I'm at work and dont have the HH but

Villian1: SB 170k
Villian2: BB 800k
Villian3: UTG 800k
Villian4: CO 113k
Hero: Button 480k

2 seems solid and is the only person at the table with a decent sample and +roi on OPR. 3 is a total idiot and has been CL since around the final 18 and keeps getting it in with random facecards and winning. 4 I have a note on from another tournament as being super tight and recently folded down to around 70k and doubled with A9s. 6k/12k level.

I've picked up good hands and 3bet 3 times in the last few orbits. Early at the FT I doubled through villian 3 A10s > KQ.

I have AQo
Action
UTG raises to 42k
CO folds
I 3 bet to 180k
SB folds
BB hits timebank and shoves
UTG folds

So...I have to call 200k to win like 725k so I call. Friend who was railing me said I should've folded there because with 200k I would still be 3rd in chips..

thoughts? Dont 3 bet in the first place when theres 2 ~~10bb stacks? as played call/fold..

5th place payed like 1100, 4th 1450, then 1900, 2550, 4000

looks about right to me.

Your friend is right, but unless the figures are off up there you have 300k which is still a workable stack. You call and you are up against a hand that is at best a flip...TT,JJ and more likely dominate by bigger pairs and AK.

If you think you are a superior player at this table, you must fold this. If you're excited because this is your first final table, you need to call. Close gambles generally should be avoided at the FT due to prize structure. I honestly think you're up against 99 or TT here based on his bet sizing. I say you should probably fold, but if I were in the situation I would probably call.

if we think he has 99 or 1010 is this a correct call? Dead money, blinds, antes yada yada?

uhh for some reason I cant edit...that's a mistake..I started with 380k, would have 200k left if i fold

I think I'm probably the best player at the table...looking back I'm just unsure..If i flat the raise and the BB 3bets what would I do..maybe 3 bet smaller so I can fold to the shove...I'm expecting to be way ahead of UTG here as well. At the time I just saw a huge pot getting better than 3-1 to call, and then my buddy messages me saying you can fold there and still be 3rd in chips...and I'm probably crushed by the BB's range

Here's the thing. I HATE calling an all in, especially with a hand like AQ, and super especially at the final table. Not really sure there's a definite right or wrong play here. I usually call here and the scream WTF am I doing!! I am extremely confident in my FT play so I'd rather not mix it up with slightly positive +cEV situations. I'd much rather rely on my reads to pick up blinds and make some well timed steals. With 300k chips left, we've got plenty of room to work with. Why take a close gamble against a player we know is a total donk? Shouldn't we be confident that we are going to find much more +EV situations against a player like this? Rhetorically speaking that is.

on another note why such a huge 3 bet? you are putting in 1/3 of your stack...may be another "should we flat AQ deep in position spot"

we shouldnt be 3 betting here if we arent going to call this shove.

Is a smaller 3bet and then fold to shove ok then?

If i flat and BB 3bets what would I do..I think BB is capable of squeezing..

call?

small 3 bet fold to shove is not ok, you want to get it in preflop, we want to 3 bet him so we can get it in.

why are you scared of AK?

areaman - Agree, not scared of AK. I 3bet and called shove basically wanting to get it in with UTG. Once BB shoved I didn't feel good about it but with 40% of my stack in obviously not folding

Friend and some of the above posters seems to think its not worth the risk with AQ or it might be ok to fold given there are 2 shorter stacks. I'm hoping to win the dead money or win a flip, chip up and win the thing ....not playing AQ for stacks seems too nitty even with 2 10bb stacks

one thing we can be reasonably sure of is that BB is not bluffing...he is pushing over you who are getting odds to call and the other big stack who opened...more I look at it I think we are toasted here...does he do this with less than AK and QQ+...

Even JJ/QQ are borderline pushes here for the BB...

putting it all together and given the odds I still think we fold and 3 bet a lot less (or flat) next time...the problem with a flat is it creates a nice squeeze spot for a ballsy villan...

smaller 3bet>flat>large 3 bet>fold>push

Is AQ not good enough to stack off pre and feel ok about it given 2 short stacks? I think it is? if not then I would have to flat the raise and puke when BB 3bets

no puke for reasons I stated...you are semi irrelevant here cause the BB is shoving his raise into the ass of the other big stack who opened...is he doing that light with that stack? BB has to assume you are calling but has to be concerned about the other big stacks hand