Having to second guess myself.

[JARID]

Hello all,

Hoping this one gets some love /images/graemlins/heart.gif between all the "official Tourney" threads.

Live Tourney, 100+20 Buy-in. 26-30 Tables. Start off with T1000 in chips.

I don't play too many live tournies, so I was pretty pumped for this one and very focused too.

Just picked up my first pot (~T300) w/AA. T1200 chips now.

Two hands later...

Hero in BB with Q8o. Blinds 15-25.

3 players limp, sb completes and I check.

Flop: K /images/graemlins/diamond.gif Q /images/graemlins/spade.gif 8 /images/graemlins/heart.gif Pot = T125

sb checks, hero bets T125, MP1 calls , everyone else folds. Heads up to the turn.

Turn; T /images/graemlins/spade.gif Pot = T375

Hero bets T300, MP1 Calls

River: J

Check, check.

My only question here is to check raise the flop, or bet out like I did?? Any other comments welcome.

Result:
<font color="white">MP1 hand KJ for river 2pair </font>

Very next hand.....left with ~T650

Hero is in the sb with AKo

Folded to MP who limps, CO (short stacked w/ T250) raises to 125, button folds.

His raise could mean many things, nothing premium. He had been a tad out of line since getting unlucky on the second hand of game. He is pot committed.

BB has me covered x2.5, but is tight older gent, though seemingly decent.

I suspected MP would call CO's raise.

Your move here? Call and play the hand out of position? Raise seems right, but would also seem to commit me, so should I just go all-in?

Thanks-
Jarid

[tiger7210]

With 5 players in the hand, I think betting out here on the flop was the correct play to at least try and thin the field. Bottom 2 pair can be a very dangerous hand in a 5 way pot. I think you played the hand correctly with both the 10 and the J being scare cards that could easliy have made your opponent a straight or a bigger 2 pair.

As for the 2nd hand, if I were going to play the hand I think I would push in this spot to try and isolate against the raiser and get the limper to fold. Normally with AK I want to see all 5 cards so I think a push is better than a call to drive out the other player especially if the flop misses you and you are first to act.

[aceragclubs]

I like how you played the first hand, those were terrible turn and river cards for you. If you try to check-raise the flop and no one bets, you give a free card to a bunch of hands that probably want one.
The second hand, I push almost 100% of the time here, unless you've seen MP limping with monsters. This should push out MP, and the button will most likely call with either an inferior or a coin-flip hand vs yours. I REALLY hate AK out of position though, so that just my opinion.

Aceragclubs

[BK_]

hand 1 is pretty stanard. you can bet out on the flop for vaule reasons alone. the easiest way to get money in vs a king is to open the betting and continue betting. your hand is not strong enough to until the pot gets large to c/r. the turn bet is good beccause his most likely hand is still a king. river check behind is simple.

[JARID]

[ QUOTE ]
hand 1 is pretty stanard.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought so. It might just be a little results oriented retrospective, or better yet, how I could have avoided the result. Thanks. Hand 2 standard as well?

-Jarid

[JARID]

[ QUOTE ]
If you try to check-raise the flop and no one bets, you give a free card to a bunch of hands that probably want one.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but with 5 players I'm pretty sure this flop hit someone, so I thought perhaps I could put in a big check raise(size depending on action). However, I think you are right, betting out is best here.

Thanks-
Jarid

[willie]

i agree with all who say to push the second hand

out of position...if people drop you pick up a bit of blind money- guy is somewhat on tilt

a lot of things point me towards putting my money in preflop. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[ZootMurph]

I bet out on that hand as well. You'll get a caller with top pair. Also good bet on the turn. I probably would have checked the river too, although I don't like doing it much... too early in the tourney to bet when you can't take a reraise.

In the 2nd hand... although I don't like the situation, I think you have to push to get it heads up with the short stack, if you can. You'd rather race a shortstack than play out of position...

[JARID]

[ QUOTE ]
As for the 2nd hand, if I were going to play the hand I think I would push in this spot to try and isolate against the raiser and get the limper to fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks to those who replied. It seems consensus is I did the right thing on both counts, so I am comfortable. Anytime I bust out this early I think it merits a closer look. How did I bust out you ask?

Hand #2

From the sb with the AK I decided to push all to pick up the bb and clear out the limper and isolate heads up against the CO.

Conservative older gent asks, "how much"? Huh?, my heart sank. 650 I say and he says "I call". I was confident I was up against QQ-AA here. Actually leaning toward KK-AA.

Limper cleared out and pot commited CO called the remainder.

CO: ATo (I was right!, ah the best laid plans)
BB: QQ

I get no help and thats the end of it. This now ends the tough beat portion of the post. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

-Jarid