Stars 150k hand

[allosaur]

I probably wouldn't have even raised preflop. If you're going to raise preflop from the BB after an UTG limper I'm assuming you want to take the pot down right now and not have to play OOP. If that's the case you def should have raised more. As played I'd bet he has KcJc or QcJc (less likely). After all, your raise pre would look like a large PP to me instead of an Ax hand simply for the reason I stated (most ppl don't raise with those hands from the blinds when UTG limps). So he may be thinking you're throwing out a bet to see if KK or QQ is still good. And if he does have the QcJc or KcJc I would think he'd be going all the way with this hand anyway, but in case he doesn't get there, he can take it down right now.

However, as played, I would shove now only because there's quite a few turn cards that can turn up and make your hand even less appealing.

Just my thoughts

[registrar]

Personally, I'd check the flop and take it from there. Is that bad?

[minwoo]

Well I did stick it in on the flop and he instacalled w/ 88. In a cash game with a 30bb stack, my hand would be a no-brainer. But it almost seems as if a 30bb stack in a tournament should treated as a 100bb+ stack in a cash game. Good cash players rarely stack off 100 bbs+ with top pair/overpair hands unless they've got a good read on the opponent and situation. So I'm thinking that at such a key point in the tournament (there were about 96 ppl left, with 90 getting in the money...not that I care about just cashing), I should play my hand as safe as possible. Maybe just checking preflop and playing it passive postflop is the way to go. Overraising is also better than my original line. But so many players go set-mining despite getting the wrong odds that I dont think it would have made much of a difference in this hand. A push preflop probably would have taken the pot down, but that's overly risky, and I'd feel pretty dumb if UTG limped with AA/KK.

However, I think once a pre-flop raise is made by me(big or small) and called, I just gotta go with the hand because of the pot size and board.

[allosaur]

It's the implied odds that allures ppl. That's why if you do plan on raising, you gotta make it so big that it's not worth trying to hit it, but at the same time, not committing TOO much of your stack. That's why Hoyt Corkins either busts early or gets to the final table, he doesn't have to make hard decisions. He just says, if you can beat my hand AND outflop me, GL to ya.

But yea, as played there's not much you can do. After all, that's basically the kind of flop you want with AQ, so why shy away now.

[JSchnett]

I wouldn't be basing my online MTT philosophy off of Hoyt Corkins