AKs near the bubble - did I play this too fast?

[nolanfan34]

OK, guys and gals, let me know what you think about this play. Stars $30+3 limit tournament, top 18 pay out, down to 27 players left.

We're at the 600/1200 level. UTG in this hand has about t2200, CO has about t5500, and I'm at about t5500 as well. The blinds are about to go up in another two minutes, and all three of us who were involved in this hand were among the lowest stacks.

So, with that scenario, tell me how you'd play this?

PokerStars (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. SB posts a blind of 300.
<font color="CC3333">UTG raises</font>, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO calls, Button folds, SB (poster) folds, Hero calls.

I will probably take some flak for this, but I don't mind my call here. UTG's raise I thought could potentially be a low pair, and since AK is essentially a drawing hand, I didn't want to cap before the flop and then miss my hand. I felt pretty sure that CO didn't have a pair, or I think he would have raised. He had recently been moved from another table, but I hadn't spotted any unusual play from him. I figured him for AQ or AJ, maybe even AK as well.

Flop: 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif, T/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players) </font>
Hero checks, UTG checks, <font color="CC3333">CO bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, UTG calls 1060 (All-In), <font color="CC3333">CO raises</font>, Hero calls.

OK, so I liked the flop. I felt like I needed to push this hand fairly hard, as I either needed to make a move now or risk being blinded away. CO's raise was right along with what I thought he would do with AQ or AJ, so I thought my read was OK still.

Turn: 4/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players, 1 all-in) </font>
Hero checks, <font color="CC3333">CO bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, <font color="CC3333">CO raises</font>, Hero calls.

Not sure why I CR'ed here. Guess I REALLY wanted to show strength? Should I have checked/called?

So, let me know what you think. What would you put CO and UTG on, and would a PF raise have driven either of them out? Would you have folded at any point?

Especially would like to hear Whiskeytown's thoughts if he's out there, as he was at my table for this (and later suffered the cruel fate of being knocked out on the bubble in 19th place).

Results to come.

[nolanfan34]

Semi-bump post, seems that no one wants to comment, so I'll post results.

UTG had JTo, CO had ATo, no king on the river to help me. I was left with t14, and lost on the next hand to a pair of 2's, knocking me out 8 spots from the money.

I suppose the question is whether a PF raise would have gotten the CO to fold his AT, but I doubt that it would have at this stage. If he called two bets cold, there certainly would be enough in the pot to call one more raise from me.

It was just a hard hand for me to get away from after that flop.

Any thoughts, comments, critiques are much appreciated.

[CrackerZack]

I think on that flop you're destined to go broke with that hand. I would've 3-bet PF although if you're trying to just squeak into the money maybe a call and fold if you miss could be alright.

[SossMan]

[ QUOTE ]
Hero is BB with A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif K /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

[/ QUOTE ]


[ QUOTE ]
UTG raises,......CO calls,.....Hero calls.


[/ QUOTE ]

Crime. Against. Humanity.

[nolanfan34]

Damn, I knew that was coming. But a crime against humanity? /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I still don't feel like it was a terrible smooth call, but maybe I will play it different next time. I will say I was going to try to limp into the money, until that A fell on the flop.

Regardless, what I think I learn out of this is that I have to stop looking at these hands afterwards, and rationalizing my decisions so I feel good about them. Would a raise have knocked out the AT hand PF? Probably not, but it is probably what I should have done.

Thanks for the comments, constructive or not. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[fnurt]

There is no way he was folding to a pre-flop raise after he already cold-called 2 bets with AT. Nonetheless I would have raised. Someone doesn't belong in this hand and you should make them pay the maximum now.

I would have assumed I was ahead until I got re-raised on the turn. I didn't follow the stack sizes but I don't think you could afford to lay it down at that point anyway.

The useful question, as I'm sure you agree, is not "How could I have played this hand to avoid busting?" but "How could I have played the hand better?" Other than raising preflop I don't see much to criticize.

[whiskeytown]

Hey there nolanfan....

In that spot...close to the money, I might have done the call preflop....but then I'd have check/called to the river probably after that CO bet - -

my way of playing differs radically from the way the other players described, but I've tended to have better luck getting more money from over-aggressive players then being that aggressive myself....esp. near the end of a tourney when they're raising with 10/4 and COULD hit something you'd never expect -

you just don't wanna risk your whole stack on one pair...if they're betting that hard, I'm thinking two pair or set...a check/call manuever will not bust you at that point....you ARE short stacked, but not dead yet...don't know where you were at in the pecking order at that point.

as for me, no real excuse, except I was 18th of 19th, and felt I truly had to double up or else I wasn't gonna make it....I had AQ, got called by Q10, and the dumbass flopped two pair....but I was a lot more short stacked and in Limit, the players are a lot less likely to bust out (seeing as they can't push all in)

I think I'd rather bubble occasionally and make the final table the other time then limp into 17th place for $20 bucks both times, but that's just me...

RB

[nolanfan34]

Thanks for your thoughts. It's been a few days so I can't remember now but I think I was in the bottom 4 or so out of 30 at the time, so that probably led to my decision to go to war with this hand.

I guess I'm still toying with strategies that work for me. I will agree I'd take the bubble busting and then final table compared to just limping into the money twice.