The Money bubble

I played a home game tournament last night. It was a $30.00 buy in with a 5.00 bounty. We allowed rebuys until the end of blind level 3. We also started with 15,000chips. Just 15 players ( 2 tables) but all very decent players. I won a couple early hands but both fairly small pots.

First big hand for me I got dealt KQ. Young Aggressive guy(YAG1) raised it preflop and I was the only caller . Flop comes A K 8 all diamonds. Middle pair for me but a pretty scary board so I checked to YAG1. He bet but not a huge bet so I just called. Turn was another King. I have trips. I decided to just check knowing he was going to bet. Sure enough he put in a bet of 2200. I thought about just calling but not having any diamonds and already 3 out there I decided enough of this so I pushed all in. He wasn't expecting that. He thought for a long time and finally folded face up. He had A8. So he flopped 2 pair.

I now had a pretty decent stack and we were in the 3rd blind level. No rebuys at our table but the other table already had 4 rebuys. I got dealt AK. I raised and YAG1 pushed all in. I called. He had A 10. I had him dominated and felt really good when someone said they had folded a 10. Of course then he hits his 10 and suddenly I am crippled. I am down to 2200 chips with only 5 minutes left in the rebuy.

I decided that I would rebuy so I pushed next hand with 3,6 off suit. I hit trip 3's so suddenly I was up to just under 5000 chips. Thats still very short stacked and so I pushed again next hand with 2,3. One caller and I hit a straight. Go figure eh. I am trying to either rebuy or double up and the cards are falling for me. Now I am not a big fan of the rebuy but in home games with a small field it is acceptable. I just don't like it in big field tournaments.

So the rebuy is past and I have just under 10000 chips. I get dealt AQ. I raise and another Young Aggressive guy (YAG 2) calls. Flop comes KJ5. Now I totally miss the flop but do have a straight draw. I know if I check YAG2 is going to bet and then I basically have to fold. I decided to just push all in hoping to take the pot right there. Most know that if I am in the pot I usually have something so I thought by doing that he would fold. He insta called me. He had K 10. He also had me covered. I was feeling really bad about my play. Then I spiked the A on the turn and took down the pot. He wasn't very happy. I now had just over 20,000 in chips.

We got down to the final table of 9 of us. Then we got down to 8 when AA came up against KK preflop and the Aces held up. Just 3 hands later I look down and I have Pocket Aces. I raised it preflop hoping for just 1 caller. Guy next to me who was fairly short stacked immediately pushed all in. Perfect. Then (YAG1) who was 2 seats over and who now had a huge stack pushed all in over the top. Yikes. Of course back to me and I pushed also. YAG1 had pocket kings, guy to my left had pocket 10s. So it's AA versus KK versus 10 10. My Aces held up and I now have a huge stack. Plus I picked up 1 bounty.

We get down to 5 and I am now the second big stack but just barely as 4 of us are fairly close and 1 guy has a really huge stack. I had lost some of my stack calling a couple all ins when I was priced in and both times I lost. We were paying top 4.

Then I get dealt QQ. The Big stack made a preflop raise of 10000. Blinds were at 2000,4000 with a 200 anti. I had about 37000 in chips. By flat calling that would leave me around 27000. The only hands I was worried about were of course AA and KK and to a lesser degree AK. I decided by pushing that unless he had 1 of those 3 hands he wouldn't call and the pot was already 17,000 chips. I was happy with that. I pushed and he took a long time and finally decided to call. He had AK. Still I was ahead but not liking the 2 over cards. The flop came 863. Perfect, Turn was a 10. Yes. Then disaster as he spiked the Ace on the river and I was out.

I was still wondering about my push this morning. If I had flat called him preflop then pushed on the flop he might have folded...... How would you have played that??