short stack, late in tourney

[chopchoi]

My biggest problem area is playing a short stack late in a tourney. It seems like everytime I try to make a move I get called, and bust out. I wonder whether i'd be better off shutting down and hoping to cost into the money.

Here's an example:

Pokerroom $5 MTT. 53 left, top 40 pays. The payout structure is something like 40-21 get $12, 20-11 get $18, and the money increases every spot after that.

I have about 4,500, blinds are 400/800 (no antes). people are going out pretty rapidly, and I figure I can see the money if I can last 2 more rounds of blinds. This shouldn't be a problem if I fold every hand.

Then I get AJo, 3 off the button in an unopened pot. I push.

Is this a bad play? I mean, folding every hand is just so boring, I hate doing it, but I really don't see what's to be gained from it. Ranking doesn't really matter unless I bust out or make the final table. Since I don't have much of a chance of making the final table, wouldn't I be better off playing not to bust out?

[DemonDeac]

fine to me

[hemstock]

What you want in this kind of a situation is an ace with a high kicker or a pair i guess. You just push and hope.

[Jerrod Ankenman]

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My biggest problem area is playing a short stack late in a tourney.

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Often the best way to play a short stack late in a tourney is to turn it into a big stack. The way you do this is by amassing chips. The best way to gain chips is to shove in with decent hands, especially when there are antes. If you get called, just suck out. Particularly when there are antes, you can double up very rapidly from a small stack.

In the hand example you gave (AJo three off the button with 6x the blind and antes not that far from the little money bubble), it's a very, very serious error to fold.

Any player who tells you that folding is reasonable there should not be trusted.

Jerrod Ankenman