your friend is making a bad assumption

"then he has an 80 percent chance to triple his chances at getting first place"

Does he really think that a 90K stack vs an 820 stack is 3 times more likely to win than a 30k stack vs an 880 stack, with 10k blinds? i doubt it. let's even say it was. your odds are are tripling from what, 1% to 3%? sorry, i'll leave that huge 2% edge i'm gaining and take a guaranteed second place. 30k is push or fold just as 80k is. an 80k stack could only see like 5 more hands before it was blinded away anyway.

and, it would have to be a very large difference between 2nd and 3rd. if it wasn't huge i'd go ahead and call because even though you'd be nervous about it, they are aces.