When is it good to push with AQ?

[plaid]

The facts:
- Tourney is at a local casino, involves 50 players, and pays the top 10.
- We were down to 26 people. My table has 8 players.
- Last hand with blinds at 400-800 (next hand would be 500-1000).
- I have 4600 in chips. Soon to be 4x the BB. And I felt that things would be looking pretty bleak fairly soon.
- I am on the button.
- There are three people in behind me.
- UTG short stack limps in. I have him covered by 2600 chips (so figured he'd bet his last 1200).
- Second limper has me covered by 2000...hoping he also calls since he tends to play any Ace (I don't think he will call, since he raises that Ace).
- The last person entering the pot behind me is the chip leader, and he comes in with a modest raise of 800 to make it 1600 to me (he usually raised big hands stronger than just a BB).
- I have AQo, and I push all-in.
- SB and BB fold.

Result:
Short stack goes all-in (has Q8o).
Second player folds.
Chip leader calls the extra 3000 (he has AKo).
AK holds up.

Question:
Good play or bad?
Is AQ ever an all-in hand?
If so, is this a good place to push AQ?

My own thoughts:
I have no regrets (except not having pocket AAs). I was not going anywhere with the stack I had, so had to make a move; plus, this was the best (only playable) cards I'd had in 40 minutes since the break (did bluff a few blinds out of people, but I didn't think I'd get away with that much more). But I hate AQ...worse still, this was the second time it was easily beaten today (early in the tourney, I went all-in in late position, was called by the SB who had AK).

Very interested in what others think.

Cheers,
Frank

ps. my first post...been lurking in the background for a month now, and my play has really improved thanks to this site, and the insights that are shared...thanks....

[lastchance]

I think it's a good push. If he doesn't have QQ, KK, AA or AK, you're fine. I like the push a lot, you're getting shortstacked, you have a bunch of folding equity with a reraise. IMHO, it's a good push.

[betgo]

Pushing is the only play.

The chip leader's miniraise of 2 limpers with AKo is very strange. Usually with AK you want to raise enough to have a good chance of winning the pot right there. If he gets called, he has position, the bigger stack, and probably the best preflop hand.

As it was, his play deceived you, although you probably would have moved in on the chip leader with AQ if he had made a bigger raise.

[patrick dicaprio]

with high blinds and two callers before you and the big stack in play it is unlikely that you will take the blinds. so you are raising all in and expecting to be called. not that you mind so much but just keep in mind that in this situation it is less likely than normal that you will take the blinds. i am sure others will say that you should fold etc but no way am I folding AQ in your situation. i am hoping that the all in player has a bad hand and that the big stack calls assuming you have nothing.

Pat

[gergery]

.

[dogmeat]

This hand is going to triple-you-up in chips if you win. You are a LONG way from the last table. Might as well go ahead and push and hope to win. Keep in mind that this is not always the correct play, and you have enough chips to see another 17 hands before you have to get below 3000 - so you could look for a better spot, but I would call this a 90% all-in hand. The other 10% I'd wait.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif