Stars $215 Exit: Need some expert analysis

[Toro]

Yesterday's Pokerstars $215 NLHE Tourney: I'm not happy about the way I got eliminated and am looking for comments on these 2 hands.

Here's the situation: Down to 253 players, average stack size is 19,000. Paying 135 places. I have 24,015 in chips about 3rd at my table. Blinds 600/1200 75 ante

Hand 1: I'm 2 off the button and it is folded to me. I have AQo and raise to 3600. Button who is 2nd in chips and has me covered by a few thousand re-raises all-in. Folded back to me. I've been at the table with this guy all day and he was a solid aggressive player who would make this play with AK or a medium pair. Either way, I figure I'm in bad shape so I fold.

Hand 2: This is the very next hand, so now I'm 3 off the button and I have 20,340 chips to start the hand. Folded to me again and I have TT. I raise to 3600 again and it's folded to the button again. This guy is chip leader with about 50K and has been at the table for only about 5 hands. He had just picked up a lot of chips with KK so I had no read other than that one hand. He re-raises just enough to put me all-in if I call. I called. He had JJ and I was toast. If I had folded pre-flop I would have had 16,740 left.

My own self analysis is that if the first hand hadn't occurred I would have laid down the TT hand. But back to back, it stuck in my craw to give up 9600 in chips without seeing a flop. Is this a crazy way to think? And should I have avoided this situation altogether by not even getting involved with TT from this position or is this playing too tight?

Help!!

[drdre2001mm]

I'm no where near an expert but I think all opinions can be helpful. I would rather call an all-in bet with AQ hoping for a coinflip rather than call an all in with 10-10 knowing you could be absolutely dominated. However I only play 10-25 dollar tourneys so I'm not that great of a player. Just my two cents bro good luck.

[Doubling12]

This is a pretty brutal 2-hand sequence, and many people would end up broke afterwards.

Something to consider, at the $200 level, you will be playing people who are thinking about what you are thinking. So when the button puts you all-in the second time, he has to know that you are itching to call, after what just happened to you. So he probably has a premium hand. Too bad you didn't have JJ, cause I bet he raises with TT...

[Sidekick]

While I'm certainly no expert and have been posting some hands for review myself, I certainly don't see anything wrong in your play here.

On the AQo hand chances are that you were at best a coin flip based on your read of the player. I would (based on input from other posters) have made a larger initial bet, say 5x the BB. Other than that, I think the fold was correct.

The second hand seems fine to me. Going all-in with TT is not a bad call IMO. The fact that you ran into a bigger pair is just a bad break.

I don't see anything really wrong with your play on these hands, but then I'm no expert either. Hope my input helps some. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Bernas]

Good lay down on the first hand.
You probably should have laid down the second hand too. There was nothing wrong with the raise there but when he puts you all in you have to consider if you have the best of it with 10's. I put him on 2 over cards or better. Are you wanting to risk your tournament on a 50-50?

I think a good Zen book might help you play in these circumstances. Zen and the art of Poker or Zen and the art of Archery. You have to forget about the last hand and play only the current one. Easier said than done.

[DOTTT]

This may help a bit, what was your table image when these hands took place? Has the solid player been coming over the top of lp raises often? Just some things to consider because I will come over the top of lp raises with garbage once in a while if I feel my opponent has been stealing a lot, or is reckless with his opening hands.

If you had a solid table image when hand 1 took place it's an easy fold. I know it's tough loosing a chunk of your stack back to back, but you also have to fold the TT. You’re still in good shape with about 17000 and blinds are still small enough that you can still make a move.

[Toro]

Lol. I bought Zen and the Art of Poker a long time ago and thought that it was a useless book. But recently, I had been getting too aggravated with bad beats and even some not so bad beats.

So about week ago I went downstairs and dug it out and have been reading it during the down time when I'm out of hands. It has helped quite a bit on staying calm after a beat. So the book is right there next to the keyboard.

And I was thinking that very thing, that I shouldn't have let the play of one hand dominate the decision making of another hand.

[vandalay]

9's and 10's... I HATE these hands... HATE HATE HATE HATE.

Unless I am the one going all in with them (which I would not fault you for doing), I will NOT call a (putting me allin) with them. Yes there are exceptions but it is too easy to go broke with them.

That being the case, I would put the other guy on something that at BEST was a coinflip and probably had you dominated. At least when I am a chipleader goign to a new table, I dont try and take it over till I have a better understanding of what is happening.

I would fold no problem.... If your thinking you are getting run over by them, thats different but I dont think in this situation that was the case. I think the big stack knew he had you beat.

[Toro]

Do you mean you would have folded the TT after the re-raise or initially? This is what I'm really grappling with as I agree that the re-raise call was not good. I'm thinking I should not have gotten involved with this hand in the first place or is this revisionist thinking because of the result.

[mrbaseball]

Hand One: I would have thrown it away so fast it would make your head spin. AQ is a bad hand when reraised.

Hand Two: I would have called so fast it would make your head spin. After the previous hand the big stack may have felt you were bullyable adding to my reasoning. But I think TT is worth the risk in this situation. Unfortunate he had the JJ but in my mind he could have a wide range of hands here making TT look real good.

[Raiser]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm thinking I should not have gotten involved with this hand in the first place or is this revisionist thinking because of the result.


[/ QUOTE ]

Having not played in a tourney about $55 I'm not sure I can comment too much on this except to say that folding TT when you would be the first to enter the pot seems way, way too tight to me from any position. I like the original raise and I'm on the fence regarding calling or folding to the re-raise.