Do you really HAVE to?

[DaDragonLady]

So: at the head table, very short stacked-4500 in chips, the blinds are 500-1000 and I will be the big blind in 2 hands. Folds up to me,I look down and see a K so I push all in, the next guy folds and the one next to him also has 4000, so he calls. Now the player in the small blind says, "wow, I have to make that call because of the pot" and doesn't even look at his cards and calls. The bb folds... The other short stack, with the best hand - A-10, ends up winning and I am out. But my question really is, in tournament play, do you HAVE to make that call? He had J-9, but could have easily had 3-7 and sucked out... He ended up giving money away that he didn't have to - I don't get it....

[D-Nut]

I doubt I'm calling here. I only have 500 in the pot, and there has already been action called. I dont need to triple up anyone up at this point, and it sounds like someone is going out this hand anyways...so that is fine by me.

Only justification is if this person was a huge chip leader.....then if maybe it was 5-7% of their stack, I may make this call.....

[stackinsideways]

ya Im only making this play with a huuuuuuuge chip stack...

and even then Im still atleast going to look at my cards and consider laying down...

[Chipless Wonder]

I only call all-in pre-flop bets with crap cards under four conditions:

1. If the pot is laying me at least 2:1 on my money. So if there's 2,000 in the pot it must cost me 1,000 or less to make the call. A random garbage hand has ~ 33% chance of being best so anything better than 2:1 makes this a good call much of the time.

2. I am the last person to act (i.e. big blind), so I can't be pushed out of the pot, or forced to call even more money with crap cards due to pot odds.

3. I have enough chips that losing this won't hurt me too bad.

4. I'm not likely to be dominated (with a hand like A-6 offsuit for example).

[PokerBroker]

Depending on my chip stack I may make this call if the first caller has a huge chip stack as well. In most cases you would expect to check it down to knock out the all-in player however, you never know when you could run into nuts vs. 2nd nuts and do some damage to another big stack.

Just don't be the donkey with 2nd nuts

[otbdave]

Also not everyone checks down...

[wreaks]

If I'm huge, or the other player who called the all-in is huge, then I may "have to" call. Otherwise, in a tourney, there are very few "have to call" situations. Cash is totally different, there are lots there.

[PokerBroker]

And if I call here and get bet out of the pot by someone who ends up losing the hand to the short stack they may end up with an impression on thier forehead the shape of my cardmarker