Final table hand PPM$Cruise-- Would you fold pocket aces?

[PokerNeal]

I already won an entry to this (PP4m$ Cruise) but played this 150 player plus satellite with two prizes awarded ($12K each cruise ship tourney seat) just for the money. I make it to the final table after an exhausting few hours and have a stack above average(Average was 15K and I was at about 16K). The blinds were 500-1000. I get Q-Q in mid-late position and make it 3X BB to go. The button goes all-in and his stack is equal to mine in size so it is a question of life/death. I contemplated for a while and put him on a medium pair and/or A-highcard (A-K, A-Q) and decide to call. Sure enough he turns over pocket 9's and to my dismay he makes a set on the flop and I am out at 8th place. The first two places paid the $12K tourney and positions 3,4 and 5 paid about $4K $3K and $1.5K (approx.).

I think back to this hand and wonder if I should have folded and waited for a better opportunity. If I had folded I would be about 10-15% below average stack. I would have lost that hand even if I had pocket Aces because he made a set with his. Here is the question. If you are this close to the bubble would you risk your tourney life with the best pre-flop hand possible (A-A)?

[jojobinks]

bubble play that is based on waiting it out is doomed. of course you call all in with AA. based on your read i like your play with QQ too.

what was the cash for sneaking into the money? would it be worth losing a double up with AA? forget about the fact that he flopped the set. what more could you want than someone to raise you in when you're holding AA?

[Tosh]

Folding aces there would be absolute stupidity. How you expect to get your money in better than 4.5/1 is beyond me as well.

[Benholio]

12k, 12k, 4, 3, 1.5 is a pretty steep prize structure, so you have to play for 1st place here. I could see folding hands like QQ/KK etc if top 5 or 6 places paid the same, but not when you need 2nd to get the big win.

[knifeandfork]

not that 4 1/2-1 is bad but i can definitely see spots where it gets better than this, and some players do wait for these spots. hero does not rate to be 4.5 -1 every time here of course i think often times he will be against an ace, AK or even be the big dog himself. Queens in this situation are worth thinking about although im certain i would fold them less than 5%of the time. AA, KK are very different and i think i would rarely.01/never fold here. JJ im not good enough to fold as often as some but would also hit the muck a much higher percentage of the time than queens.Not a math type but I think calling the push is definitely the right move with these stacksizes and no real read on the player. the math folks could tell you better the odds you are against certain hands and what the queens equate to in EV. just mho i think tosh is being a little too results oriented (as is OP) if the poster had left out the part about his opponent having nines the consensus is probably the same this late in a tourney but for different reasons. JJ is a world of difference as is AA, thus we are stuck in the middle on this one. I think the OP definitely made the +ev choice although i could be shown to be incorrect.
jason

[PokerNeal]

The more info you have the better is your decision. An all-in pre-flop is far more riskier than an all-in post-flop (Duh!). The response with an A-A to an all-in pre-flop is an automatic decision for me unless it is tempered by other cosnderations (bubble). For instance, if you are playing in a PSTARS qualifer and away from the cutoff by just 2-3 players risking your tourney life even with an A-A does not make sense. Of course, I did not have either of the two considerations (I had Q-Q; not A-A) and still too far away from the bubble. In this situation I feel I made the right call with my hand (Q-Q) and my read (he had two overcards or a medium pair) but lady luck helped him out not me.

[Tosh]

The bubble logic applies to satelittes. Although this is technically a satelitte the prize structure for the top 5 is much more like a cash game till you are actually on the bubble of 3rd/2nd.

[morgan180]

[ QUOTE ]
12k, 12k, 4, 3, 1.5 is a pretty steep prize structure, so you have to play for 1st place here. I could see folding hands like QQ/KK etc if top 5 or 6 places paid the same, but not when you need 2nd to get the big win.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree you have a great chance to put yourself in position for the top 2 with this hand especially if you are confident with your read.

I think that if there were eight left, 5 paid the same and there were some smaller stacks then you could get away from hand like this, but even then it would be tough. And I'm sure if you folded and he decided to "show" his 9s you'd be groaning in your seat.

[PokerNeal]

It is indeed frustrating in an MTT with a prize structure like this when you work all night long to build a decent stack and get to piss it all away in one hand! And then you turn the TV on and see Gus Hansen taking down pot after pot with hands far less noble than yours! [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

[marley81]

Absolutly. If your not going to push with the best hand, then basically your just waiting and hoping that other people bust out before you lose all your chips. Best hand isn't always going to win, but you have to like being a 4-1 favorite before the flop, regardless of the outcome.