What could I have done differently?

[AcesKracked]

A 16 man home tourney (10-12 solid players), we are down to the last 7. I am number 2 in chips about even with the leader and most everyone else very short, blinds and antes are getting heavy.
I am on the button w/ K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] everyone folds to me I raise to 4x the BB (30% of my stack). SB folds, BB (chip leader) pushes. I had been stealing blinds several times as everyone was just trying to stay alive. I feel that I am pot committed and probably am in a race situation at worst. The chip leader is a very solid player but is very aggressive and has many times in the past been willing to throw his stack in on a bluff to give himself a chance at winning later (1st or Bust). He turns over AA and knocks me out.
1)How should I have played this differently?
2)Could I have gotten away from this hand?
3) Should I have folded and let probably 3-4 players be blinded out in the next 2 rounds?
Thanks for any advice
AcesKracked

[RiverDood]

The 4BB opening raise is the key decision. Once you've got that much in the pot, you're essentially pot-committed preflop and your line from then on is unavoidable.

But let's back up and ask: Is KQs the right hand to throw your weight around and pick a potential fight with the big stack? I don't think so. You're a 49/51 dog against 88 or any other middle PP. You're a 45/55 dog against Ax. KQs is a very nice multiway hand, but as those two examples show, it loses a lot of its luster HU.

Because the stacks are so unbalanced, you should be spending as much time thinking about the implications of stack size as the merits of everyone's hand. No matter what you bet (from 1BB upward) the short-stacked SB will fold if he's got junk, and the chip-leader BB will push or raise big if he's got a hand.

Given that dynamic, I'd like to see a flop with KQs -- but I'd also like to avoid getting too committed to this hand, if I'm potentially playing HU against the only player at the table who can bust me out. I've come too far to risk pushing in all my chips on a coinflip where I'm a slight underdog. In fact, this one's personal. A few months ago, I busted out of a live MTT at the final table in ALMOST IDENTICAL CIRCUMSTANCES. So I'm inclined to play tight/weak, limping in and folding if there's a push from the BB.

That scenario still gets me in trouble if the BB limps in with AA and the flop has a K or Q. But in most other situations, I'll release the hand before my stack is ruined. And in some situations, I'll take down a pot with a pair of Kings or Queens. Overall, there's too much easy money to be made in the next few orbits by beating up on the small stacks. If you can grab some of that, great. If the chip leader grabs it all and you survive, that's tolerable, too.

I'm assuming that this tournament paid well for finishing 2nd and 3rd. If so, wait for a different battle. If it was winner take all, then your play was fine.