AJs in the money

[ddubois]

Villan Max has been aggressive post-flop, average/passive pre-flop, throughout the tournament, and got to this stage by taking down many pots uncontested. It's been difficult to get a strong sense of his playing standards because of how few showdown he has been in, but based on the number of flops he was seeing, it seemed like he might be loose. Also FYI, the big stack behind me is a loose calling station that has thus far dealt multiple bad beats to get a big stack. And now to the situation:

<font color="blue">
***** Hand History for Game 1480707896 *****
NL Hold'em $50 Buy-in + $5 Entry Fee Trny:8931327 Level:6 Blinds(150/300) - Sunday, January 23, 16:01:43 EDT 2005
Table Table 11094 (Real Money)
Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 3
Seat 9: Max_Fischer ( $1395 )
Seat 8: luke_is_best ( $4995 )
Seat 2: danieldubois ( $3610 )
Trny:8931327 Level:6
Blinds(150/300)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to danieldubois [ Jc 8d ]
luke_is_best raises [600].
Max_Fischer is all-In [1245]
danieldubois folds.
luke_is_best calls [795].
** Dealing Flop ** [ Ad, Ah, Th ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 2c ]
** Dealing River ** [ 7h ]
luke_is_best shows [ 9h, 9c ] two pairs, aces and nines.
Max_Fischer shows [ Kh, Jh ] a flush, ace high.
Max_Fischer wins 3090 chips from the main pot with a flush, ace high.
</font>

This gives me slightly more information about his playing standards. My prior assesment that he might be loose seems to be confirmed. Am I being reasonable to make this logical leap?

<font color="blue">
***** Hand History for Game 1480709773 *****
NL Hold'em $50 Buy-in + $5 Entry Fee Trny:8931327 Level:6 Blinds(150/300) - Sunday, January 23, 16:02:09 EDT 2005
Table Table 11094 (Real Money)
Seat 9 is the button
Total number of players : 3
Seat 9: Max_Fischer ( $3090 )
Seat 8: luke_is_best ( $3600 )
Seat 2: danieldubois ( $3310 )
Trny:8931327 Level:6
Blinds(150/300)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to danieldubois [ Js As ]
Max_Fischer: phewwww
Max_Fischer raises [900].
danieldubois is all-In [3160]
</font>

Thoughts on this push?

Results in white:
<font color="white">
luke_is_best folds.
Max_Fischer is all-In [2190]
** Dealing Flop ** [ Jh, 5c, Ts ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 2h ]
** Dealing River ** [ 4s ]
Max_Fischer shows [ Ah, Qh ] high card ace.
danieldubois shows [ Js, As ] a pair of jacks.
Max_Fischer finished in third place and won $100.
danieldubois wins 220 chips from side pot #1 with a pair of jacks.
danieldubois wins 6480 chips from the main pot with a pair of jacks.
oops
gg
Max_Fischer has left the table.

How often do you have a SNG where everything goes according to plan? As in, every time you get in, you get in with the best, and it holds up, and you win the SNG? This seemingly never happens to me. I either get in with the best and get drawn out on, or I get in with the worst and suck out and it's instumental in my win. It's nice to have the $200, but I still feel like I somehow "failed" the SNG whenever this happens.
</font>

[ddubois]

I guess this is just one of those "That's poker" hands?

[ryedin]

[ QUOTE ]
Max_Fischer: phewwww
Max_Fischer raises [900].


[/ QUOTE ]

I understand your read on him and think it was probably pretty close, and thus may have pushed here also. However, his 900 chip raise made it 1200 to go, which was roughly 1/3 of his (and your) stack. Even then, maybe a push is in order if this is indicative of his normal steal behavior (if you had a read on that), but I would be thinking about it with AJ against an open raise (I would have to be pretty confident on my read to push here). But what makes me think you could have safely folded was his comment before the raise. It depends on whether he made comments like this a lot, and it may be just me, but when I first saw that my reaction was "He's got something". Then I read the results and was right. Obviously though, you can't play based on a chat box tell alone and your push probably wasn't that bad. All that being said, I like a fold here against the open raise with AJ about 75-80% of the time.

[oscar057]

I make the same push in this situation. You can't assume he has a premium hand based on previous observations and the fact that it is 3-handed. I would guess that most of us would raise with less in position, 3-handed.

[ryedin]

Open push, yes... overpush against that raise, I'm thinking a bit before doing that, but not saying it's a totally bad move.

[ddubois]

[ QUOTE ]
But what makes me think you could have safely folded was his comment before the raise. It depends on whether he made comments like this a lot

[/ QUOTE ]
His "phew" comment was almost certainly in reference to his KJs holding up in the prior hand.

[ryedin]

Ok, hadn't thought of that but good point. Still sticking with the "think about it" position.

[gvibes]

[ QUOTE ]
Open push, yes... overpush against that raise, I'm thinking a bit before doing that, but not saying it's a totally bad move.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that it's close. Frankly, I hate playing against even loose raisers (would match rather open-push with more marginal holdings), and would probably be 65/35 fold.