Stupid Mistakes - Volume I

[ericlambi]

Hello 2+2:

I am going to start posting all of my hands where I make terrible errors that haunt me for the next couple days. I am hoping others will learn from my errors, but mostly I think the effect will be therapeutic.

Here's hand #1 from a $50+5 last night:

Final 3. Button has T135. Hero has T3000. Villain has the rest. BB is T400.

Pre-flop: Hero is dealt 77. Button goes all-in. Hero CALLS. Villain checks.

Flop: Kx4c3c. Hero bets 400. Villain calls.

Turn: 8x. Hero checks. Villain bets T500. Hero folds.

River: 4x. Villain shows J5 - pair of 4s. Button shows A9 - pair of 4s, Ace kicker.

I still went on to get second, but I deserved 3rd after such a stupid move. Villain is even dumber though, and should have had all of their winnings removed.

My though process at the time was that limping increased the odds of getting rid of the button because we would have 2 players in to see the flop. I assumed the villain would not bluff at the pot. Stooopid logic at 1AM.

Correct play: PUSH PRE-FLOP.

I feel better now. If all goes well I won't have any more hands to post for a while.

Peace.

Eric Lambi

[AtticusFinch]

I thought about starting a thread like this for my own stupid mistakes, but decided I'd end up filling up 2+2's hard drives, so I refrained.

I agree with your conclusion, by the way. A push is much better.

[spentrent]

Perhaps the villain wants the small stack to hang around a bit longer so he can bully you?

[sofere]

Spent...you just blew my mind.

Was the Villain really that dumb??? I have heard of isolating so that you have a better chance of winning, but what about isolating so that the Small Stack has less of a chance of busting out?

If the small stack wins, he triples up, but still only has about 1 BB left. There is also a small side pot that will pad the big stack slightly. If he had you read as a tight player, I think that may have been a brilliant move.

Push preflop would have been proper for you.

[bball904]

[ QUOTE ]
Villain is even dumber though, and should have had all of their winnings removed.


[/ QUOTE ]

At the start of the hand the main pot was 405 and the side pot was 530. No faulting the villian for bullying you off the side pot especially when it grew to 1330 for the turn bet. No villian should be afraid of letting the 405 go back to the crippled stack.

[NegativeEV]

Pushing preflop here is virtually the only way you can take 3rd in this SnG. The 900 chips you would likely pick up pushing preflop is not important enough to the heads-up match that will follow when compared to the risk. Most opponents at this level will check through in this situation if you just call preflop and plan on checking down. I think this gives 77 a nice chance to win with much less risk.

If your opponent is the type of player who would not check down (again I think the majority of players would EVEN though there is a 650 chip sidepot), then you need to evaluate how important these 900 chips are to the headsup play that will follow.

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]

Most opponents at this level will check through in this situation if you just call preflop and plan on checking down. I think this gives 77 a nice chance to win with much less risk.


[/ QUOTE ]

I push pre-flop here most of the time (unless the villian seems especially weak/passive -- unable to make the play you just described). I think those 900 chips are quite important and I like taking the iniative against the villian (who you almost surely will play HU with) short-handed.

Even though this is a 50+5, 900 chips is still ~9% of the prize pool and you are risking few chips to win a lot and have a hand that is almost always ahead.

Yugoslav