I am still confused about this hand...
 

here is a hand from the FT of a 20/180 that I played in last night. As you can see - 4 players left. I am the SS but not by much.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t3000 (4 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Hero (t46158)
SB (t101653)
BB (t70960)
UTG (t51229)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">UTG raises to t12000</font>, Hero calls t12000, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>.

Flop: (t24450) 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">UTG bets t15000</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: t39450

Does EVERYONE PUSH PREFLOP HERE? That is normally my default play here as well, but the last two of these things that I have FTed, I have finished 4th, and I did not want to go out 4th again (I know, terrible thinking).

I would have pushed if he checked the flop, but when he committed half his stack, I knew he would have called my all in, so I folded.

Re: I am still confused about this hand...
 

No-brainer. Push pre-flop.

Re: I am still confused about this hand...
 

Push preflop. You can't be scared to play. If you are you have more problems than just this hand.

Re: I am still confused about this hand...
 

I know, I know. The more I think about it, the more I now realize - I was letting the "I will finish better than 4th damn it" affect my decisions. I was not scared, I just did NOT want 4th again!

Of course, calling off nearly 1/3 of my stack, could have helped me get there.....

Re: I am still confused about this hand...
 

[ QUOTE ]
I was not scared, I just did NOT want 4th again!

[/ QUOTE ]

Which is the same as being afraid of losing. You're scared of losing in fourth and it effected your play.

Re: I am still confused about this hand...
 

I understand that you didn't want to finish 4th, but you are 4th in chips. And if you call the preflop raise and fold to the flop bet when you miss, then 2/3 of the time, you're losing 25% of your chips.

Your reasoning stands up better if there's a short stack with about half as many chips as you. But, when you're the shortest stack, you're usually best off assuming you're going to have to get some chips to not be the next man out. And AK all in preflop is a good way to get some.