you're setting yourself up to be bluffed on the flop. If a stack of 12BBs raises 3 BBs from the button I say this guy has a hand he doesn't want to risk his stack with. simple call and bet any ragged flop

your M is not really 12 though, add in the antes and its costing you 2350 a round this round and probably over 3000 in 10 hands or so.

If you wait for a better hand you may not get it until you have so little chips that doubling up is insignificant. And it probably won't be in as good a situation as folded to you on the button.

with your stack, everything but a fold is a excellent move. I'd even limp and call if he moves allin.
btw, with antes he has a M of 5-7, don't remember how high they are at 600/1200

The only hands that I could see calling that you'd beat are maybe AJ and KQ. This is a gamble to get into the real money and I like the coin flip. You're really only scared of AA, KK, and QQ. Otherwise you're a 50/50 shot.

The biggest factor that I see in my move is the weakness of the field and your chances to beat them. I wouldn't mind a small PF raise, so you don't feel forced to play to a raise. AQ is a hand that I like to see a flop when I hold it or make an effort to win the pot PF with position and no one in the pot yet.

Yes, 3k is small in comparison to the blinds, but is a substantial portion of the stacks in play enough to make people give you information on the strength of people's hands. I'd raise, looking to fold to a re-raise unless a read on the player told me otherwise.

Hi, I'm new to this forum and I've been reading through everyones post and I just randomly picked a thread to post on to.

Anyway, on the AQ raising on the button...i don't really like the play...the reason I don't like it is because I dont think that either blind is going to call you without a decent hand here. More than likely the SB with 70k isnt really willing to risk 15k to a coinflip to take someone out with over a 200 players left...maybe he is...I'm usually not quite ready yet at that point actually I'm never really ready for a coinflip, I hate them. The BB is definately not ready to risk the chips for a coinflip...and for the most part you can usually put a small stack on a decent hand, especially if he hasnt played in the last 14 hands (not sure if the people at the table knew that or if you literally just got there) so if these players are at least mediocre players I'm sure they are thinking these things.

So, assuming they are not interested in coinflips, that only leaves a select few hands that they can reasonably call with imo, AA, KK, AK, and QQ...and maybe pairs down to 8's or 9's depending on the player. If they call with any of the first four hands I listed (which its almost inevitable that they would) you are more than likely done. I think AQ is very dangerous to raise too much with pre-flop...simply because all of the possible hands that would call you will beat you if your raise is a threatening one. When I am short stacked, especially with no antes...I like waiting for either a pair or small suited connectors to go all-in with pre-flop if im going to do that...just beause you will usually have live cards if you get callers (except for the pairs...but thats a little obvious) which at that point is what I usually want...a couple people in the pot to get some money if i do happen to flop that straight, flush, two pair, or even top pair sometimes. I just think is does you no good to raise a pretty large amount before the flop with a hand like AQ because if you get called your more than likely in trouble and if you don't get called, the blinds just arent helping you that much at this point if you do win them uncontested.

Sorry for the long post I just felt like rambling...if you guys disagree let me have it. You seem like an intelligent bunch here

Kilfin