What do you think?

[JonnyPoker]

Ok I want to see what everyone thinks. I was playing a tournement this past weekend that paid out through 4 places. I was at the final table with 8 people left. There were 4 of us with strong stacks. I was about the 3rd biggest stack with about 15000 chips. I was in second position. Blinds were 500-1000 the guy in 1st position limped in and he had the second biggest stack. I was delt Jack jack and pushed all in. Everyone folded around to the small blind and he called me with Big Slick. We were about even stacked I only had 500 more chips than he did. The BB folded as did the guy in 1st position who limped in. The small blind who called me turned over Big Slick. So I was a slight favorite going in but he flopped a King and beat me. Was pushing all in the right move or should have I played it safe and rasied about 4 or 5 times the big blind. I thought about doing that but figured someone would move all in on it anyway and I was out of position. How whould have played it. Do you think I played it right and just got unlucky coming up aganist A-K? I have kind of been kicking myself for not playing safe just trying to move up into the money. I could have folded or limped in and folded after the flop when the king came down and waited it out until 3 of the other players at the table who were extreamly small stacked with only 3000-5000 in chips got blinded out. Anyway just looking for a second opinion. Let me know Thanks

[mays24]

I'd alternate between calling and raising 4X.

All in? Good Lord, man - why risk that?

[PantsOnFire]

This is a fairly aggressive play but not a bad one. You got all your chips in as the favourite. Your play in this spot should reflect your desperation level. Your desparation depends on several factors like blind levels, stacks, M, Q, relative skill levels of other players, payout structure and values, desperation level of opponents and so on.

Calculating your desparation level is a personal and situational problem. In your situation, many might look for a better spot and just limp or raise 2.5x and get out if there is trouble. As well, many would move in like you did. I forgot, but your table image is important as well. If your all-in will get high respect then this might be an easy blind steal. But then again, if a 2.5x raise would also get respect from anything other than premium hands, then that might be better.

[JonnyPoker]

Yeah after I did it I felt like I really didnt need to do that. Thats why I have been kicking myself. I had a little bit of a table bullie image. Not on purpose but it just worked out that way. I raised on the same guys blind a few times in a row and he made comment about it. I really had no need to go all in. A few hands befor I had a decent moderate hand and raised three times the blind to 3000 and the big stack came over the top of me and went all in. I folded as did everyone else and maybe I was thinking I didnt want that to happen again. I felt like he was steeling so maybe thats why I did it but I should have known better. O well I guess I won't do that again at that stage in the game. Thanks

[frenchmark]

I think that the value of the play is situation dependent as pantsonfire says, but also aside from the specifics of the situation there might be a question of what you hoped to achieve with the raise, did you want get a call or not, you siad you felt you where slight favourite, so maybe you did, if so then it was a reasonable play that got beat.
If however you wanted to just take the blinds then you then a smaller raise would have been more reasonable, and you would have been able to get out of trouble. Also though in favour of all in. There is no way you would fold jj pre flop, limping leaves you a hard decision post flop if the board has any over cards, especially out of position, especially if you feel that you may be being bullied out of pots. Having woken up to Jacks and limped or raised 2.5/3x bb, would you have folded to a reraise preflop? or would if not you are going to end up all in anyway.
If you had made 3x raise your stack is down to 12000, and got away from the hand on the flop your stack is down to 1200, your M is down to 8 increasing your relative level of desperation, in effect you are likely to end up in all in with even more marginal hands.