[Lurshy]

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But why push? I've gone back and forth on this one. By not pushing I do preserve my ability to play in the tournament beyond this hand

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But you didn't preserve your ability to play in the tourney after this hand. Your argument only makes sense if you are weak/smart enough to let go of the hand after the call and all-in after your initial action. If you are going to call off your money and marry the hand regardless, you may as well have just pushed to begin with.

A push, would maximize your folding equity, and isolation chances. It would also insure you are getting maximum suckout opportunity in case you are called by a pocket pair. When the blinds are more than 10% of your stack, it is ok to take it down PF if thats what happens. Putting in 1/3 of your stack leaves you with little manuvering room, and just about pot commits you.

Your subsequent call of the all-in was even worse for the same reasons. Again the preserving chips argument doesn't hold up if you will just call them off in the hand.

You say your read on the big stack is correct, but you are calling off all of your chips for at best a split pot, at worst a lose. Something is not correct with this picture.

And I am not advocating a fold, I am just saying that based on your arguments, you should have folded.

JMHO