A-Qo Near the Bubble
 

50 person MTT on Party. 9 players left, 7 places pay. I have about 9k. Chip leaders have 20k and 30k. Four others have around 5k. And two others have 3k or under. The blinds are 600-1200.

I get dealt A-Qo UTG+2. What is my move? All-In, Raise to 3600 or Fold?

Re: A-Qo Near the Bubble
 

I folded. I had two big stack behind me. That, and everyone was pushing all-in on every hand. Should I have just pushed? I wanted to get into the money though. Is this a -EV way to play this?

Re: A-Qo Near the Bubble
 

Folding AQ with 7.5xbb is most assuredly not +EV unless the payout structure is as flat as the horizon.

Re: A-Qo Near the Bubble
 

[ QUOTE ]
Is this a -EV way to play this?

[/ QUOTE ]

Very.

Just push. This and a lot more, pre-bubble is prime pickens. Everyone wants to squeak into the money, exploit it.

Re: A-Qo Near the Bubble
 

I'm pushing this UTG as well.

Re: A-Qo Near the Bubble
 

You're trying to squeak into the money. Most players in this situation are trying to squeak into the money. Usually the most profitable way to play at a poker table is the opposite of what everyone else is doing. Stop squeaking, and start getting aggressive in this spot. You may bubble sometimes, but you may also pick up a lot of chips at this stage so that you can not only make it ITM, but deep ITM.