On the Bubble Play

I would like some comments concerning my play in this situation. The situatio is as follows:

Party $6 MTT SNG. We are down to the final six players. I am currently in 5th (2500 chips). There is one small stack below me (400). The 400 stack has tightened up and is hoping to limp into the money (5 places pay). The blinds are currently 100/200. The rest of the table has 4000 - 10000 in chips.


I am UTG+1, short stack folds to me. I have AQ h. I decide for a while and play the hand. Raise to 800 (been the usual size of my raise for this table). Fold to button, button calls (chip leader with 10000, and has been seen to make very loose calls). All other players fold.


Flop hits Q 4 7 rainbow. I push my remaining chips in the pot. Good push or bad?

Also, does it make sense to play AQ suited this way shorthanded. I figured this would be the best hand I would probably see and the blinds were coming again. In hind sight, I feel I probably should have pushed preflop.

[DJ Sensei]

Yea, everything looks fine *except* I would check the flop.

Basically, after this flop you are pot committed to a very good hand. As such, you want to get as many of his chips in the pot as you can. If he has you beat, if doesnt matter how the betting goes. You'll get all-in regardless. However, if he doesnt have you beat, checking gives him a chance to try and steal the pot away, and you can win more chips from him. Plus, there are no draws, so giving a free card can't really do much harm.

(There was a post recently by strasser regarding being pot committed and wanting to keep the opponents range as wide as possible. I think it applies here.)

[betgo]

I don't agree with the other poster about checking the flop. Your stack is less than the pot. You are not necessarily going to get more chips in by checking and your hand is somewhat vulnerable.

I don't like the raise to 800 when you have 2500. Raise to 600. You could push, which is not totally unreasonable with your short stack. With no ante on Party this pushing is not as attractive. Depedning on how the table is playing, you could also play for a limpraise, with the option to fold to too much action.

[ QUOTE ]
I don't agree with the other poster about checking the flop. Your stack is less than the pot. You are not necessarily going to get more chips in by checking and your hand is somewhat vulnerable.

I don't like the raise to 800 when you have 2500. Raise to 600. You could push, which is not totally unreasonable with your short stack. With no ante on Party this pushing is not as attractive. Depedning on how the table is playing, you could also play for a limpraise, with the option to fold to too much action.

[/ QUOTE ]

The pot is T1900, and he has T1700 left. If he had raised to T1200 (instead of T800), the pot would be T2700 and he'd have T1300 left, in that case I'd just push.

You probably need to extract here. Minbetting is tempting, checking is tempting, pushing is tempting. If he's the type of player to play aggressively since he has position on me, then I might check it to him. You say he's loosish, so checking feels even better, or maybe some minbet.

I don't get the part about "the hand is vulnerable". He's only losing to AA/KK, QQ/77/44, or Q7/Q4/74, all of which are admittedly unlikely here. (If the guy has one of those hands, you're stuck anyway, TPTK 6 handed is a huge monster). About the only thing you might be spooked about is 65 but even then you're a 63.1/36.9 favorite if he has a backdoor (65.8/34.2 if he doesn't).

And yes, I don't see why make it T800 when T600 is good enough.

In the end the button had pocket KK's, but I was pretty much pot committed after the raise and the queen on the flop made sure I would lose the rest of my chips.

Thanks for the information. I am always looking for ways to improve my play shorthanded and shortstacked. A smaller raise does make more sense initially.

With a larger stack at a short table, is this the type of hand I would want to get action on or are you usually trying to take the blinds with this hand? I have come to learn through experience that AQ can be difficult to play after some flops. If you are pushing for the blinds do you play harder preflop (upper end of range) or do you play it normally and see what develops?

[ QUOTE ]
In the end the button had pocket KK's, but I was pretty much pot committed after the raise and the queen on the flop made sure I would lose the rest of my chips.

Thanks for the information. I am always looking for ways to improve my play shorthanded and shortstacked. A smaller raise does make more sense initially.

With a larger stack at a short table, is this the type of hand I would want to get action on or are you usually trying to take the blinds with this hand? I have come to learn through experience that AQ can be difficult to play after some flops. If you are pushing for the blinds do you play harder preflop (upper end of range) or do you play it normally and see what develops?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, that's rather unfortunate for him to have there.

AQ is very tricky to play, but it is way too valuable of a hand to just let go of (especially s00ted).

In a situation like this, you probably just want to take the blinds anyway, since moneying is a big concern (you want the T400 to bust, making life a lot easier for you). Anyone who is likely to play up against you if the table is very tight is likely to put you in trouble.

Folding here? Reeks of weak-tight... but to have him have KK and to hit your Q on an innocent looking board, ugh. I don't know what else you could have done.