09-04-2001, 08:58 PM
Now I won't make excuses about being tired and otherwise mentally occupied with other things.......BUT...was this truly horrible end game play on my part or what? (No "or what" about it...beat me up even more so I will NEVER do this kind of thing again!!!!!!!!)
Sat. night, Garden City, just about to consolidate to 2 tables in the $120 buy in, $100 rebuy spread limit tourney, with 120 entrants. Essentially, it is close to being a "No Limit" tourney at this point, and has been for several rounds.
I have approx. T$4800, blinds $200 and $400. Limits, $400 to $4,000. I have enough to very likely cruise to a "money" spot if I throw off every hand for a few rounds. I have been playing very well and very solid throughout, in spite of getting very poor cards, and very little "luck". I am quite happy to have gotten this far with no real "hands".
Player 5 who has been making some plays and has a huge stack, brings it in for $2,000 raise. In cutoff position I look down to find pocket 88's. I muck it of course without even thinking twice. Blinds fold. Player 6 flips over an A,J off. About what I expected.
Next hand, same player announces "Same raise" and brings it in for $2,000 again. All fold after, I am on the button now, and look down to find.... 88's again!
I think he is on Ace Big again, and I call his 2,000, hoping to see rags so I can go all in, and take a nice pot with which I might be able to do some battle at the final table.
Flop is rags, 4,5,10 rainbow. Player 5 (now) checks. I go all in my remaining $2,800. He immediately calls, flips over pocket 10's for a set. I'm out.
My truly horrible mistakes.
1) I had that absurd and unreliable "gut feeling" that an 8 was coming on the flop. Such instincts have served me well when it comes to player tells. But these "vibs" are notoriously and clearly useless when it comes to predicitng flops.
2) What could I have been thinking, jeapordizing my potential money position with pocket 88's, against a dominant stack, when he showed such strength? Surely I would have had many better opportunities. I had made no such stupid plays to this point.
3) Even if I had a good read and he was on A,J, A,Q K,Q, small pair, or something like that, the call itself was an incredibly weak play.
If I was coming in, I should have at least either gone "all in" raise, or stayed out. All in would have been a weak play too, because I didn't really have enough chips to overbet his raise substantially, with a large enough re-raise.
4) When he checked to me, he set the trap. If he had no hand, he was just as likley to make a large bet as not, maybe moreso. I fell right into the trap, and bet all into him.
What else was wrong with this play? I still can't believe I did it. It was as if an alternate personality took over!
All the way home I kept murmering to myself, "what in the hell were you thinking, you moron???"
Has anyone else ever played their "A" game very well through 80% of a tourney, and then had a complete mental meltdown for no apparent reason?
Sat. night, Garden City, just about to consolidate to 2 tables in the $120 buy in, $100 rebuy spread limit tourney, with 120 entrants. Essentially, it is close to being a "No Limit" tourney at this point, and has been for several rounds.
I have approx. T$4800, blinds $200 and $400. Limits, $400 to $4,000. I have enough to very likely cruise to a "money" spot if I throw off every hand for a few rounds. I have been playing very well and very solid throughout, in spite of getting very poor cards, and very little "luck". I am quite happy to have gotten this far with no real "hands".
Player 5 who has been making some plays and has a huge stack, brings it in for $2,000 raise. In cutoff position I look down to find pocket 88's. I muck it of course without even thinking twice. Blinds fold. Player 6 flips over an A,J off. About what I expected.
Next hand, same player announces "Same raise" and brings it in for $2,000 again. All fold after, I am on the button now, and look down to find.... 88's again!
I think he is on Ace Big again, and I call his 2,000, hoping to see rags so I can go all in, and take a nice pot with which I might be able to do some battle at the final table.
Flop is rags, 4,5,10 rainbow. Player 5 (now) checks. I go all in my remaining $2,800. He immediately calls, flips over pocket 10's for a set. I'm out.
My truly horrible mistakes.
1) I had that absurd and unreliable "gut feeling" that an 8 was coming on the flop. Such instincts have served me well when it comes to player tells. But these "vibs" are notoriously and clearly useless when it comes to predicitng flops.
2) What could I have been thinking, jeapordizing my potential money position with pocket 88's, against a dominant stack, when he showed such strength? Surely I would have had many better opportunities. I had made no such stupid plays to this point.
3) Even if I had a good read and he was on A,J, A,Q K,Q, small pair, or something like that, the call itself was an incredibly weak play.
If I was coming in, I should have at least either gone "all in" raise, or stayed out. All in would have been a weak play too, because I didn't really have enough chips to overbet his raise substantially, with a large enough re-raise.
4) When he checked to me, he set the trap. If he had no hand, he was just as likley to make a large bet as not, maybe moreso. I fell right into the trap, and bet all into him.
What else was wrong with this play? I still can't believe I did it. It was as if an alternate personality took over!
All the way home I kept murmering to myself, "what in the hell were you thinking, you moron???"
Has anyone else ever played their "A" game very well through 80% of a tourney, and then had a complete mental meltdown for no apparent reason?