AKs on level 1

[dfscott]

I so rarely play post-flop, I was a little confused here. After the all-in, I felt like I had to call. Did I do this to myself by betting too much on the flop?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (7 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

saw flop|<font color="#C00000">saw showdown</font>

<font color="#C00000">Hero (t1600)</font>
MP2 (t695)
CO (t920)
Button (t2455)
SB (t415)
BB (t790)
<font color="#C00000">UTG (t1125)</font>

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, K/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
UTG calls t15, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t75</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, CO calls t75, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">UTG raises to t135</font>, Hero calls t60, CO calls t60.

Flop: (t425) 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 3/images/graemlins/heart.gif, K/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
UTG checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t500</font>, CO folds, UTG raises to t990 (all-in), Hero calls t490.

[ZBTHorton]

Well I'm going to assume you ran into a set and lost the hand by the way your talking.

I think everything looks just fine, you just caught a bad beat. In level 1..TPTK is generally a VERY strong hand...remember those two-three random guys per SNG who go all in on the first 5 hands? This guy might be one of those guys.

[raptor517]

the way your opponent played that screams AA to me. when utg limp raises the minimum, and check raises all in on the flop, i just see aces. after betting 500, there was no way you could fold though.. im curiuos as to what he had

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
the way your opponent played that screams AA to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

No more calls -- we have a winner.

[gh9801]

I didn't like the flop bet of 500, especially with the minimum utg limp reraise. The only drawing hand you are afraid of here is AQs, which UTG most likely won't have but CO may have. After the preflop play though even with TPTK you can't be sure you have the best hand so I would have thrown in a testing bet of maybe 300 or checked. You shouldn't worry about the spades, you should be worrying about UTG. Either way, I think you can't avoid doubling him up.

[AA suited]

you raised 5xBB preflop, and villian min re-raised. he wanted you to call. that screams qq+.

since you bet 500 on the flop, you couldnt get away from the hand since it only costs you 490 more to call his raise.

on the flop, i would have bet 3/4 pot incase someone's drawing and to see where i stand. at 300 chips, it's easier to fold when faced with calling 2x (690) more at lvl1.

[MonkeeMan]

[ QUOTE ]
I so rarely play post-flop

[/ QUOTE ]

Why is this? Seems limited.

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I so rarely play post-flop

[/ QUOTE ]

Why is this? Seems limited.

[/ QUOTE ]

Because I tend to fold everything but monsters and PP in the early rounds. I don't get monsters that often and I fold any PP that don't flop sets.

By the late rounds, I'm stealing blinds or going all-in/folding post-flop, due to the 40% rule.

[MonkeeMan]

I'm surprised that you can be successful without playing those majority of hands that aren't monsters. It would seem that you would be folding a lot of hands like TPTK or TPGK as well as semi-bluff and overcards that could be profitable.

[ QUOTE ]
By the late rounds, I'm stealing blinds or going all-in/folding post-flop, due to the 40% rule.

[/ QUOTE ]

What's the 40% rule?

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm surprised that you can be successful without playing those majority of hands that aren't monsters. It would seem that you would be folding a lot of hands like TPTK or TPGK as well as semi-bluff and overcards that could be profitable.

[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps I am too tight. In the early rounds, I fold everything except pocket pairs and AQ+. In LP, I add ATs+, KQs, QJs, and JTs. I won't play anything against a raise except for AA, KK, QQ, and AK.

[ QUOTE ]
What's the 40% rule?

[/ QUOTE ]

If any call or bet would be 40% of your stack or more, just push all-in.

[MonkeeMan]

OK, hadn't heard of the 40% figure for being pot commited.

Can't believe if you limped in LP with say, JTs, and the flop came J74r that you wouldn't be getting in there and playing poker post-flop.

And I think you need to playing more hands against raisers or you'll be way too easy for the LAGs to take advantage of.

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
Can't believe if you limped in LP with say, JTs, and the flop came J74r that you wouldn't be getting in there and playing poker post-flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely. But you're assuming 3 things:

1) I get dealt JTs.
2) I'm in LP.
3) There's no pre-flop raise ahead of me.

That rarely (i.e., almost never) happens.

I don't remember if I said it in this thread or another, but I haven't been playing SnGs very long, so that might explain my lack of experience in these situations.

[lacky]

at some point in your learning spend some time at the no limit ring games. That will force you to learn how to play postflop. sng's are basically just a no limit poker game who's structure changes over time. It will help your game alot if you learn how to play when the blinds are small.

Steve

[iMsoLucky0]

I don't think it is necessary to do much playing at all in levels 1-3 (mainly 1 and 2). All I play in these levels is QQ+, AK, and JJ and AQ in unraised pots in late position.

You have to realize that even if you play perfectly for the first 3 levels, and dont recieve one of those hands, you could get up to what on average, say 1500 chips? But you also increase your chances of going bust. I will concede that I am probably giving up some cEV (chip EV?), but I am sure that I am gaining $EV (monetary EV). (Are those abbreviations right?)

You just have to weigh the chips you gain vs the chance of going bust. Over time, I have made the decision that I would much rather give myself a much better chance of being around later when the blinds are bigger and it is easier to acquire chips by stealing. I would rather have the lowest possible chance of going bust until this point.

[raptor517]

bingo. good post, other than that ugly AQ comment. who plays those rags. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[adanthar]

This is actually a really simple hand. It's 7 handed on level 1 so I'm assuming this is a low buyin. You have AKs, got minreraised by someone who can usually be presumed to be a clown, and saw a flop on which you hit your king. OK, you're all in at some point, next hand. Think about it as him hitting a 4 outer.

Yeah, you should bet less on the flop but it doesn't make much difference because only a clown checks this flop with AA so you're not folding.