Sit n Go Bubble Play

[Prickly Pete]

4 left in typical sit n go, paying 50, 30, 20 to top 3. Blinds have just moved to 100/200. SB, BB & Button (me) all have 600 before posting and UTG has 6200. If everyone folds to the big stack each hand, I'd finish 3rd.

Big stack calls and I see A8o. Big stack has not pushed anyone around, has called in similar situations with J10-type hands and raised with an Ace . He even folded to a $300-400 all-in after calling before. So, I figure this might be my best shot and I move in. Blinds fold (of course) and UTG calls with T9o. KQJ and I'm dead.

I figure any ace is a solid play 4-way, but should I have waited for someone else to bust out, especially considering the big stack call?

[Copernicus]

When the bubble stacks are that close you have to play your hands. A couple of uncalled big blinds and all of a sudden the other guys are ahead and your playing trash to survive. Unless someone obviously doesnt understand how to manage their stack to get into the money, you can't count on their mistakes.

(I made this mistake last night, with the big stack in the BB and 2 of the smaller stacks limping, I folded 77 in the SB, figuring one of the smaller stacks was gone after the hand and I was in the money by folding. With the big stack yet to play I thought this was a no brainer.

Of course, BB checks, A7x flops, the big stack folds and the two smaller stacks wind up splitting his chips with Ax and the board cards ruling. A couple of hands later I was out, instead of probably knocking both of them out.