but limping, even on the button when folded to him, even with two short stacks in the three seats immediately on his left. None of the medium stacks are willing to go to war with him and he's picked up some nice pots by re-raising pre-flop (which is solid Level 12). His VP$IP is roughly 85% since we sat down.

Soon, one busts and we're down to 8. I pick up QQ and pop it the pot. A small stack calls, committing himself to the hand and Big Stack re-raises. I've seen him do this several times by now and I have plenty of fold equity here. However, my seat is not exactly certain and, really, I have to believe QQ is ahead based on his play and my solid read. I also have to believe he lays down his marginal hand to a push, in which case I pick up nearly 6K in the pot already and can fold my way in.

I push. Shorty (with KQ) has to call off his additional 1500 and it's 7200 for the Big Stack to play, getting 2.5-1 on his call, but also dropping his M from a glorious 20+ to around 10-11. He does call, with AJo. Doesn't improve on the flop. I turn the case queen. You sirs, are drawing dead. And I have better than a third of the chips in play. I can go to bed now.

I don't bring this up to debate the merits of my play and I can see how folding might be prudent (M would have still been 10, at least until the next level), but I have this thing about dropping hands, even in satellites, when I'm a big favorite and already have money in the pot. And simply calling pre-flop is for suckers. Additionally, had I dropped, his re-raise would have more than doubled up the short stack, who caught the Q. No, I bring it up because of what occured a couple dozen hands later.

We're down to 7 and two of the stacks have Ms below 3. The former Big Stack is STILL playing a ton of pots and has whittled a couple more mediums with his aggressive raises. Still, only two players are in the red zone. Then, the former Big Stack begins to talk.

CANNIBAL72: I'm going to get my chips back, joe
JoeSpeaker: you know this is a satellite, right?
CANNIBAL72: so?
JoeSpeaker: so I have no reason to get involved in a hand with you.
CANNIBAL72: I want to play in the big time
JoeSpeaker: good luck
CANNIBAL72: first place gets the big tournament
JoeSpeaker: 5th is the same as first
CANNIBAL72: what does that mean?

I patiently explained it to him and he was VERY excited.

I'd recommend these satellites very highly if you're looking to get into the big tourney. One in 9 get a seat and my field was only 5+ tables to start last night. As you can see from the above, you get all kinds, like in your typical MPS token race.