10x BB question/ and a HH when holding AA

[west13]

First basic question I have is when short stack and under 10x the BB, it's either shove pre-flop or fold, so does position or any previous reads on players make much difference when I am first to act at this point?

The other question is a HH, I think it was the correct play with no read on the player and pretty early in the tourney, but I just wanted to confirm. Pre-flop raise was 4x the BB I believe, hard to be content raking in some odd$30 in chips when holding AA, is this a leak in my game?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (8 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

SB (t1740)
BB (t1740)
UTG (t1250)
UTG+1 (t1650)
MP1 (t1470)
MP2 (t1490)
Hero (t2240)
Button (t1920)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A, A.
4 folds, Hero raises to t80, 2 folds, BB calls t60.

Flop: (t170) K, 9, Q (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets t125, BB raises to t250, Hero calls t125.

Turn: (t670) T (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks.

River: (t670) Q (2 players)

BB bets t1410 (All-In)

[taipan168]

First basic question I have is when short stack and under 10x the BB, it's either shove pre-flop or fold, so does position or any previous reads on players make much difference when I am first to act at this point?

Absolutely! Position and the calling ranges of the other players are key. Eg. if it's folded to you in the SB, the BB has been playing tight and you have 5x BB, you should instapush any two cards. Conversely, if it's 6-handed, you're UTG with 9x BB and the SB and BB are loose callers, you should fold hands like A9s.

On your HH, I push over BB's flop check/min-raise. I would expect to be ahead here much more often than behind. Assuming this is a low buyin, you will see KJ, KT, flush draw, JT, maybe even AQ/A9 much more often than you see two pair or a set. Low buyin players love to slowplay when they have a big hand so I would push.

[Staresy]

I think Taipan has summed it up perfectly.

I would much sooner push a hand like T8 against 2 or 3 players who are unlikely to call than risk pushing a hand like 66, 77 or 88 through 7 players, of which 3 are likely to look me up.

My only disagreement is in the HH you have provided in that I would 3-bet on the flop (as oppose to pushing. Make it ~600) and ...
(a) if villain pushes, I fold
(b) if he calls, I'm done with putting anymore money in this pot unimproved.

sucks to have to slow-down / lay-down AA, but it sucks even worse to go broke when your opponent has pretty much told you that you're going to if you carry on.

[TLR]

First question - position and reads matter of course.
One point to keep in mind is that in shallow stack tournaments (usually turbo tournaments) you can decrease the 10BB rule down to 5-7BB)

[TLR]

On the posted hand I dont like your reraise call. You dont really hope to improve here, so it is a reraise/fold sitation to me. In this case I reraise strong, his likely hand is TP with a draw to either the flush or the str8.

As played I fold the river

[taipan168]

I think Taipan has summed it up perfectly.

I would much sooner push a hand like T8 against 2 or 3 players who are unlikely to call than risk pushing a hand like 66, 77 or 88 through 7 players, of which 3 are likely to look me up.

My only disagreement is in the HH you have provided in that I would 3-bet on the flop (as oppose to pushing. Make it ~600) and ...
(a) if villain pushes, I fold
(b) if he calls, I'm done with putting anymore money in this pot unimproved.

sucks to have to slow-down / lay-down AA, but it sucks even worse to go broke when your opponent has pretty much told you that you're going to if you carry on.

Thanks Staresy! I suspect the difference may like in the point that Scuba Chuck made in one of his replies to my posts that playing at too low a level for too long can cause you to make decisions which are sub-optimal at medium/higher buy-ins but may be the right decisions given the moronic players who inhabit the lower buy-in tourneys. I suspect this may be an example of this.

I have seen this sort of check-minraise soooo often with flush/straight draws, TPNK or middle/bottom pair such that my move would be to push after the check-raise. The reason is that these idiots will flat call your re-raise to say 600, check the turn and bluff the river with their missed draws causing you to fold the best hand. I say make them pay to see their draws, at least at the $6.50s and $11s that I play you will stack them much more often than they stack you.

As OP played the hand though, I agree with TLR that he has to fold the river even though he might be up against a missed flush draw.

[drmcboy]

if you can get it in on the flop, I would do it. this is pair or pair plus draw too often. calling the re raise is no good.

[Trikflow77]

First basic question I have is when short stack and under 10x the BB, it's either shove pre-flop or fold, so does position or any previous reads on players make much difference when I am first to act at this point?

Absolutely! Position and the calling ranges of the other players are key. Eg. if it's folded to you in the SB, the BB has been playing tight and you have 5x BB, you should instapush any two cards. Conversely, if it's 6-handed, you're UTG with 9x BB and the SB and BB are loose callers, you should fold hands like A9s.

On your HH, I push over BB's flop check/min-raise. I would expect to be ahead here much more often than behind. Assuming this is a low buyin, you will see KJ, KT, flush draw, JT, maybe even AQ/A9 much more often than you see two pair or a set. Low buyin players love to slowplay when they have a big hand so I would push.

I think reraising to 600 and folding to a push is the best move in this hand.

[west13]

Thanks for the advice, I guess I need to take a hard look at things I push when under 10x BB, because I thought A9s at that point was a no brainer to push regardless of how loose they played.

I guess I saw it as holding out for a better hand, and with my luck, it's the best I'm going to get so I better play it because it's a few minutes before I am blinded to death.

[taipan168]

Get a copy of SNGPT. Even if you don't register it, download the trial version and have a play. It opened my eyes as to pushing/calling pushes when shortstacked.

Everybody has the same luck in the long run. You have just as much chance of picking up AA as 32o the very next hand. Patience to wait for the right cards combined with the right situation is key, conversely, so is never missing your "any two cards" pushes.