7 replies to this topic

[JimmyWellington]

Every time I get knocked out of a tournament, I try and analyze the important hands or decisions that I played/made. Usually, I find at least one thing that I did wrong that I can learn from next time. This hand, I would play the same way if I had it to do over again, but I wanted some input on maybe another way of looking at the hand or playing it.Here's the background info leading up to the hand.Casino tournament, start with 3000 in chips and 25/50 blinds. $25 buy in, no rebuy/add on. 15 minute levels, so you can't sit back and wait for premium hands. NL HE. 140-150 players.I'm in the BB, which is now 100 (2nd level). I have 3200 in chips and have picked up two pots without showdowns. The first one I bet out on the flop after limping preflop and picked it up. The second pot I raised with 88 and got no callers, that was the hand before this one. Most of the players are playing tight, there has only been one big showdown, the second hand of the tournament. On that hand, the player to my right went all in with 66 on a A56 flop and got called by 55. The last five came on the river, so an alternate filled his seat (she is the SB in the hand this post is about).Some information on the SB. She doesn't appear to be a player. Asking a lot of questions, not knowing how much to bet, could be an act, but I don't think so based on the following. She won a pot with QQ calling all the way on a board that had AKxxx with 3 to a flush. She called another guy down with 2nd pair. she lost that one.I pick up AK offsuit. It's folded to the player in the cutoff+1. He limps in, he seems like a solid player from the action so far in the tournament. The SB calls for 50 more and I raise to 400. (The raise is the same as the previous hand where I raised it with 88). First limper folds and the SB calls. Pot: 900.Me: 2800SB: 3100Flop: A94 rainbowSB checks. I bet out 1000. The pot's big enough where at this stage in the tournament, I'm happy to pick up the pot. She calls.Pot: 2900Me: 1800SB: 2100Turn: 5SB bets 500. I push all in, she calls. Based on what I put so far, would any of you have played this differently and why? I think I played it right, based on the play I'd seen from her before this hand. In a tournament like this, you have to take more chances than one with longer levels. Obviously I lost this hand based on the beginning of the post. However I'm not going to put whether it was a bad beat or I misread her. If you're going to comment, please do it now before reading the next post. I'm going to post what happened next in the following post, so please reply before reading that one.

[JimmyWellington]

Follow up to the above post. Please don't read until after you replied to the first post (If you're going to)-------------------------She flipped over AQ offsuit, so I was about 93% to win according to the Hendon Mob Calculator. Obviously since I lost, a Queen came on the river. A few of my friends said that I must have been pissed. Not really. Shocked, yes. Pissed, no. I got my money in with the best hand and was a huge favorite to double up and have the big stack at the table. I would be more upset if she had AA, because then it would have meant that I made a mistake. I can deal with losing because of getting unlucky much better than losing because I messed up.

[Smasharoo]

Based on what I put so far, would any of you have played this differently and why? I think I played it rightI think you shouldn't have posted results because now you'll get skewed responses.If you had posted that she had 44 instead you'd get diffrent responses.If you want to tell a bad beat story, use the bad beat forum.You're pot committed with your flop bet, pushing there makes a lot more sense.

[JimmyWellington]

ok fair enough. Next time I won't post results. I hoped that people would reply before reading the second post, but I guess it would have been better to not post that at all. I wasn't using this to post a bad beat story. It just happened to be one, but my reason for posting is to see if I could have played it better.I appreciate your input on the flop push being better and I can see what you're saying. Since I was willing to go for all my chips on this hand I should have done it earlier. Thanks.

[AKQJs_2o]

I haven't read the results post, I skipped over it.I'd have a problem going all-in on a AKo if I was in your situation, especially if you are facing an inexperienced player who has just finished calling somebody all the way down with second-best pair.It seems to me like if she even has a pair of duces she might call your all-in bet. The problem is that she'd be a be a slight favorite to beat your AKo. Situations like this are what gave rise to the cliche "beginner's luck".Honestly, I didn't read the results post yet, but I wouldn't have been so eager to move all-in with an AKo. Your opponent is so green and wet behind the ears that she likely doesn't respect or recognise the implied threat of your all-in bet so she'll call with just about anything, and you don't even have a pair yet.

[TINXDAD]

I often do a similar thing during tourneys. I profile a player as a rookie wildcard and turn around and get involved in a huge pot with them after I've told myself over and over again not to. It ends up in extremes for myself, meaning either I bust them or end up getting busted.So...you decided not to slowpay her with top pair&kicker and as you say the 1000 was to pick up the pot, I would have just called the 500 and call down after the river. I figure she must have a piece of the flop or at least a draw(which looks like she made on the turn...bad card). And if she is a fairly inexperienced player, there would be a little chance she has the knowhow to set you in with a pat hand on the river. In my experience, new players like calling down rather than leading out when they have a pat hand even if it means not picking up an extra bet or so. Did the 500 confuse you or did you think she just didnt know what she was doing? I mean for a new player thats a pretty week attempt to steal such a large pot at that point. If she did set you in on the river then you can still make a decision to get away. I suppose it was tougher because she was a new player and you did not have enough info on her other than she was all over the place.

[Briguy]

I don't think you did anything wrong. It seems a little early in the tournament to force yourself all-in with anything but a monster (trips or better), but you were the one at the table, and as you said, it was a pretty quick blind structure. 15 minutes for live play? Yikes.Seems pretty standard. 4x BB with AKo. Pot-raise with TPTK, slow down when she smooth calls your bet (she could've had A9s, A4s, 99, 44, even AA if she's really that inexperienced). She made a weak play at the pot on the turn. You made a strong move, and as it turns out, the right move. She hit one of her three outs. That's poker.

[BilliardsBoy]

Yea, I don't really think you did anything wrong here. People pick different times to push, you picked the turn. I'd say that as long as you push before the river, with the read you had on the situation, you're making the right play.