Limit Hold-em, on the Bubble

I was recently playing in a limit holdem tourny at Commerce. There were about 35 people left, top 27 got paid. My goals for this tournament were to reach the final table, not just the money.


The tournament as a whole had started to tighten up as people were just waiting for the last 8 or so players to be eliminated. If I was just trying to coast into the money, I too would have tightened up.


The blinds had just moved up to 200-400. I had 1350 in chips. I may or may not have been able to just coast into the money, but I wanted to accumulate more chips so that I could have an impact later in the tourny...I just never saw any cards to do anything with. Seat 8 or seat 9 raised every single hand pre-flop. If seat 8 mucked, seat 9 would raise. I am on the button in seat 5.


Seat 8 (UTG) mucks, and seat 9 raises. I know that he is playing very aggressively, and he has been stealing the blinds very actively. But I also know that his raise means very little. For the last 10-or-so hands, he has raised every hand that seat 8 mucked (probably about 5 or 6). He has around 3000 in chips.


All muck to me on the button, I look down and see AQo. Perhaps I should have called, but I deemed this a raise-or-fold situation.


I 3-bet (750 left in chips). The small blind (very solid player, around 3,000 in chips as well), goes into "think" mode. I immediately figure that he has a medium-largish pocket pair (tens or jacks), or AK. He thought for a long time, and eventually called. Given that, I knew that i did not want to see an ace on the flop. BB mucks, UTG calls.


The flop comes Q - 6 - 3 rainbow. Checked to me, and I bet (550 left in chips). SB folds, and a K becomes exposed (I am very sure he had AK, he even said later that he did). UTG check raises me. Going on my feeling that he probably doesn't have that strong of a hand, I'm guessing he has something like KQ, QJ, QT, maybe something like pocket 8's and he's checkraising me so that i drop my presumed-AK.


I 3bet him (150 left in chips), and he puts me all in.


He turns over pocket 6s, and I lose. Buh Bye.


My question is did I play this right? Should I have mucked preflop, or just smooth called? Once he check-raises me, I don't think there is anyway I can release this hand, I'm way too committed, right?


Part of me feels good that I accurately put him on a fairly weak pre-flop hand, but he had me beat every step of the way. Should I have done anything different?


Once he checkraised me, I thought that there was the possibility that he had an overpair...but there was only


(1) AA

(3) KK

(1) QQ


and


(6) KQ

(8) QJ

(8) QT


Did I just get unlucky? Thanks for help.


Worm