Feedback on this Hand
 

First HH so be kind...
Home game 40 person tourney NLHE.
Down to 14 players I am second high stack with CL to my right.
I have 5000 chips on the button.
CL ( aka villian ) has 7000.
ave stack is 2000
blinds 100 - 200
I have Ax spades
Villian raises 500
I call.
flop is rags - two spades
villian bets 1000, I raise 2000
turn - rag no pairs or straight draws
villian all in.
I think he is trying to push me off hand
and I think I am playing for the win and am willing to gamble.
I call.
river rag.
villian KK
busto.
How should I have played this - folded preflop?

Re: Feedback on this Hand
 

Welcome. Tip #1, dont post results. Skews the replies.

But my first thought was, yea, fold pf. Sure, you're the second biggest stack, but you're not really deep enough to speculate with Ax.

As played, just push the flop. Min raising isn't going to accomplish much.

"I think he is trying to push me off hand"

Why?

Re: Feedback on this Hand
 

Thanks Jarid for the response.

Now that I think about it. I did not really have a read on him. I was the CL at the table and then he got moved later. My ego got in the way I think. (you know - "I am not gonna let this guy shove me around". Need to work on that!)

What I should have done - folded preflop after his bet. No need to gamble yet - still enough time to pick on the SS's until I get further into the tournament.

Excellent advice! Thanks for the help.

I have been finishing in the money but at the lowest places. I have been thinking I play too tight and need to change my play in order to make it to 1st. This was not the way to do it obv!

But is this the way to play maybe when it is down to the bubble?

Seems to me 1st and 2nd place winners are always LAG players and the rest are TAGs (relatively speaking)

Re: Feedback on this Hand
 

I would fold preflop. If you were deeper, say you had 10,000, I don't hate a call.

As played, on this flop, if he bets and you plan on doing anything except folding, you need to push the rest of your chips in.

A few notes on your observations:

Good TAGs open up as the tournament progresses. In later stages, their playing style might be completely different from the earlier levels. You do need to open up and be more aggressive near the bubble, but you need to pick your spots. Playing AXs with a small stack relative to the blinds against a raise isn't a good example of carefully selecting your spots. If it had been folded to you on the button, open raising would be very standard.