Playing my first MTT (I'm used to sng's)

$15 entry with 629 players and the top 70 cash.

74 players left and the blinds are $250/$500

Hero has a stack of $7514
Villain is the table leader with $29,402. He had a bigger lead but has lost quite a lot of chips by playing very loosely in the last few hands.

Hero calls UTG with A K
UTG+2 calls
Villain raises to $1500
SB folds
BB folds
Hero calls
UTG+2 folds

$4250 in the pot and the flop is A 7 9

Hero bets $2000
Villain raises to $4000

What would you do at this point?

First of all I raise pre flop.

How big is the other guys stack?

Can you afford to put him all in?

Next I try to figure out if he's got a set or a worse ace, then act accordingly.

Stacks are posted above. I know the call was weak but with it getting so close to the money I was wary of raising.

In SNGs, it's very important to cash but in MTTs, you can't really play scared around the bubble. That's actually the time where you can get aggressive to take advantage of the other players who are just trying to cash.

I would have raised pre-flop 3xBB but as played, I check/raise all-in after villain raises preflop. After that flop, you're getting all your money into the pot with TPTK. Villain has been playing loosely per your read - not sure how you can fold here.

I did push all in after that and he turned over a pair of 9's to make a set. Couldn't believe he caught a hand like that after the crazy way he'd been playing. The hand immediately before it he'd lost thousands of chips by continually calling bets when he only held Ace high.

Felt sick after it as I thought i should just've held on till I was in the money and then took a lot more risks. As it was though the thought of doubling up was far too tempting and (as I thought at the time) the correct play.

I would have played the whole thing differently (though the outcome could easily have been the same). First, I would probably have pushed PF (this is on the border stackwise: $1000 less and I definitely push, $1000 more and I probably just raise 3xBB). As played, I would have pushed PF in response to villain's raise. As played, I would have pushed the flop. As played, I would have pushed in response to villain's raise (which is what you did).

I raise and then push pre-flop if played back at. On the flop I bet then push as well. Just bad luck on this hand IMO. Deeper stacks it is hand you may get away from.

Personally,

I don't think it mattered how you played this hand.. You raise before the flop he's still going to call... The question is if he pushed pre flop all in would you called? That may have been your only chance to get away from the hand

You check raise after the flop he'll call.. Perhaps after he raised you, you could have folded, but TPTK is a pretty damn good hand..


The only way to avoid disaster in this hand was to fold pre-flop, but of course you couldn't.

You just got screwed.. plain and simple... not your fault.. I really don't think there was a "proper" way to play this hand, because in the end you're going to get your money in with the worst.

Just in response to being near the bubble. Look at what 70th pays, then look at what 1st pays. You want to shovel and double.

I def think you need to raise UTG. Since you limped and it was raised behind you, you def need to push to the raise pf. As played, I c/r all-in on the flop.