Help with a hand ...

[Kopefire]

I think this one is a result of me thinking too much like a limit player and not like a NL SnG player. On Stars, level 1 blinds, this is like the 3rd hand of hte tourney ..

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

MP3 (t1480)
CO (t1470)
<font color="C00000">Button (t1330)</font>
<font color="C00000">SB (t1880)</font>
BB (t1500)
UTG (t1500)
<font color="C00000">Kopefire (t1500)</font>
MP1 (t1480)
MP2 (t1360)

Preflop: Kopefire is UTG+1 with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
UTG folds, <font color="CC3333">Kopefire raises to t40</font>, MP1 folds, MP2 calls t40, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button calls t40, SB calls t30, BB folds.

Flop: (t180) K/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 4/images/graemlins/club.gif, T/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">Kopefire bets t50</font>, MP2 folds, Button calls t50, SB calls t50.

Turn: (t330) 8/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">Kopefire bets t100</font>, Button calls t100, SB calls t100.

River: (t630) 9/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, Kopefire checks, Button checks.

Final Pot: t630
<font color="green">Main Pot: t630 (t630), between Button, SB and Kopefire.</font>

[pshreck]

You need to tell us what the buy in was... it gives great insight on the speed of the game and the skill of play.

Your preflop raise is awful. Minraise with AA?? This is only done at the late stages of the tourney where you are begging for action and blinds are half of peoples stacks.

Make it 80 to go preflop.

Your post flop play.... you way underbet the pot when there are clear draws possible. You want to overbet the pot in this situation.... and be called by the K x who is drawing very thin, not by the QJ or the clubs.

Check the turn, possibly call a bet depending on its size. No reason to lead out whatsoever, unless you think someone is just calling down with a K, which wouldnt make much sense. The obvious draw completed and you are left with nothing but a pair.

Main point of the story... bet way more preflop, then make a huge bet on the flop (possibly committing yourself, since it is likely that you will be reraised all in by AK and KQ). Dont get so fancy with the aces.

[Kopefire]

Yeah .. that was my feeling...

I needed to push and make people pay if they want to play against my aces.

Honestly, I tend to min-raise because i'm used to having three buttons to push -- fold, call, raise ... and i keep forgetting I can put in whatever amount I want to.

I also tend to not know what the right amount is . . .what's over betting the pot in this situation? Should I go all-in? Bet the pot? some multiple of the pot?

[reecelights]

I don't have as much of a problem with the Preflop raise. I think if you raise to 80 from EP, you get no action and probably walk away with the 30 in the blinds. I'm willing early to risk getting beat in a smaller pot with AA because I'd like to get something more than 30 out of the best starting hand that I may not see again the whole game.

I do agree, however, that your flop bet was too small. You have to at least bet the pot, but probably overbet (200-250) to eliminate the draws. If you're called, you check to the river and hope for the best. If they fold you gain 120 instead of 30.

[CrisBrown]

Hi Kopefire,

[ QUOTE ]
I also tend to not know what the right amount is ... what's over betting the pot in this situation? Should I go all-in? Bet the pot? some multiple of the pot?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd like to recommend that you read Ciaffone &amp; Rueben's Pot-Limit &amp; No-Limit Poker. Also, if you haven't already, Sklansky's The Theory of Poker. What big bet poker allows you to do -- that you can't do in limit poker -- is decide what pot odds to give an opponent. But there are also implied odds and reverse implied odds to be considered. It's really too complex an issue to summarize in a single post, and a lot of it depends on your reads of the other players. But by and large, you won't be too far wrong in betting the pot when you think you have the best of it.

Cris