Final Table Question

[bball904]

My first post here, but I'm been lurking for about 6 months and this site has improved my game dramatically. Thanks to all and I hope to become a contributor as my game continues to improve.

My question is relative to how pre-flop strategy should adjust as the final table becomes short handed. I go by the typical philosophy that if I'm under 6x BB that my only choices are all-in or fold. However, here's an example where I didn't follow that and feel that I made the right play.

4 handed MTT final table:
Blinds (7.5k,15k)
UTG(T200k - has limped about 50% of hands and made several loose calls against short stacks) limps
Hero(T45k) limps with AA
SB(T250k) folds
BB(T40k) checks
Flop QQA rainbow
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets T15k, BB c/r all-in, UTG folds, hero calls.
Result: I double up.

I know I would have been all-in pre-flop without hesitation at a full table, that is what causes me to question if there is a dynamic about the table getting short-handed that warrants an adjustment to how you play your big hands. Or was my play here bad and I should have just went all-in? Does this play just "feel" right to me because the table was short handed and I wanted action with my Aces?

[AceKQJT]

Personally, I don't think you can play A-A incorrectly when you have a stack 3xBB. You want to quadruple up, so why not limp? You understand that you can not fold post-flop, right?

--Casey

[Rick Diesel]

It is tough to generalize and say that he can NOT fold post flop. What if everyone sees a flop of KKQ, and all three players in front of him go all-in? i know this is a ridiculous scenario, but in that case he would be certain that his AA is behind, and can fold and move up the pay ladder.

Rick Diesel

[BellyBuster7]

I think you played it fine. BB was going all-in either way, and you gave UTG another chance to make a loose call against you.

I myself just totally murdered AA last night in a tourney, so yes, you CAN play them wrong.

[bball904]

[ QUOTE ]
Personally, I don't think you can play A-A incorrectly when you have a stack 3xBB.

[/ QUOTE ]
Good point. What if my hand was KK? Then would it have been acceptable to limp pre-flop? My thought is no, I would have to push, which I guess makes this question specific to AA.

[ QUOTE ]
You understand that you can not fold post-flop, right?


[/ QUOTE ]
Without the monster flop, I would have pushed on the flop instead of the min bet I made.