Too aggressive too early?

[Mikey2k4]

Finished up an SNG in 9th place last night. Argh! the game is $10+1 on Paradise.

The hand that I finally lost on was:
Me in UTG+2 with 700 and change left. Chip leader is on my left. There are a couple of people with fewer chips than what I have. It's like the third level, with three hands to go before Level four. Blinds are 15/30. I get dealt AQs. I push, figuring to either steal blinds or it's still a good hand. Chip leader on my left calls with AKs, and I get knocked out.

About ten or so hands before that, I had 900 chips with AJs. UTG+1 calls, and he's short stack with 200. I raise 200 to push him all-in, and he calls with AKo. He catches two kings, but I was behind him from the start anyway.

Are those plays too aggressive too early? Should I have just called and seen what came out on the flop? Or did I just have a run of bad timing and run into better hands (AKo vs. AJs is debatable. AKs vs. AQs is not.) at the wrong time?

[NegativeEV]

I'm not in love with either of these plays. In scenerio 1, I think you are much better served by raising 3 or 4xBB rather than bombing all in with a strong but not great hand (AQ is overplayed by most low buy-in players- don't be one of them). You have enough chips left with the 15/30 blinds to delay pushing all in if you are going to play this hand for a raise. If someone comes over the top, get away from this holding.

In the second scenerio (you with AJs) I would muck. You are clearly going to get called here (given that the UTG+1 has such a short stack and has already entered the pot) and you will not be more than a 60/40 favorite at best. Avoid KNOWN coin flips in SnG's when at all possible. By making this bet, you have little folding equity and are essentially assuring yourself of a coin flip or worse. Folding equity is the name of the game in SnG's and you have little here.

Obviously all IMO.