[lork]

I was recently in a two table live tourney w/ four payouts and six people left. I'm in 4th w/ two shorts stacks clinging on. The chip leader by a big margian is sitting to my right in the BB and was calling everything down and raising every other hand. I'm UTG and I get AJo. I thought about it for a second and then threw it away.

Both short stacks go all in, both w/ pocket pairs. One of them gets a set and I would have lost about half of my stack and become the new short stack. I continued to play tight and finished 3rd.

In a $5 SNG I might raise w/ that AJo but I was more worried about getting to at least 4th instead of possibly getting in a battle w/ the big stack.

I mentioned that hand to someone after the tourney and he called it weak. Hindsight is 20/20 because I ended up getting ITM because I folded it.

How do other people play hands like AJo in bad position in that situation?

[easyguy]

I think it depends on just how SS they are. My first reaction 6-handed would be to bet enough to put them both all-in if they were in fact crippled (<6xBB) and I could afford to take that hit to my stack. Play for 1st.

[arcfinn]

Well you aren't short stacked, but are UTG. Not great hole cards, but not bad either. You state the big stack is probably gonna check or raise this, I would probably post the BB. When the short stacks go allin and the big stack calls. I lay down the cards/blind I called, as calling would be overcalling the allins. Let the big stack take the risk.

If you post the blind, and the short stacks fold/call and the big stack acts, make decision then. See the flop for as cheaply as possible. If you go up against the big stack 1 on 1, your AJo are pretty good cards, play from there.

I wouldn't necessarily fold AJo, just because I'm UTG.

[razor]

I'm not putting anybody all in with AJo UTG in that situation. Any desperate pocket pair is going to bite, and the big stack might even have something good enough to call with that I may be no better than 3-2 against. Then I'm OOTM on nothing but a mediocre hand. No thanks.

[norshvind]

in this case, it seems to me like this is basically an every hand push or fold for the shortstacks, with the big blind instigating it. Ordinarily, I'd be playing this, but if you are pretty sure every hand is gonna be juicy until at least a short stack goes, I think folding it is the right move. Let things settle down for a couple hands, then turn your aggro back on.