Trying to be more aggressive...

[Iron Tigran]

...which more than likely means I am playing even more donkishly than before. But hey, ya gotta try new things to learn, right? Please critique/flame these plays and suggest better lines. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Three hands follow:

All are UB $5.50 SnGs w/ 10 players.

Hand 1:
Button is at seat 1 with 1295.
SB is at seat 3 with 2010.
Hero (BB) is at seat 6 with 1785.
UTG is at seat 7 with 1565.
UTG+1 is at seat 8 with 5780.
CO is at seat 9 with 1955.

SB posts the small blind of 30.
Hero posts the big blind of 60.

Hero: 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 5 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

PF: UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, 2 folds, Button calls, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: 5 /images/graemlins/heart.gif Q /images/graemlins/diamond.gif J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

SB checks, Hero checks, UTG checks, Button bets 250, SB folds, Hero raises to 990, 1 fold, Button pushes, I call.

I assumed against TP I would have lots of outs, and when check-raising, I was also thinking it is possible I can fold him out.

Hand 2:
UTG is at seat 2 with 3060.
UTG+1 is at seat 3 with 3565.
CO is at seat 4 with 1115.
Button is at seat 5 with 2430.
SB is at seat 7 with 2515.
Hero (BB) is at seat 9 with 2315.

SB posts the small blind of 30.
Hero posts the big blind of 60.

Hero: JJ

PF: 2 folds, CO raises to 175, 2 folds, I push.

Call and see flop? Raise to 500? Push correct?

Hand 3:
UTG+2 is at seat 0 with 3560.
CO is at seat 1 with 1320.
Button is at seat 2 with 1310.
SB is at seat 4 with 850.
Hero (BB) is at seat 5 with 1685.
UTG is at seat 7 with 4110.
UTG+1 is at seat 8 with 2165.

SB posts the small blind of 30.
Hero posts the big blind of 60.

Hero: TT

PF: 2 folds, UTG+3 raises to 210, 3 folds, Hero calls.

Mistake? I don't know if a re-raise with TT is right here, so I decided to take a flop.

Flop: 7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 8 /images/graemlins/club.gif Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif

Hero checks, villain checks.

Check OK?

Turn: 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

Hero bets 230 (OESD and a pair lower than only one card on board, plus he checked after me on flop; is this bet legit?), villain raises to 1140 (now maybe my only saving grace is the OESD, as he may have slow-played a nice flop), Hero pushes 1475 and is called.

Do I need to just run after the huge raise? It was probably a slighlt tilty call as I had lost a couple rough hands in other games. I feel it was wrong, and want to be slapped round so I don't play like a dumbass, or told I am a genius (more likely the former). /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[Iron Tigran]

sheepish bump

[Misfire]

***Amateur Advice Alert***
Take with a healthy dose of salt.

Hand 1: You've got bottom pair and no pot odds. Fold.

Hand 2: Seems a little early to push, but at least you'll have some left over if you lose. I think I'd call and see the flop, but I'm not sure if that's correct.

Hand 3: I call preflop, check flop, fold to the raise on the turn. I smell a set.

Hand 1. The key thing with this hand is you don't need to get involved at all. The blinds are way to small to justify pushing this early in the tourney. You have to put your opponent on a pair of queens jacks or a flush draw better than yours. Yes you have outs but you don't have much invested in the pot currently so you should just wait for a better hand and at these tiny buy in tourneys people will pay you off. Your opponent probably isn't smart enough to fold to a reraise anyway.

Hand 2 once again the blinds are way to small to push at this stage. You are only going to get calls if they feel they have a monster. I would call this or reraise it to 350-500 depending on your read of the player. If he comes over the top to your raise fold. If you call and have an overpair bet around 2/3 the pot and see what your opponent does. If they reraise you need to fold. P.S. Jacks are hard to play they look so pretty but in the end they are only a pair of jacks that can lose to many hands.

Hand 3 I actually like folding this hand to that huge of a raise. It's possible you have the best hand now but if you do hold the best hand it's likely your only a bit of a favorite against AK AQ or something like that. If you do call you need to bet that flop which is actually not that bad for you. 2/3 of the pot will get an opponent with nothing to fold and someone with a queen or overpair to call or raise (either way you know your tens aren't good unless you hit a set later)

You have a good idea about what hands are good, but you need to realize that you don't need to risk so much early in these tourneys to be successful. Wait until you have AA KK QQ or AK before you are pushing with these tiny blinds. I also recommend reading both of Dan Harringtons books.

[ChuckNorris]

#1 check/fold. You have a crappy flush draw and a crappy bottom pair.

#2 I think I'd raise to ~500 and fold to a push.

#3 Maybe bet slightly more, like 300. Then fold to the raise.

[bluefeet]

hand 1: fer shame...fer SHAME!! /images/graemlins/wink.gif no need at all to try to get clever this early with a very healthy stack. IF it was later, pending bubble preasure, original better SHOWED WEAKNESS with his bet (which he didn't!) - then there might be a case.

hand 2: very standard. nh.

hand 3: fold PF without a doubt. as it developed....'check flop' - good, 'stab turn (w/OESD)' - very good IMO (buy a cheap river, pick up pot...), 'push over reraise' - very bad. your second chance to fold this one is right now...

[Iron Tigran]

Thanks for the replies. I am glad to have confirmation I donked up two of those hands.

Chuck, re: hand #2, the only real quibble I have is if I raise to T500 and he pushes, I believe I am priced in to call, as he doesn't have to have AA-QQ. I think a raise to 500 there is basically telling him I am willing to call his push, and might get him to fold AQs and such.

[ChuckNorris]

[ QUOTE ]
Chuck, re: hand #2, the only real quibble I have is if I raise to T500 and he pushes, I believe I am priced in to call, as he doesn't have to have AA-QQ. I think a raise to 500 there is basically telling him I am willing to call his push, and might get him to fold AQs and such.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're right of course. I didn't look at villains stack, only yours. /images/graemlins/blush.gif