Hey all, I wanted to run this hand by everyone and get your impressions on how I played the hand as well as things to consider in this situation:
242 player multitable tourney down to 42 players...I am in the top 10 in chips, with a chip stack just under twice the average stack size. Top 30 are in the money, and the next step up is top 20, almost twice the money of the previous level...final table gets the real cash.
I am dealt pocket aces late in early position and limp. My reasoning for limping here was that I had not been getting many calls on my preflop raises, and I was looking to get max value for my hand. Just as I had hoped, the SB raises it 4x the BB. This would have been roughly 25% of my stack at the time. I just called, figuring that I could get an extra bet out of him if he caught some of the flop or if he thought that it missed me (I had position on him to make a raise on the flop). Flop came Q-J-low card...SB checks to me, and I make a sizeable bet, he raises all-in. I have him covered, and call, thinking he has A-Q or even K-K...of course, he shows me Q-Q for the set. Turn and river are no help, and I am now the shortstack. I bust out of the tourney a couple hands later when I go all-in due to the high blinds at this level of the tourney.
Here's my thinking...if I break this guy, I would have been in a strong second place...with so many people likely to just try and get in the money, and with more than 3x the stack of anyone else at my table, I figured I would be able to bully players on the bubble. Obviously, it didn't work out the way I'd hoped.
My question: Should I perhaps have popped him back preflop? He might have folded the queens if I had (since he may have realized that most people who limp-raise all-in tend to have A-A or K-K), thus giving me a nice pot that would have put me back in the top 6 for stacks. Even if he'd reraised me preflop, obviously I'd have had the best hand at that point (but still would have lost due to the flop).
Just my preference but I would've popped him back at that point. I probably would've tripled his bet...and he may have called anyway. In a situation like that, there's a good chance all the money is going to the middle. Going to be hard to avoid.
I don´t think he would have folded those QQs, unless of course he was Phil Helmuth and actually did have tears under his fine mirrored oakleys...
I am always amazed with what people go all-in pre-flop. anyway, whenever I limp with pocket As, I re-raise all-in, especially if I got the other guy covered.
I think you have misplayed the As post flop. I see that alot, check-call with pocket As, then calling the all-in on the flop when two facecards have fallen. If you are ready to call the all-in anyway, rather be the initiator than the caller, saving yourself at least a decent chance he makes the laydown. If you don´t plan on calling the all-in, respect the all-in and lay it down.
