When to slow down - PStars $20 NLHE tourney?

[McMelchior]

321 starters, 36 places paid: #18-#10 gets $77, #9 $109, #8 $166, etc.

Down to last 16, Blinds/Ante T1000/T2000/T100, I have T22k, 2/3 of average stack, smallest at (the full) table, but not by much - and I have (surprisingly) found myself to be playing better than most of the others at the table.

I'm in BB, the table chip leader with T40k limps in EP, and everybody folds to me.

I've been at the table for ca. 12 hands, and I've seen him be involved in a number of them with what seemed like weak holdings; I'm tempted to move all-in to punish him for limping in EP, but decide the safe strategy of seeing the flop with T5,900 in the pot:

6d Td Qh

I've flopped top/bottom pair, and decide to check-raise the guy ???

He bets T4,000, and I raise him to T8,000 (too little)?

He moves all-in (covers me).

I call without hesitation - with one 6 in my hand and one on the table I'm not to scared of a set, and I just don't believe in QT ???

Card flips over, he's holding KJh, an open ended str8 draw.

You wouldn't be reading this post if the turn hadn't come Ad to make his str8, and the river neither paired me to a boat nor made the flush.

I'm better than a 2:1 favorite on the flop (and that's against a decent draw, I would have trusted him to make the same move holding QJ), so I'm not too upset by busting out here ... except for when I see, that a disconnected player with slightly more chips than I makes it to #8 by posting and folding and nets $166 ... /images/graemlins/confused.gif

If I'd sit tight and made like one successful steal, I would have more than doubled my profit. Is this a bad place to go all-in against a stack that can break you, even with a decent hand like mine? If I'd won (!) I'd be holding 1.5 x average stack, and would have - considering the level of play - felt pretty sure to make the final say 6, netting at least $289 instead of my measely $77 ???

Comments appreciated! /images/graemlins/blush.gif

best,

McMelchior (Johan)

[Prickly Pete]

You flopped a pretty big hand and had a good read on him. You got your chips in while you were ahead and gave yourself a great chance to finish high in the money. I'd take that every time.

[Bozeman]

The difference between 8th and 16th is marginal, but the difference between 3rd and 8th is huge, so this is definitely the right play.

[CrisBrown]

Hi McMelcior,

I'm guessing from your post that you had Q6, although you didn't specify that. Arrgh, tough situation. I think I'd have moved all-in at the flop, and let him decide whether to call that on his draw. By check-raising, you got him pot-committed, and he made a bad call that lucked out. If you had gone all-in at the flop, he'd probably have mucked his draw (reading you for QT, Q6, or T6), and you'd have taken down the hand and stayed alive.

I know, I know. TTOP says that you only gain when your opponent makes a mistake, so theoretically you gained by losing where you'd have lost by winning (moving all-in). But I'll take my wins where I can get them....

Cris

[McMelchior]

Thank you for the replies.
Yes, Qd6h it was, and my mistake was obviously slow-playing a good, but still vulnerable hand. By only re-raising my opponent minimum I actually give him way too decent pot odds PLUS the option of trying to drive me out by moving all-in; Sklansky warns against slow-playing strong(ish) hands in TPFAP, because the possible gain in chips is far outweighed by the increased risk of going broke!
An other lesson learned ... /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Best,

McMelchior (Johan)