[pzhon]

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Without plowing through the entire thread, the basic hand requirement for an extremely short stack is 'two cards dealt to you'. I'm being quite serious, when you get absolutely crippled in a tournament and there is zero cash potential for a slight improvement in your tournament standing (ie you won't make more money by folding one or two hands) - you may as well just try to get lucky and double up.

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I agree with most of this, but I think the last line understates the case.

First, you always have to count on getting lucky. People talk about short stacks having to gamble, but everyone has to, and your tournament equity is always on the line and always changing even if you can't get knocked out in this hand.

Second, this wasn't about doubling up. The payoff was much more. In the second hand, the OP started with 580 chips, then posted an ante of 50 and the small blind of 200, leaving 330 chips. The 330 chips (and the button) are what the OP had to lose. The reward from pushing and winning would be to win 530 * 3 + 450 = 2040 chips, more than 6 times as many chips. J2s wins a lot more than 1/6 of the time 3-handed even if you put the limper on a premium hand, which is unlikely.

Having a 330 chips on the button is worth more than 1/6 of having 2040 chips on the button, but not that much more. This was an easy call or push.