New to MTTs : Advice for the new guy

[NNH]

Hello all,

I'm an SNG player that just tried out a MTT. Just finished reading TPFAP and thought I'd give one a shot.

I have a question about my bust-out hand.

It's a Pokerstars 10+1 rebuy NL hold em tourney. Top 27 get paid. We're down to about 100. I'm doing good, at the same table I've been the whole game. Have some good reads and I'm slightly above average in chips (16500). Then I get moved to the table with the chip leader and were everyone except for two players has me covered.

Anyway, down to about 78. Here's the hand...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t600 (9 handed)

BB (t24173)
UTG (t5355)
UTG+1 (t30096)
MP1 (t23604)
MP2 (t4111)
MP3 (t17827)
Hero (t13770)
Button (t57884)
SB (t25410)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/club.gif.
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, <font color="CC3333">MP2 raises to t4061</font>, MP3 folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t13720</font>, Button calls t13720, SB folds, BB folds.

Flop: (t31851) 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>

Turn: (t31851) 4/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>

River: (t31851) 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>

Final Pot: t31851

Results in white below: <font color="white">
MP2 shows Kd Kh (two pair, kings and fours).
Hero shows Ad Qc (one pair, fours).
Button shows Jc Js (two pair, jacks and fours).
Outcome: MP2 wins t31851. </font>


Here's my thinking. Button had been pretty conservative so far(since i joined the table). No more than 10 hands earlier, MP2 was forced all-in twice. Survived both and went all in a couple of times after that.

I thought MP2 could have been raising w/ Ax at this point or any pair(guess I was right). How should I have played this? Any advice is appreciated.

[flytrap]

AQ is one of those hands where you want to be the one raising, not calling a raise or re-raising yourself, especially an early position raise. Even if you know he'll raise with any pair, why take the chance he has a big hand? You have plenty of time to wait for a better hand. I would have to be very sure of my opponent to make this play. Just fold this and move on.

[NNH]

At this point, what would you call with? What about AKs?

I'm going to figure out my EV on that play and see were I stood. Like you said, I should've just waited for a better hand.

[SossMan]

Raising is better than calling.
Folding is better than raising.

It's kind of close, but I think I would muck here. I just don't have enough confidence that I am going to be able to isolate enough times to make it worthwhile. You don't really have enough overlay to take the ass end of a coin flip. I don't think the small stack is in total desparation mode yet...I think a pair is much more likely than Ax, so it's kind of unlikely that you are dominating him.
I would muck, you still have 22x...and plenty of time.
Go to the next hand, and let the button play sherrif.

[Dentist]

Muck here... it hurts to muck AQ, it would've hurt more to muck AQ suited.... but the dude made a massive raise and I just don't think that's the place to do your "thing".