Near the bubble with AQo UTG

[Exilebrit]

I’m new to tournaments. Yesterday I was in 520 field tourney. 66 left and 63 get paid. I’m UTG with 5BB, I look down at AQo, best hand I’d seen in a while hence only 5BB. I push get called by AKo (obviously). Question would it have been better to fold maybe into the money or push as I did. Just asking. Thx

 

[EvertonGirl]

If it's a bubble of a satty that you couldn't afford to pay into then I say fold into the ticket, if it's normal tournament that is a little ROI (min cash) then I would shove AQ and go for the win

 

[GarotoMaroto]

i probably would shove too if i was on CO only, but maybe the buy in and the money made me fold this on UTG to just wait they fall XD
God bless

 

[istbno]

It is better to fold at UTG with AQo, especially in a bounty tourney as you will be called by a bunch of hands and most likely will not get into the money.

 

[nameless]

Well i think i would do same .. only 3 with less chips that you i think u had to take that spot .A-10- mediums pairs i fold ..

 

[Atararo14]

AQ is a hand but on the bubble you have to reconsider the strength of this hand.

If 3 players remaining before ITM, you have to think about your ranking. For example, 66 players remaining and you are 50th, in this case you have to fold because your objective is ITM.

You are UTG, short stacked and there is a chance that a player with a comfortable stack will call you and he has nothing to lose if he loses the pot. So, it is not recommended to risk your tournament with even 70% equity.

 

[dzsire]

Difficult question, because with 5BB it is not certain that you will get to the paid places.
In the bubble, there is a greater chance of loosing against almost any card.
In this phase I usually consider with each card whether it is worth risking 1-2 hours of play or better to wait. You have to decide that.
On the other hand, one aspect is that if you win, it's okay, but if you lose (even against a worse hand) then it can't be very comforting that you tried...

 

[ElScorcho008]

Yea for me it would all depend on the stakes. If this was one of my $1tourneys, I would push. If it was a big buyin, I would fold and wait for the money

 

[Kurchina]

As always, depends on the chip size, your opponents, the type of tournament you're playing (bankroll--can you afford it?)... I'd probably play a bit more conservatively near the bubble.

 

[lauestla]

It's a tough decision . With only 5 BB and still 3 players before the bubble, you can not be sure to survive the bubble if you fold.
But on the other hand, UTG you don't know anything about the hands on your left and AQo can lose against a lot of combinations.
I think I would have shoved to, except if it was a in a high buy-in tournament

 

[Gallarado777]

you had to throw off waiting for the money to get it and then play on any two hands because you have 5 bb you almost always call any two hands of even medium strength or low pairs so you definitely don't expect victory only if luck comes then you win and it's better to get money

 

[ph_il]

assuming this isn't a satellite, it's a super easy jam with aq and 5 bbs utg.

aq is just way too strong to fold here, even this close to the bubble. a jam here can still get folds preflop and you pick up the big blind + antes. though you'll likely get at least one caller or, best case scenario, a player who 3-bets to isolate against you.

aq does well against the range of hands that will call / 3 bet, so you should never be afraid to bubble in this spot to increase your chances of running deep.

 

[okeedokalee]

Depending on the opponent I would fold, go all in if the players left are super tight. AQ is a vulnerable hand. It would also depend on the number of players with less than 5bbs

 

[VVi10]

If you don't have any information about the calling player, it's hard to know. But on the utg bubble, with 5bb there’s no option in my opnion less than call. But it's a tough move.

 

[Luka22guro]

There were moments when I dropped AK and QQ on the money

 

[JeffSBrito]

When I'm in UTG position and on the tournament bubble with AQo, it's crucial to balance caution with the need to accumulate chips. At this critical time, it's important to consider the size of your opponents' stacks and the pressure they are exerting. If there are players with smaller stacks who may be desperate to survive, it is recommended to adopt a more conservative stance and avoid unnecessary confrontations. However, if the table is more passive and players are more concerned about securing their ranking, taking advantage of the UTG position to put all the chips on the table can be a viable option.

 

[fundiver199]

Its an easy jam even on the bubble. We dont play MTTs to min-cash. We play them to reach the final table and especially the top-3. If you min-cash in a regular speed MTT, you will have spend 3+ hours not even getting a 100% return (depending on the payouts of course). Whereas in a 9-man SnG you can get a 300% return by beating just 8 other players, and it takes less than an hour, if its a turbo. Busting near the bubble in an MTT sucks, but its mostly an emotional thing. So just brush it off, register for the next one, and get that big cash, which makes it all worth while

 

[makisaa]

Remaining only 5bb there are not so many things to do, except from waiting a good couple of cards to go all in. You took the right choice here and what a prototype you face AK! If you had a qween on the flop and nothing else for the opponent it would be good! On the other hand if you were waiting the blinds to eliminate your tiny stack, it would be more in the hands of luck!

 

[Ketoupitou]

I’m new to tournaments. Yesterday I was in 520 field tourney. 66 left and 63 get paid. I’m UTG with 5BB, I look down at AQo, best hand I’d seen in a while hence only 5BB. I push get called by AKo (obviously). Question would it have been better to fold maybe into the money or push as I did. Just asking. Thx

It depends if you can afford to lose this tournament for me. A 109$, I fold. A 0.25$ on demand, I play like you did.

 

[fundiver199]

It depends if you can afford to lose this tournament for me. A 109$, I fold. A 0.25$ on demand, I play like you did.

The issue is, that with only 5BB left it might not even be possible for OP to fold his way to a min-cash. He was UTG, so the very next hand he it hit by the blinds, and after they have passed him, he is down to 3,3BB (factoring in the ante), which mean, now he have absolutely no fold equity. And if he keep folding, he is more or less forced all-in, when the blinds come back again. So the best chance of min-cashing might actually be to jam the AQ and hope nobody gives action, or that he win and dubble up. This time someone behind woke up with AK and got their hold, and thats just a standard cooler. In fact AQ is the most common bust-out hand in tournaments, and the main culprit is AK. So this is 100% standard and nothing to worry or have regrets about

 

[ph_il]

It depends if you can afford to lose this tournament for me. A 109$, I fold. A 0.25$ on demand, I play like you did.

why would you be playing an mtt you can't afford to lose?

the buy-in should not have any influence on your decision, with the exception of you satellite'ing into a game that's bigger than you normally play.

 

[pancho_1954]

I probably would have tried to play it very carefully, without risking, if someone bets me more I just fold and as I said I try to be careful until I'm itm done with it and then if I risk more, I always try to ensure itm, especially if it's a tournament I've been in many hours playing

 

[mariale_1990]

I avoid betting when itm is almost there, sometimes I doesn't care what cards I have, there was a time when there was a bubble in everything I played and it was very frustrating, of course that doesn't mean that I don't bet from time to time, I just try to be careful and not abuse so as not to crash

 

[Ketoupitou]

why would you be playing an mtt you can't afford to lose?

the buy-in should not have any influence on your decision, with the exception of you satellite'ing into a game that's bigger than you normally play.

Satellite my way in. It's a lot for my bankroll.

 

[Igor Popadyk]

if the goal is to win the prize - play for time and play AA, AK, if you want to win the tournament and you are sure that you will be closed with the worst hand-shov