looking for feedback on this hand

[PokerGoblin]

Hello all. I've been reading the posts on here for a while and there are some very knowledgable people on here... so I am looking for a bit of feedback on a situation I recently encountered.

20+2 NL HE MTT on party. 1060 entries.

I am in late position w/ about 37,000 TC. I have everyone at the table covered 2-1 at least. The shortstack UTG goes all in for about 4K, blinds are 750 and 1500. The next seat calls, leaving himself with about 3300 TC left. I make it a cool 10,000 to go. The button raises all in, about 12,000 TC. folds to the first caller, he goes all in for the rest of his stack and of course I call the last 2K.

UTG had AJ off.
UTG +1 has AK off
CO (me) QQ
Button has KK

with the blinds it was about a 38,000 TC pot.

My mistake is obvious. Had I just called the original 4,000 instead of raising, I maybe would have been able to get away from the queens. If I only put 4k in before the button acts, he moves in, the other caller calls, then is it an additional 8,000 TC to win roughly 30,000 TC which is a little less than 4 to 1 pot odds. When he moved in I knew I was behind to at least one of them... most likely the button, whom I read firmly on aces or kings... but at the time it was only 2,000 to win a 36,000 pot. had I not reraised, I wouldn't have had pot odds to call another 8K and I would have maybe folded.

That happened at with about 55 left, well into the money but I had a final table in the crosshairs. I had a decent stack, at that point I was in 5th chip position. After that loss I had about 24k left, I built it up again a little, then I lost a coin flip against someone I had covered by about 7K. After that I just nursed it to finish as high as I could.

I am just curious as to how someone else may have played this hand.

PG

[Nick B.]

You made the right play and got unlucky. Next hand.

[PokerGoblin]

Nick,

Thanks for the positive reinforcement... however I still feel, given my chip position in the tourney that I shouldn't have been so careless with my stack. I will be more cautious next time for sure.

PG

[kickindickie]

the problem with raising hands such as QQ is that you will frequently only be called my hands that already have you beat, or hands in which you are only a little better than a coin flip(i.e. ak), which are two situations to avoid. Then again, perhaps plays like this (where you may only be a slight favorite) are necessary to do well. Who knows??? As Howard Lederer said..."there is no RIGHT way to you...it's just a puzzle that each individual player has to solve." (or something very similar)

[donny5k]

It is pretty improbable for one of the 3 players left to act to have AA or KK. You want them to make a tough decision with JJ/AKs so they don't force you to make a tough decision with your QQ. Also, someone could call behind and flop a set, and if you have an overpair you probably can't fold. The raise will almost always work out fine.

[PokerGoblin]

you all make good points, the only player at the table I didn't have covered 2-1 had already folded, I just didn't consider the button or either blind as a factor, which was shortsighted on my part, since all 3 had been extremely tight the whole time.

Oh well it was a learning experience for sure.

[fnord_too]

Rest assured your play is fine. You cannot expect to run into AA or KK behind you here. You are the chip leader at the table. Sure, IF you get called you can expect to be behind, but you can also expect big aces to fold behind you. Were I behind you here, I'd fold AKs in a heartbeat. The WORST that can happen is you loose some of your chips (but still have a mountain of them), and even then you still show down a monster at the end. That will make you blind steals all the more respected.

Playing the big stack in the middle stages is one of my weaker points. I tend to be not aggressive enough with it, (except on those occasions where I overcompensate and get too aggressive). If you are seriously considering flat calling with quees here, you are playing WAY too passive.

[Potowame]

Can't see how you could get away from the hand as played. You played it well you really just got unlucky to run into KK here.

I have been on both sides of this and I am sure you have also, even if he pushed all-in and said I have KK, it was a good call to try and hit a set into that huge pot for another 2000. Better luck next time.

[PokerGoblin]

Well at the end it was 2000 more to win a 36,000 TC pot, which is 18 to 1 pot odds... so obviously calling was correct even though I knew I was about a 4 to 1 dog.

I appreciate all the feedback from everyone who posted. I am still convinced I should have protected my stack better, the fact that the guy on my immediate left went from 12,000 to 38,000 and I went from like 37,000 to 25,000 made playing aggressively much more difficult. Had I gotten away from those queens I'd have still had him covered by 6K.

I agree that I got unlucky, but that's poker.

PG

[adanthar]

If you call 4K instead of raising, two things happen: the button might take a shot and go all in with AK-AQ or JJ-TT (hoping to isolate against the UTG+1 guy for a huge side pot), or, much more scarily, the BB may decide he has the odds to call his A5o.

You've got to isolate your queens here, I think. If you had tens you might be able to just fold; if you had aces you could call behind to try to trap. QQ...nah, you've gotta reraise, especially as a stack that has everybody covered. If button is good and has AK he probably *does* fold there.

[donny5k]

[ QUOTE ]
you all make good points, the only player at the table I didn't have covered 2-1 had already folded, I just didn't consider the button or either blind as a factor, which was shortsighted on my part, since all 3 had been extremely tight the whole time.

[/ QUOTE ]
What does the tightness of the blinds have to do with the fact that every once in a blue moon someone will pick up aces or kings behind you? You made the right play by isolating.

[PokerGoblin]

The consensus opinion is that raising to isolate was correct. And fundamentally I agree. I think to say I was unlucky trivializes my point.

I guess it was the way it went down. Ihe button made his bet Immediately after I made mine. I had stolen his blinds for about a half hour straight, I knew he was waiting for a hand to make a move with, I knew I was behind before the cards were turned.

PG

[ron dogg]

Hey man, cards happen as they say around here. In your situation, I move all in here in a heartbeat. The odds are WAY in your favor of having the best hand here.

Ron-