Frustrations with a Local Underground Cardroom MTT

[jwombles]

A friend and I have found a local card room here in town that holds $30 rebuy tournaments. These are usually 2 - 3 table tournaments, with lots of rebuys in the first hour.

I found it last Friday and was delighted when I discovered that there were only 5-10% of them who had any true understanding of the game. The rest are limping with suited and offsuit(!) connectors in EP in a full game or calling raises with hands that have a high likelyhood of being dominated.

Anyway, in two tourneys that I have played in I have gotten all my money in the center of the table with way the best hand and got sucked out on by another player. This was after the rebuy period was over.

I was tied with the big stack at my table when I find KK UTG and so I raised 4xBB and got a caller in MP and the Small Blind. flop comes K-Q-rag. I make a barely noticeable face like the flop wasn't good for me and so the Small Blind pushes all in for another 2500. I reraise all in and get the MP player to fold. SB shows AT offsuit. He says, "you've got me" and I'm thinking no [censored] donkey. Well, he's 15 to 1 to hit his 3 outer and you know what happened on the river.

It was the move I was waiting for to take me to the money and it crushed me leaving me with 2500 in chips and a soon thereafter bust out with the blinds rapidly increasing.

The other tourney I am tied for the chip lead at the final table. UTG raises 2xBB to 800 guy next to him goes all in for 2800. Large chip stack in MP calls I reraise all in in the BB with AA and UTG folds and MP calls. It's my AA against KK against MP's 88. Well, he hits a straight by the river with his 88's and I bust out.

I'm not looking to give some bad beat stories but rather to relay some frustrations with playing in 3 tourneys for $120 each and not making the money with a room full of average and subpar players.

I'm out $360 and I wonder if I should adjust my strategy some? I'm playing great poker just getting some outrageously bad beats. It's hard to see my friend taking these games down when I feel I should be there with him. Is this incorrect thinking? Do the best players always win Long term? Should I keep playing at this card room?

Sorry if this was long...

Wombles

Wombles

Meanwhile, I have seen my friend go on to win both of these tourneys good for a $1250 and $1170 payday.

[daveymck]

Cant see anything wrong in either hands, your sample size is really low it sounds like a good place to play.

Perhaps need to look at your pre end of rebuy play, that is the time to really punish the bad players and try and build a large stack to weild in the post rebuy stage.

How does your friend play? a similar way or does he do somthing different, it sounds more like he has hit his cards.

Unless the structure is poor ie blinds go up quick meaning its more a crapshoot, I would keep playing.

[Bernas]

[ QUOTE ]
I was tied with the big stack at my table when I find KK UTG and so I raised 4xBB and got a caller in MP and the Small Blind. flop comes K-Q-rag. I make a barely noticeable face like the flop wasn't good for me and so the Small Blind pushes all in for another 2500. I reraise all in and get the MP player to fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why on earth did you want MP to fold? You have trip Kings and unless there is a flush draw on the board as well as the straight draw then you definitely don't want to shut him out of the pot.

Past that, if you think you are a way better player than the rest of the field, then you might consider avoiding slightly +EV situations where your whole stack is at stake. Obviously the trip Kings is not one that you can avoid, but there might have been others.

Cheers,
Brad

[dogmeat]

Sounds like you have found a great tournament to play in, unless you let the jealousy you feel about your friend cashing both weeks or your natural (but obviously unrealistic) belief that the best hand will always hold up or the best player will always win ruin your good play.

Look at a tournament like this:

In two hours you play maybe 10 quality hands and never make a mistake, playing perfectly. If you are against two players per hand, and you have them dominated every single time, that means there are 20 hands drawing against you. If you are a 10-1 favorite against every hand, how many times can you expect to get beaten?

That's right, you can expect to lose two of those hands. If you get all in half the time, you can expect to get busted at some point during the night. It might be on the first hand of the tournament, or it could be at the last table.

Enjoy.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[the_joker]

[ QUOTE ]
If you get all in half the time, you can expect to get busted at some point during the night.

[/ QUOTE ]

So is it correct to not try to get all-in if there is a straight or flush draw and you flop a set?

[Bernas]

You definitely want to play for as much as possible when you are this much of a favorite. Even the best players can't turn down this type of edge.

[jwombles]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I was tied with the big stack at my table when I find KK UTG and so I raised 4xBB and got a caller in MP and the Small Blind. flop comes K-Q-rag. I make a barely noticeable face like the flop wasn't good for me and so the Small Blind pushes all in for another 2500. I reraise all in and get the MP player to fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why on earth did you want MP to fold? You have trip Kings and unless there is a flush draw on the board as well as the straight draw then you definitely don't want to shut him out of the pot.

Past that, if you think you are a way better player than the rest of the field, then you might consider avoiding slightly +EV situations where your whole stack is at stake. Obviously the trip Kings is not one that you can avoid, but there might have been others.

Cheers,
Brad

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, there were two hearts on the board, so I wanted a heads up with EP.

I had been building my stack up by doing just what you said, and avoiding slightly + EV situations where I might risk too much money.

Of course I understand that all you can do is get your money in the center when you have the best of it, and hope that it holds up. It's just hard when you are such an overwhelming favorite in both situations and it doesn't hold up. I mean both beats were 3 outers!!! But that's poker.

Wombles

[jwombles]

[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like you have found a great tournament to play in, unless you let the jealousy you feel about your friend cashing both weeks or your natural (but obviously unrealistic) belief that the best hand will always hold up or the best player will always win ruin your good play.

Look at a tournament like this:

In two hours you play maybe 10 quality hands and never make a mistake, playing perfectly. If you are against two players per hand, and you have them dominated every single time, that means there are 20 hands drawing against you. If you are a 10-1 favorite against every hand, how many times can you expect to get beaten?

That's right, you can expect to lose two of those hands. If you get all in half the time, you can expect to get busted at some point during the night. It might be on the first hand of the tournament, or it could be at the last table.

Enjoy.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Great advice...I really appreciate it.

Wombles