Am I just generally way too aggressive?

[TheDelChop]

Lately its seems like I am having trouble playing when getting deep into a tournamrent. I don't really want to be results oriented so I thought I would post a few hands and see what you guys think. Both of these hands are from the same tournament and I would love opinions about my PF play and my flop play.

First Hand:

Table $350K Qualifier(401306) Table #2 (Real Money)
Seat 10 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 1: TheDelChop ( $15594 )
Seat 2: notmuch00 ( $5820 )
Seat 3: beerboy9292 ( $6756 )
Seat 5: deucedeuce56 ( $9048 )
Seat 6: gvondra ( $12284 )
Seat 7: rtbgtrbr ( $17133 )
Seat 8: tilthouse ( $7100 )
Seat 10: jm9915 ( $16310 )
Seat 4: girlpower888 ( $13498 )
Trny:14187313 Level:11
Blinds (400/800)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TheDelChop [ Ah Qh ]
beerboy9292 folds.
girlpower888 folds.
deucedeuce56 folds.
gvondra calls [800].
rtbgtrbr folds.
tilthouse folds.
jm9915 calls [800].
TheDelChop raises [3200].
notmuch00 folds.
gvondra folds.
jm9915 calls [2800].
** Dealing Flop ** [ Td, 4s, 5h ]
TheDelChop bets [2800].
jm9915 raises [9300].

?????????


Is my continuation bet the problem here? I feel lost in this situation and it comes up a whole lot.

Second Hand:

***** Hand History for Game 2411628232 *****
NL Texas Hold'em Trny:14187313 Level:11 Blinds (400/800) - Saturday, July 23, 17:22:49 EDT 2005
Table $350K Qualifier(401306) Table #2 (Real Money)
Seat 4 is the button
Total number of players : 8
Seat 1: TheDelChop ( $9194 )
Seat 2: notmuch00 ( $4620 )
Seat 3: beerboy9292 ( $5556 )
Seat 6: gvondra ( $10684 )
Seat 7: rtbgtrbr ( $18333 )
Seat 8: tilthouse ( $7100 )
Seat 10: jm9915 ( $36158 )
Seat 4: girlpower888 ( $11898 )
Trny:14187313 Level:11
Blinds (400/800)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TheDelChop [ 6d 8d ]
tilthouse folds.
jm9915 calls [800].
TheDelChop calls [800].
notmuch00 folds.
beerboy9292 folds.
girlpower888 raises [1600].
gvondra folds.
rtbgtrbr calls [800].
jm9915 calls [800].
TheDelChop calls [800].
** Dealing Flop ** [ 9d, 7d, 7c ]
rtbgtrbr checks.
jm9915 checks.
TheDelChop bets [2700].
girlpower888 raises [8100].
rtbgtrbr folds.
jm9915 folds.
TheDelChop is all-In.
** Dealing Turn ** [ 2s ]
** Dealing River ** [ 4c ]


Ok, the call PF is really bad, but once it comes back around to me I can't pass on those odds. On the flop I can't seem to see any other way to play it. I mean I suppose I want to get my money in with this hand. Just wondering what all of you guys thought.

[TheTimeIsUp]

1st one is an easy laydown.
2nd you should laydown pf, you only have 10bb (push mode).

[TheDelChop]

OK I guess I was wondering whether my PF raise in the first hand was too aggressive. Did I raise too much, should I push? Is my continuation bet the right move? Is it too large?

[gumpzilla]

When you continue bet, are you only doing it when you whiff, or are you doing it when you hit as well? And are you mixing up the sizes based on when you hit or when you miss? Your continuation looks small in this case, something like 1/3 pot. If you tend to bet bigger when you hit, it's quite possible that somebody has noticed this and will repop you with nothing here.

In the second hand, you do not have a deep enough stack to give you the proper implied odds to play 86s at this point, particularly from middle position with only one caller already in. If you were in the SB and there had been three limpers, it would be a different story, perhaps, but as is you should really fold this preflop the first time.

[TheTimeIsUp]

[ QUOTE ]
OK I guess I was wondering whether my PF raise in the first hand was too aggressive. Did I raise too much, should I push? Is my continuation bet the right move? Is it too large?

[/ QUOTE ]

You were fine pf. Your continuation bet was way too small it looks.

[TheDelChop]

Well even though I am mixing up my continuation bets, this is my third hand at this table and the first one I played so no one would have time to notice. Do I have a big enough stack to make this kind of bet?

[TheTimeIsUp]

I would have checked since it is such a big portion of your stack. However, I would have pushed pf with 2 limpers and less than 20bb with a solid hand.

[TheDelChop]

OK. Thank you. It seems to me that is what I should have done in the first place, because I don't really have enough chips to bet if I miss. After I f'ed that up I should have just checked the flop and surrendered. Many thanks.

[ismisus]

First hand, you had a good chance of taking it down pre-flop. I would make it even 4000 pre-flop there, or just limp depending on how loose the table and how loose your image is. That limp/call by the villain indicates a small pocket pair. The raise on the flop probably means 44 or 55 for a set. Think of it as losing a coinflip. Little you could do.

Second hand, I would fold pre-flop, especially UTG+3. Suited connectors play well with big stacks, but you only have barely over 12 BB. You're investing almost 10% of your stack on 6 8, which you might not even see the flop with! You get your dream flop, the pot is 6600, you have 7500 chips, two people checked, you have to move in. After this move, I would put you on a pair of 9s, and fold my underpair/AK.

You can also try to represent the trip 7s by check raising the flop. If she bets your stack, then you're pretty much commited anyways to calling. Since you're getting 3 to 1 on a 2 to 1.

[ismisus]

[ QUOTE ]
OK. Thank you. It seems to me that is what I should have done in the first place, because I don't really have enough chips to bet if I miss. After I f'ed that up I should have just checked the flop and surrendered. Many thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think you should be that results-oriented. There was a very good chance that your hand was still good after that flop. You should always bet that flop with AQ after raising, otherwise you shouldn't raise those limpers with AQ. You would sometimes only check K T 8 type flops, those sorts of flops are dangerous to AQ.

[TheDelChop]

Yes but my stack size is so small compared to the size of the pot, that if the villian does any sort of raising I am in big trouble. I think i should be pushing here most because I am OOP. If I was last to act or in a LP I could play this hand out more.

[Mark1808]

In the first hand, since you had position what about taking 3 1/2 - 1 and seeing a flop? You are 3 - 1 to hit that flop and if you do, you figure to be ahead of everyone. If its checked to you after the flop you can bet it out and probably take it. It's just a thought, I know the standard play is to raise here, but what about playing "small ball"?

Did the guy have a 7 in the second hand? Since you were committed to calling all in why not push all in? You could get a 9 to fold and you are a coin flip to make your hand.