This fold been bugging me

[Dave D]

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Live $70+15 (w/ another $5 for 300 chips added on before play starts) at TS. 189 entrants. First pays about $3.5k and 9th-16th all pay $198. We are on the bubble and I am sitting with a below average stack of 14k in the SB and blinds 2k/4k. BB has me covered.

Big stack who just moved to the table open min-raises from the button to 8k. I look down at AQo and decide to fold, leaving myself with 12k left. My reasoning was that the bigstack was surely going to call the 6k more for my all in, and in all likelyhood it would be a race, with my tourney life on the line, not to mention the BB left to act behind me. Was this fold giving up to much, considering the payout structure was a bit on the heavy side for the final table?

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You have 3 blinds. This is the worst fold in the world.

You could have probably gotten it heads up vs a hand you would be probably at least a 60/40 favorite against, or taken the HUGE blinds if the big stack was actually trying to steal or something. Even two people calling you isn't the worst thing in the world as you win a TON of chips if you win. AQ is a BLESSING in your situation.

Awful awful AWFUL fold.

You should be playing for first, not to get in the money.

[Dave D]

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Pretty much the responses I expected. Knew I pussied out during the hand. I think the fact that it was only my second casino tournament, that I wanted to at least say that I walked away with something. There were about four other people with shorter stacks than me at the time, but that still doesn't excuse my action. I regret the decision now, and although I made the money, I should really have taken the gamble and shot for the final table.

Edited to add: What is the BEST hand you would fold in this position? May as well take something out of the experience...

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I'm pushing any pair, any two paint, probably K9 and better kings, and I think pretty much any ace. The raiser's range is huge, and he could I guess fold. With any ace, you're ahead of anything but a pair, and a coinflip if you have A7 and he has 66.