$11 Two button hands

[aaronk56]

Hand 1

Blinds 50/100

UTG 2678
Hero 1405
SB 848
BB 3069

UTG folds
Hero (8 /images/graemlins/club.gif,8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif) bets 300
SB folds
BB calls

FLOP K /images/graemlins/heart.gif,A /images/graemlins/spade.gif,K /images/graemlins/club.gif
BB Checks, Hero bets 200, BB raises to 400, Hero folds.

BB got his stack to over 3200 in the first 5 hands, including cracking 2 players with consecutive Full Houses. Has been quiet since. I have played only 3 hands, once grabbing the blinds with a 3BB raise, once winning with AK and C betting a whiffed flop and once showing down AK and winning with two pair. I thought I had slightly too many chips to push. After the flop, I had no clue, what to do.

Hand 2

Blinds 75/150

UTG 348
Button 4669
SB 2403
Hero 580

UTG folds
Button raise to 300
SB folds
Hero (A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif,10 /images/graemlins/heart.gif) folds

I'm trying to make it to third here and the small stack will go broke before I do.

Any advise will be appreciated.

Hand #1. It's getting to a point where making a standard raise and continuation bet is going to leave you almost committed. At this stage of the tournament small pairs are bad hands to have. If you're playing for third, then fold it PF.

Hand #2. Has button been particularly aggressive? He could be raising with any two here if he's seen how weak you have become on the bubble. If you fold here, and UTG doubles up you're going to regret this fold. Personally, I like to take matters into my own hands and push this ALL-IN. Double up THEN I wait for the short stack to bust and push on from there. My opinions anyway.

[aaronk56]

So with Hand 1, if I thought I could still win, which I did, I should've have just pushed?

[ QUOTE ]
So with Hand 1, if I thought I could still win, which I did, I should've have just pushed?

[/ QUOTE ]

Personally, although I don't know if it's the correct play but I just fold it all together. It's a marginal hand, and you're best waiting till the shortstack (hopefully) busts and then open up with hands like these.

[kevkev60614]

Hand 1-Fold unless both blinds are supertight. Then I don't hate the raise to 300. But I almost always fold here.

Hand 2-I think you fold this. You're only 63% to win against a completely random hand. Fold into 3rd.

[nyc999]

Your flop bet in Hand 1 was extremely weak, less than 1/3 of the pot. You might as well check/fold in that situation as you were inviting a raise.

[splashpot]

Hand 1: I would never fold preflop unless I knew BB would call me with almost anything. I might even push preflop even though I have >10BB becuase being re-raised from the BB would suck.

Hand 2: I fold. But not for the same reason you do. Yes, UTG is in worse shape than you, but you can't depend on him going out first. He doubles up once and you in trouble. AT isn't good enough, but AQ+ 99+ I'd push.