[2planka]

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I don't like your play at all. I'm always suspicious when a bigger stack limps in early position...and even more so UTG. You need a premium hand to push at this point. Maybe the guy thought he was slowplaying his AJ thinking that someone would inevitably raise and try to steal the blinds in this aggressive situation. There ARE players like that out there! I much prefer to be the first into the pot in bubble situations.

So what if you're slightly ahead in the hand? 46% of the time you get busted out of the money and 54% of the time you're very likely to make money. I'm sure that turns out to be -$EV if someone would like to confirm.


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I disagree with a couple of things here, but that may be because I'm assuming the OP's goal is more than just making the money.

We're very shortstacked for this point of the tourney. Limping into the money seems like giving up.

UTG limps. We're next to act. We obviously can't call, since we're out of position and a limp will invite a raise from our left. So you're saying we should fold here? Seems too weak to me.

Look at what pushing accomplished. We got all our money in with the best hand. We cleaned up everything behind us and it's now back to UTG who has to decide whether or not to call with a vulnerable hand. I, for one, don't like to call off 2/3 of my stack with a hand this weak. Now he has to decide whether he essentially wants to risk his tourney on a coinflip this close to the money.

UTG made a bad decision and it worked out for him. These things happen. But the bubble is a perfect time to push a middle pair like 99 precisely because many players are thinking just like you: if I pass, I can limp into the dough.

Even if we do get called on our all in, we're likely the favorite (albeit by a small margin).

To each his own, I suppose. I still like OP's push here.