22 left in the $22 + R on Stars...

I'm slightly shortstacked, tournament has a chip average of 50k. I'm looking for a big hand to double up and propel me to a potential top 3 finish.

J9SUITED had been very LAG, raising from the cutoff and button with any 2 cards and betting the pot as a continuation bet. As predicted he raised, and I just called with QQ. My logic is that if I reraise for 20k more, he insta-mucks. However, if I just call and check to him i have a 75% chance of doubling up on his continuation bet/bluff.

How terrible of a play is this? Did I just get pretty unlucky? I realize now that I should have just added the 12k from the blinds and raise to my stack but I was curious. Hand posted below.

Thanks,

Muk

pokerstars Game #7552067593: Tournament #38437253, $50+$5 Hold'em No Limit - Level XIV (1500/3000) - 2006/12/22 - 03:50:33 (ET)
Table '38437253 17' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: PTMT1 (29734 in chips)
Seat 2: Guguita (32474 in chips)
Seat 3: kauli (16641 in chips)
Seat 4: jofay (46430 in chips)
Seat 5: J9SUITED (95788 in chips)
Seat 6: jotan83 (14118 in chips)
Seat 7: GoMukYaSelf (28296 in chips)
Seat 8: Arthur Wang (59322 in chips)
Seat 9: GeVance (105172 in chips)
PTMT1: posts the ante 150
Guguita: posts the ante 150
kauli: posts the ante 150
jofay: posts the ante 150
J9SUITED: posts the ante 150
jotan83: posts the ante 150
GoMukYaSelf: posts the ante 150
Arthur Wang: posts the ante 150
GeVance: posts the ante 150
GoMukYaSelf: posts small blind 1500
Arthur Wang: posts big blind 3000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to GoMukYaSelf [Qs Qd]
GeVance: folds
PTMT1: folds
Guguita: folds
kauli: folds
jofay: folds
J9SUITED: raises 4777 to 7777
jotan83: folds
GoMukYaSelf: calls 6277
Arthur Wang: folds
*** FLOP *** [5d Ac Kc]
GoMukYaSelf: checks
J9SUITED: checks
*** TURN *** [5d Ac Kc] [Kh]
GoMukYaSelf: checks
J9SUITED: bets 3000
GoMukYaSelf: raises 6000 to 9000
J9SUITED: calls 6000
*** RIVER *** [5d Ac Kc Kh] [9c]
jofay said, "oh oh"
GoMukYaSelf: checks
J9SUITED: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
GoMukYaSelf: shows [Qs Qd] (two pair, Kings and Queens)
J9SUITED: shows [Ad 2h] (two pair, Aces and Kings)
GoMukYaSelf said, "f me"
J9SUITED collected 37904 from pot
GoMukYaSelf said, "****"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 37904 | Rake 0
Board [5d Ac Kc Kh 9c]
Seat 1: PTMT1 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: Guguita folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: kauli folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: jofay folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: J9SUITED showed [Ad 2h] and won (37904) with two pair, Aces and Kings
Seat 6: jotan83 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: GoMukYaSelf (small blind) showed [Qs Qd] and lost with two pair, Kings and Queens
Seat 8: Arthur Wang (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 9: GeVance folded before Flop (didn't bet)

I might think about smooth calling here w/AA, then check raising all in on pretty much any flop, but def not w/ QQ. You have 28k and theres 13.6k out there, just throw ur chips in the middle and hope he calls.

you dont ever ever ever flat call with queens out of position to only a 2.5 times the blind raise. YOU RERAISE THIS. every time. flat calling here is always bad. only with aces would i maybe approve of it. your turn raise was pathetic. wont have happened if you had raised

personally, i like the flat call and the strategy you had laid out for the hand
but i think when the flop came up with an A and a K, and he checked, that should have set off a red flag that he might have the A since he didnt bet for a change

atleast thats how i would have seen it

Actually, I dont understand the question unless you specify the correct touramnet. :)

pokerstars Game #7552067593: Tournament #38437253, $50+$5 Hold'em No Limit -
to answer, obvious you werent getting away from your hand here in your head when an A and/or a K came, you were going to play for all your chips, as you stated,

I think you either should have:

a) push preflop
or
b) consider folding on the flop if a A/K came, considering his previous play he could easily been raising here with any Ace.

Go Bucks

ps i hate spelling

i think youre being a little too results oriented, you gave enough reasons yourself why flat calling was your line to try to maximize chips you got outta him, board just didnt cooperate

I think Grapsfan said it right. You didn't have the chips to get fancy. No matter what happens on the flop, you're going to have a hard time dumping the hand vs a player you've already labeled LAG.

I get my chips in there preflop and I'm content with adding 40% to my stack if he doesn't call, and risking the 3 to 1 favorite if he does.

If you had more chips, then it's ok to get creative. In that situation, however, I think pushing was the best option.

i had a very similiar situation happen to me while i was being ghosted by my mentor. I was in the big blind with about 35k chips and the bb was 2000. Due to a player elimination on full tilt i was the lone blind, no small blind. The player on the button made it 6000 to go and i had KK. I waited and shoved all in he had about 25k starting the hand. My mentor told me this was a rare case where i smooth call kings and outplay im on the flop. He said shoving all in was fine, the extra chips really helpd my stack but smooth calling would have gotten me more value, even a min raise would have worked he claimed. I am wondering what you guys think about smooth calling kk in his or my situation, queens is risky and AA is definately easier to do it with, but what about kings?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the consensus is that in my case, the only hand I should smooth call the raise with is AA

In your case, I would definitely just smooth call. Any raise will essentially commit you to the pot and a min raise will give you no information whatsoever since he will have 4-1 pot odds (I think) and will call with any hand that justified the raise in the first place.

A tough spot, but this is definitely a hand where the assumed risk is worth it IMHO.

Dont fuck around with your stack. You dont have nearly enough chips to make this play with QQ. Doing this with AA is fine.

And yea, your turn raise is really bad.

Just one other thought, because it's something that helps me when a move fails.

You smooth-called with QQ hoping the flop would not have any overcards, he would make a continuation bet and you would crush him. When both an A and a K were flopped, and then he did not make a continuation bet, this is a situation where it helps me to remind myself, OK, my original plan did not work out, I either need a new approach that will work, or I need to get out of this completely.

I think stepping back like this would have helped you avoid that late re-raise.

I think it's funny when people play K-x suited, looking to hit a flush. They pair their K miss the flush and then just keep rolling with it, even though this was not their original motivation for playing the hand. Not that you would do this, but just to give an example of mindset.

Just a thought that has helped me.