Late Tourney Short Stack Decision

[JBarnes5]

i can't figure out if I played this right, so I thought I'd ask for a few opinions here. Here's the rundown:

Poker Stars NLH Tourney (369 Entrants)
15 Players left
I am 15th/15th with 10k and 4k committed as the bb (so 6k left in my stack).

I have AT in the bb.

Tourney Chip Leader Bets All-In from 3rd position (he has been bullying a little bit, and his raise seems a bit strange, I'm definitely calling him)

Unfortunately, a tight player calls all-in immediately behind him. There are not many hands the tight player can have. I figure to call all-in (about 40k at this point) he has to have AA, KK, AK, QQ, or maybe JJ.

I still think I have the chip leader beat, but b/c TIGHT BOY called, I give myself at best 3 outs, and probably 2 since the chip leader might have Ax. Even though I am extremely short-stacked, I can't bring myself to call in a hand when, at best, I have 3 outs.

Anyway, I fold.

The chip leader had K6 and TIGHTBOY had QQ. Of course, the board comes A 7 6 A 2.

Two hands later from the button, I call another short-stacks bet to go all-in with KJ and lose to A2.

How would you have played it?

[Greg (FossilMan)]

6 to win 26, and if you fold, 2 of your 6 goes into the next hand blind, where you will likely face a similar decision, i.e., do I call my last 4 with this crappy hand, or wait?

If this were a super paying 12-14 spots, things would be different. Here, even though you are probably in a slightly -EV situation, I think the call here is superior to the fold. If you fold, you will be in a -EV situation the next hand that is even worse.

Admittedly, this is a tough spot to be in. But, I don't recall the last time I put up 40% of my stack in the blind and folded. And I was probably right every time.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)