Folding QQ preflop on final table w/ 2nd shortest stack - MTT Poker Strategy

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Folding QQ preflop on final table w/ 2nd shortest stack

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06-14-2022 , 05:27 PM

kubricksgambit

stranger

Join Date: Jun 2022 Posts: 7

Hi all, so I played a live MTT yesterday where I made the final table. In the final 5, I found myself with the second shortest stack and about 50% larger than the shortest stack.

After many hands of folding watching the short stack wither away, I woke up with QQ UTG. The pay jump from 5th to 4th was only around $90, while 1st place was around $900 more than 5th.

I ended up shoving all in, convincing myself that I was there to win, not ladder for $90 more. Got called by the big stack in the BB with AJo, who hit an A on the flop and held.

Short stack got knocked out the next hand.

Was this a mistake on my part?

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06-14-2022 , 06:54 PM

Bubblebust

adept

Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 830

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06-15-2022 , 07:39 AM

fundiver199

centurion

Join Date: May 2022 Posts: 189

When evaluating a poker hand stack sizes is one of the most important pieces of information. Depending on, how deep you were, maybe open shoving was fine, or maybe it would have been better to make a small raise like 2,0 to 2,5BB. But even in that case QQ is almost never a fold, if someone put in a reraise, so the result would most likely have been the same. Unless maybe if AJ would have just called, because then you dont always have to go broke with QQ on A high flop.

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06-17-2022 , 01:12 AM

deuceblocker

veteran

Join Date: Apr 2019 Posts: 3,383

The mistake was probably folding to many other hands trying to ladder up and getting short. Information on your and other stack sizes would be helpful.

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06-18-2022 , 02:38 PM

sheket

journeyman

Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 289

If you did this at the final table of WSOP, you'd probably be ridiculed even though laddering up that 1 spot could mean $100,000's (which in reality everyone would take into consideration because that's serious money). However as was suggested above, your problem was getting too short that made it easy for big stacks to take a chance of busting you.
The shortest stack outplayed you by waiting for this exact moment (otherwise he wouldn't bust the very next hand)

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06-18-2022 , 06:00 PM

Polarbear1955

adept

Join Date: May 2022 Posts: 954

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheket

We don't have enough information to know if you are correct. If the QQ doubles up is it close enough/ahead of enough other positions that the +ev from that offsets the -v of losing.

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