$5.50 at Stars: down to 4th, how do I play better??

[fat-johnny]

It seems that I get down to 4th along with 1 onther person, both of us trying to tread water to hang on and finish 3rd (cash). I find myself in this "treading water" position a LOT.

Did I play this right? I mean, I only have 4 or 5 BB left.......
FJ

PokerStars Game #6871463165: Tournament #35024605, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level VIII (200/400) - 2006/11/02 - 22:07:53 (ET)
Table '35024605 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 5: fat-johnny (2090 in chips)
Seat 6: bigbucksmi (6090 in chips)
Seat 7: coacho8 (2245 in chips)
Seat 9: samfireman (3075 in chips)
fat-johnny: posts the ante 25
bigbucksmi: posts the ante 25
coacho8: posts the ante 25
samfireman: posts the ante 25
fat-johnny: posts small blind 200
bigbucksmi: posts big blind 400
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to fat-johnny [Ks Jc]
coacho8: folds
samfireman: folds
fat-johnny: calls 200
bigbucksmi: checks
*** FLOP *** [9c 8c 2h]
fat-johnny: checks
bigbucksmi: checks
*** TURN *** [9c 8c 2h] [Jd]
fat-johnny: checks
bigbucksmi: bets 400
fat-johnny: raises 1265 to 1665 and is all-in
bigbucksmi: calls 1265
*** RIVER *** [9c 8c 2h Jd] [5d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
fat-johnny: shows [Ks Jc] (a pair of Jacks)
bigbucksmi: shows [9h 8h] (two pair, Nines and Eights)
fat-johnny said, "nh"
bigbucksmi collected 4230 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 4230 | Rake 0
Board [9c 8c 2h Jd 5d]
Seat 5: fat-johnny (small blind) showed [Ks Jc] and lost with a pair of Jacks
Seat 6: bigbucksmi (big blind) showed [9h 8h] and won (4230) with two pair, Nines and Eights
Seat 7: coacho8 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: samfireman (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)

[taipan168]

Easy shove preflop with those blinds and folded to in the SB. Completing is just terrible. I think you would have won the 700 in blinds and antes if you had just shoved all-in preflop. In fact, I would have shoved any two cards in this spot and I'm DELIGHTED to pick up KJo to shove.

Post your bubble HHs and we'll take a look and see what can be improved.

[givememyleg]

All you can eat baby......... preflop.

[FlyingSaucy]

Absolutely. There's no such thing as treading water and trying to play post flop when your M is so low. KJ in the SB, with those kinds of blinds, it's time to lose the fear and get aggressive.

[FlyingSaucy]

All you can eat baby......... preflop.

New FTR lingo. AYCEB (gmml)

[Da GOAT]

playing cautiously on the bubble is how you get in trouble.

if he calls your push with crap, your fighting for first or load up another. 3rd place scrapping ITM is a losing strategy.