All-in on the bubble with a good stack?

[Midnight sun]

Alright, some background. 3 players left, top 2 gets paid, roughly 100$/50$. I'm on the button with about 20k in chips, and the player in small blind has also got about 20k. The player in BB is sitting on something like 8 or 9k in chips with a recent double up against the player in sb with a lucky outdraw. I've got a tight image, have folded a lot (seen the fewest flop of all players) and really just gotten good value out of most hands I've decided to play. Offcourse I've been stealing quite a few hands since we've got down to 3-4 players, but hey, they can't be sure .

So, I look down on my pockets and find myself a couple of ladies and bet 3*bb to 2400. SB quickly raises my bet to 4800 and BB folds. Now, I've got some respect for the SB, but i also know that sb will overplay a few hands trying to bully the field. Anyway, I can't imagine my queens are behind being down to 3 players, it's such a slim chance that they are, so I decide to protect my hand and re-raises all in thinking that it's a nice pot right now and I havn't got much against a call either since I've got such a strong hand. SB calls and flips over AKo.

Well, flop comes Axx, turn x and river another Ace sending me out since sb covered me by a few hundred in chips.

It's not the worst beat in my life, and I think I played that hand correct. Honestly, I think sb should fold to my big re-raise. Even tough AKo is a monster down to 3 players, it's still a gambling hand when you're up against a huge re-raise. But I guess the call is ok aswell.

However, since it's on the bubble. Should I consider a less agressive approach pre-flop, perhaps just a smaller re-raise, or even a call, just to see what the flop brings?

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Also, another hand in the same tourney, that I'm kind of proud of, but alot earlier. We're 7 players left. I'm on the button with slightly less than 10k, a semi-weak player whom has gotten somewhat shortstacked with just about 3k left bets 3*bb from utg making it 600 total. Ok, so he's probobly got a hand, but having seen him play, it's not necessary that good a hand and i choose to call (folded around to me) with J8 of diamonds. I know it's a crappy starter, but i belive i can outplay him having position if the flop is alot of rags, and if i miss totaly with scare cards on the board, it's an easy fold. Also, up to this point I've been playing texas fold 'em (let aside for a bb-special that gave me trips and a nice pot) so I belive that he might think I'm playin a better starting hand than I really do. SB and BB folds. Flop comes K -Q -10 giving me an open ended straightdraw aswell as a flush draw. He bets 600 again and I raise all-in with my semi-bluff. He calls flipping over A 10 . Turn x river is 4 of diamonds completing my flush.

Ok, the pre-flop call is a so-so, but I wouldn't have done it out of position or against a stronger player. But I think my raise was a good play. Enough bragging.

[ddollevoet]

I would certainly hope that a coin flip wasn't the worst beat of your life...

[Midnight sun]

Yeah, worst ever! What i meant was that i wasn't whining about going out against that hand, it was probobly just one of those situations thats hard to get away from with 2 such great pockets when you're down to 3 players.

[JM]

I think I would have just called the re-raise and seen the flop. Obviously he's got something decent if he's reraising you pre-flop. You're on the button, so you'll probably get a good idea of his hand after the flop. If there's no ace, you could probably push all in and maybe (hopefully) get him to fold it.

[jojobinks]

Originally Posted by JM

I think I would have just called the re-raise and seen the flop. Obviously he's got something decent if he's reraising you pre-flop. You're on the button, so you'll probably get a good idea of his hand after the flop. If there's no ace, you could probably push all in and maybe (hopefully) get him to fold it.

no A or K, you mean. this is a pretty conservative way to play, but it's not a horrible outcome...if an A or K flops, you check/fold and still have 75% of your chips.

that being said, i'd have pushed.

[JM]

Originally Posted by jojobinks

no A or K, you mean. this is a pretty conservative way to play, but it's not a horrible outcome...if an A or K flops, you check/fold and still have 75% of your chips.

that being said, i'd have pushed.

Well being that he's on the bubble and would still have a pretty big chip advantage over the short stack, I don't think its too conservative. Why try to take out the chip leader when the two of them can just beat up the short stack till he's out and then play heads up.

(yeah, no A or K)

[Lime]

Originally Posted by JM

Well being that he's on the bubble and would still have a pretty big chip advantage over the short stack, I don't think its too conservative. Why try to take out the chip leader when the two of them can just beat up the short stack till he's out and then play heads up.

(yeah, no A or K)

Ditto, definitely would have liked to have seen a flop in this situation on the bubble.

[vrecksler]

With 3 players I would have assumed the pocket Q's were good as well, and pre-flop it was the correct assumption. I like your raise as it is big enough to represent something but small enough to ensure someone is in the pot with you.

With QQ I welcome the re-raise, and would have done the exact same thing by pushing all-in in that situation. You were just out drawn, and I wonder if there was anyway to escape that hand.

Say you just called the re-raise, when an A hits on the flop the raiser would have likely checked it to you with his top pair, top kicker. You push all-in now and the result is the same. Or maybe you bet and get re-raised all-in, does it really matter.

Even if you just called the BB pre-flop, if AK slowplays and calls there is going to be action on the flop and if AK raises instead then your money is going in the middle anyway.

Seriously, I think it is just one of those things that happens and that there was nothing wrong with how you played it. It is always easy to come up with a nice little analysis here as all the posters have time to consider a bunch of scenarios like I have done, but in real time you thought things through, made a decision and saw it through. Good decision, unfortunate result.