My bust hand from Sunday's PokerStars $500K guaranteed

[Havok]

In your first post you said the average was 7,000 and you had the average 7,000. In either case you have better than 14BB left. According to HOH your in the yellow zone, with some play left. Under 10BB this is an easy push, in your case I agree with everyone else. Pushing here was premature. No disrespect, you must have played well to get that far.

[MLG]

Pushing here is a standard good aggresive play. People who say its too early enjoy going out on the bubble.

[billyjex]

I had 10k chips in the same tourney and average was 8k or so. An hour later I hadn't changed my position, and out of 9 players at the table I was 8th and had less than half average. This tourney structure is insanely fast and you need to push a lot of small edges.

You are never in a "safe" zone after the first hour of this tournament.

[Bigwig]

[ QUOTE ]
Too many players get scared of being blinded out, and push their chips too often. You obviously should not let your stack get too low to where an all-in becomes an easy call for your opponent. It depends on how much confidence you have in your game. If you feel you are a very good player, and can build your stack by picking up pots, then don't push. If you feel you are just an average player, who eventually has to "take a coin flip", then push there and hope to get lucky. My game is strong enough that I don't need to push here, and getting blinded out is not in my thoughts at this time. By the way, I would probably call in that situation, and use my position on him and see what the flop brings.

[/ QUOTE ]

I really don't agree here. The idea of taking coin flips when you're not the best player has more to do with calling than pushing. For example, if I had open raised from MP with AQo, and the villain had come over the top, I would have folded. Mostly because of the Gap Concept, but partially because what you have mentioned.

I know people don't want to hear this: but your skill with short stacks (and 17BB is effectively short) comes from identifying push/fold scenarios, not from being able to pick up pots postflop. Or even preflop. You don't have the kind of stack that can be seeing lots of flops.

[Bigwig]

[ QUOTE ]
Pushing here is a standard good aggresive play. People who say its too early enjoy going out on the bubble.

[/ QUOTE ]

I generally agree. My only concern was my read on the villain. Due to his recent rush and stack size, I was concerned about my fold equity. How much of that needs to be diminished before this becomes a marginal play and one to be avoided?

[Havok]

[ QUOTE ]
Pushing here is a standard good aggresive play. People who say its too early enjoy going out on the bubble.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL I'm sorry but, I'm definetly an aggresive player, but when your short stacked things change. I've been in last chip position a few times, been patient, and got lucky and made the final table. I just like outplaying my oponents on the flop more than risking it all preflop IMO.

[Bigwig]

[ QUOTE ]
I just like outplaying my oponents on the flop more than risking it all preflop IMO.

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, with 17BB, you really don't have any business getting involved in raised pots without pushing. Unless you're trapping with AA or KK. Even then it can be a mistake.

[MLG]

He's raising with a range that AQ is ahead of. Its fine if he isn't gonna fold a lot, because then he will call you with worse hands, like AJ or KQ enough to make up for the increased times you get called in a coinflip.

AQ is strong enough on its own to make the play here regardless of FE.

[Bigwig]

[ QUOTE ]
He's raising with a range that AQ is ahead of. Its fine if he isn't gonna fold a lot, because then he will call you with worse hands, like AJ or KQ enough to make up for the increased times you get called in a coinflip.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, that's true. I still obviously need to accumulate chips.

I suppose my doubts stem from my STT play (the majority). In that format, with 30% getting paid, you desperately want to avoid a lot of these situations.

[Whitey]

Under normal circumstances I have no problem with pushing here,however there are several factors that are against you.
1. Villian is a big stack. Like you say, less folding equity.
2. Villian has shown strength, unless you have a read on this particular sized raise as being weak.
3. Villian is feeling lucky?? If he has any sort of hand you are likely to be called, against a weaker hand you obviously want this, but I would rather not take a coin flip just yet, as you say you still have an average stack.

Other considerations for pushing would be the feel of the table, how tight/loose are people playing, can you steal your way forward or are you going to have to show a real hand to win any pots?

I think it's very close, personally I would wait but I prefer to raise with air when no one has opened the pot than almost guaruntee myself a showdown.