Hi guys,

I just played the IPO in Dublin (230€ buy-in, 1373 players), we were playing 9 handed on the "bubble" of the final table. First prize was 50k € with substantial pay jumps, I was 7th in chips with a 12bb stack which was similar to the two shortest stack with 9 and 11bb.

So what happened: I was in the CO with As8c with 2,9M no open before me, big blind was 240k with an ante of 25k. Button had 6.5M, SB 11M and BB 4M.

I decided to shove my stack and ended up losing vs the small blind which woke up with Kings, despite flopping a gutshot I busted.

Was it a correct play with a 12bb stack, considering the ICM, the fact I was playing to win it and I had a slight edge skillwise on half the table?

First, I was sure I made a bad decision to ship on this spot because I can be called only by better hands and had only 30% equity on the calling range of the 3 opponents.
But I am also questionning myself if min raise, then fold to a 3 bet is a better option or simply throw it directly to the muck!

I might also be too much result-oriented since I lost and maybe my play was not as bad as I think!

I hope you can give me good advice and your opinion on this hand!

Thank you very much, Cheers!

shove>fold>minraise

It is a mandatory shove in this spot, as you add much needed 600k if the shove gets through. Also, stacksizewise it is hard for button and BB to call you off semi-light (with hands like 66 or AT), as your shove represents a decent percentage of their stacks.

Folding in this spot maximizes your chances of making final table, but severely minimizes your chances of making top 5 spots or winning the tourney. While you believe you had a skills edge, it would be hard or impossible for you to realize it with a roughly 10BB stack.

Minraise-->fold is out of the question as if there are any decent players in button,SB (especially this guy) ,BB - they can shove on you with a wide range simply as a function of your stack size.

Shoving was the right move if your looking to win the tourney as AALegend was saying above. It was unlucky that the blind woke up with KK, that is just part of the game. I bubbled a 200 person tourney once in a similar spot, I shoved about 18 bb on the button with AQ and the blind woke up with AJ, I had him dominated but he got lucky and flopped a J and took me out. I would still do the same in the future. Poker is not always about determining the right play based on the result.
Nice hand, don't be so hard on yourself, GL in future tournies.