Can't get my mind around this one. PLEASE help me!

[TheAcupuncturist]

Hey guys, I've been thinking and thinking and thinking about this hand, and I have some ideas, but I'd like to get some input from others. Here's the setup: FTP $750,000 Guarantee 300/600 Ante 75. I had an above average chip stack with 19% of field remaining, top 13% ITM. I started this hand ranked in top 7% of original field and top 37% of those remaining. I had attempted several button steal attempts and had folded to SB reraises. I was very intentionally trying to build the image of a blind stealer so that when a premium hand came I could extract large value. Then the following hand occurred:

Full Tilt Poker: $750,000 Guarantee 300/600 Ante 75
UTG (23,395)
UTG+1 (17,259)
MP1 (28,571)
MP2 (6,567)
MP3 (3,678)
CO (17,837)
BTN (15,845) (HERO)
SB (20,350)
BB(11,113)
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Jc Ac]
UTG folds
UTG+1 folds
MP1 folds
MP2 folds
MP3 folds
CO folds
Hero (BTN) raises to 1,800
SB raises to 4,975
BB folds
Hero raises to 15,770, and is all in
SB calls 10,795
Hero shows [Jc Ac]
SB shows [5d 5h]
*** FLOP *** [Td Qs 4h]
*** TURN *** [Td Qs 4h] [4d]
*** RIVER *** [Td Qs 4h 4d] [8h]
Hero shows a pair of Fours
SB shows two pair, Fives and Fours
SB wins the pot (32,815) with two pair, Fives and Fours
Hero stands up

Let me give you some insight into my thoughts during the hand. First, I had continually folded to SB's reraises after my button steal attempts. I never played back. It was my thinking that when I played back SB would fold. In retrospect, it seems obvious to me that I entirely overplayed AJs against a bigger stack. There are too many hands out there to beat AJs for all my chips. Additionally, if I was building the image of a button stealer so that I could trap for maximum value at some point, I should play back with premium hands. AJs is not of this caliber. This retrospective insight, however still leaves nagging questions:

First: What should I have done after SB reraised? Fold, call, or does anybody think that I made the right move pushing AI? Fold seems wrong. Calling seems to put myself in the same jeopardy as my preflop shove. If an A comes out, I could still easily be beaten for all my money. Is there anybody out there who honestly believes that AJs is not worth playing at all in this scenario?

Second (I know this is somewhat unproductive and whiny, sorry): Given my reraise all-in and knowing SB's hand (55), does it not seem that SB made a horrible call when BTN raised then reraised all-in? Does it not seem a little too likely that BTN is sitting with an overpair? Furthermore, I would argue that SB should not have felt pot-committed after the initial reraise. SB could have folded with a decent stack size of 15300 which at that point was about average. Instead SB chose to devote an additional 10795 after the initial 4975 (which comes to a total of 77.8% of his stack) to a mediocre pocket pair. Would anybody else consider this poor risk management?

Third: What lessons should I learn from this to take with me into my next big MTT?

[Fnord]

I only like a call if you're out of position and hence get to shove the flop first.

[drmcboy]

Hand looks fine.

All those %s up top make me think this is one of your first times playing a big tourney and that you probably satellited in so you're way over analyzing. One of the great things about playing inside your BR is hands like this suck a lot less.

His play is kinda meh but you do say you've been stealing, he's getting 2/1 and he has a pair, hard to fault him. If he puts you on a top 5% hand he has the right price.

[mcatdog]

Welcome to the forum.

You played fine, this is just a cooler. If you're afraid to gamble for your tournament life with hands like this, you'll get run over in high-stakes tournaments.

I don't have any problem with his play either. It's almost always profitable to shove 25 BB over a button raise with any pocket pair. Especially if you've been stealing the blinds that much, he has to get the money in. It sounds like he raised to 5K because he thought it looked stronger than a shove all-in, which I don't love because I don't want people to convince they have fold equity with a hand I'm flipping with, but he was committed to the hand either way.

It sounds like you aren't used to playing against good aggressive players, or for this much money, but this is really a standard, boring hand and you have to win your flips to win a tournament. Good luck!

[chardrian]

yup, I agree with everyone above.

One small note - I think you can raise less than 3x BB once antes come in. Doing so might have given you more fold equity on your push.

[KoRnholio]

yup, I agree with everyone above.

One small note - I think you can raise less than 3x BB once antes come in. Doing so might have given you more fold equity on your push.

Raise less than 3xBB with antes because of his stack size, or in general? Usually I raise no less than 3xBB once antes are in because the BB will get such good odds to call.

[chardrian]

In general you can raise 2.5x and will still take it down pre as often as you would by raising 3x or more.

If you are super duper deepstacked, then yes, some players (including myself) will defend their BB with a much wider range if you raise this small. But generlly, people aren't that deepstacked.

[drmcboy]

defenders are going to come with you whether you make it 3x or 2.5x generally, they are still getting a great price with antes on a 3x raise, so you may as well (imo) save money against the tighties. it isn't just the .5 BB but the fact your c-bet will be bigger with a 3x as well. best case you figure out which is which.

Hansen in his book is critical of the 2.5x or less raise, but he also calls a bunch of raises shorthanded with Q6o types, then later in the book criticizes himself for making those calls.

[TheAcupuncturist]

Thanks to all who responded...you've been incredibly helpful.