Newbie bubble hand

[SlyAK]

First post here, although have been reading posts on this forum for a couple months. This is my first on-line real money n/l tournament on The Gaming Club ($5/.50), single table. We are down to 4 people with blinds at 160/320 when I am dealt A /images/graemlins/spade.gif Q /images/graemlins/diamond.gif on the button. UTG (T1200) folds. I raise 3xBB to T960, leaving me with T2300. The small blind (T1200 after posting) folds. The big blind who is the chip leader with about T4400 after posting goes all-in. The big blind has been quite aggressive, getting chips from the 2 small stacks who are playing very weak and seem to be trying to get into the money. Should I call here or fold? Note: I have already doubled up against the big stack once, when he called my all-in with A /images/graemlins/heart.gif K /images/graemlins/spade.gif with his A /images/graemlins/club.gif 7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif.

If I call and win I will have about 65% of the chips and a great chance to win, but if I fold I still will have about twice as many chips as the short stacks, and given their weak play, will probably make the money.

Results will follow... Thanks for all comments in advance.

Sly

[CrisBrown]

Hi SlyAK,

I don't like to call all-in with AQ. It's one thing to move all-in with this hand, hoping to take the blinds and antes, with good outs if you're called. But when you call that all-in, you're hoping your opponent was dumb enough to make an all-in reraise on AJ or less. That's a dangerous hope....

Cris

[PiquetteAces]

CALL . AQ is too good to be fold here . The stakes aren't deep , you have too gamble . If you win that hand you'll be yourself the chips-leader .

You are the one who should have move all-in . By raising 960T$ , you allreaddy put 42% of your stack in , so , your pot-comitted . Calling is a +EV by a lot even if he has 22 to JJ .

-jpp

[Greg (FossilMan)]

As PA said already, call now. But all-in would've been the better move to begin with. The last thing you want is to see the chip leader turn over a mediocre hand which he would've folded if you had raised all-in. Your smaller raise may have given him hope that he could raise you out of the pot, letting him steal a big one. In spots like this, make it clear to him that he absolutely cannot resteal from you.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[SlyAK]

After thinking about it for a few seconds, I decided to call considering that I was a dog to only AA, AK, KK, QQ, and would be just slightly behind any other pocket pairs. Exactly as Greg mentioned my opponent had a weaker hand of J /images/graemlins/club.gif 9 /images/graemlins/club.gif. I thought my A /images/graemlins/spade.gif Q /images/graemlins/diamond.gif looked pretty good until the flop of 8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 2 /images/graemlins/club.gif J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif.

The turn card was the 10 /images/graemlins/spade.gif giving my opponent the open ended straight draw, and reducing my outs to the 3 aces. The river card brought the Q /images/graemlins/club.gif, giving me top pair, but losing to the Queen-high straight. In retrospect, I should have gone all-in pre-flop; it would have been stupid for him to call with J9s for over 1/2 his chips.

Thanks for the replies,
Sly

[Lost Wages]

I raise 3xBB to T960, leaving me with T2300.

He started the hand with T3260 meaning his raise was 29% of his stack.

Lost Wages