Busting out on the Bubble

I am normally a cash player, but have been playing free rolls on line the last couple of months. Playing the Monday night Free roll on Nitrogen Sports, 600 runners and the top 30 get paid. There are 36 players left and I have 11 BBs ranking 20th. I can fold my way into the money, but 20 through 30 get the same: 0.0005 bit coin, call it $5.

I'm in the big blind with T9o. A middle position player min opens, the big stack button calls, as does the small blind. Is T9o good enough for a call? I am getting 7 to 1 on teh call, so I throw it in, leaving 9BB behind with 9BB (with antes) in the pot. Flop comes KT9 and I am looking to double up. SB and I check and the MP opener C-bets 3 BB (leaving him 10 BBs behind), button and SB fold. with 2 pair I can't fold. If I call I have 6BB with a pot of 15BB, so I push and get insta called by TT. Blank, blank and I'm out.


Once I flop 2 pair I can't fold to a C-bet, but should I have folded preflop?

Tough one. Without icm it is a clear defend to me. With icm it gets a bit more tricky, because some of the value from the hand will be on boards we wont like to get it in with. Flops like 89x, or what do we do on Q98? 4way to the flop, facing a cbet i wont like my spot. Even on flops like 945, will you like your hand facing a cbet on the bubble? I wouldn't. So i think folding is fine. I would probably call and stack off on those boards in your situations, but when its an important big bubble following icm rules it might actualy be a fold. I can't tell for sure what the best is but i'd go for call without icm, a call with your current situations versus face up players that are bad and not very spewy post flop, and fold when in some situations. Though, thinking about how short the game is, while a stack opens and shorty's call from a short stack i may see this as a lot of strength and not think we aint deep enough to get value out of your 9T the times you do hit a flop. Especialy to prevent tough spots in a freeroll, with hands as weak as 9T in a 4way pot with so many shortstacks involved that will probably go with it with a piece from the flop i think folding is fine and probably better.

As i was writing i started to think about it more and think its defo a fold, even without icm given the stack sizes i think its prety close and maybe even a fold.

This hand keeps making me think. We are basicly hoping to hit 2 pair or better by defending here, which isn't profitable here this short. I stand with my decision on a bubble, but now i'm curious if we can defend here without icm. 4way with shorter stacks i think we can't either. Curious to see what others think for both situations. I would really have to see it as a image to decide, and see all stacks and positions.