invictus
03-24-2004, 07:00 PM
This is not a bad beat rant, I just want to know what better players think of the way I played a decisive hand.
Last night I made it to the final four in a local no-limit hold'em tournament that only pays the top three finishers. When we got down to four I had about 6,000 chips, Big Stack had 16,000, the other two players had 5,000 and 3,000. Big Stack is playing very loose-aggressive (he called a pre-flop raise with 8-2 offsuit and flopped a full house) and catching tons of cards, breaking people right and left. Earlier he had gone broke twice and rebought both times. Anyways, once we get down to four I start slaughtering him. I win six head-to-head pots in a row against him. Everytime he calls me I have a huge hand, everytime he folds under pressure I am either bluffing or semi-bluffing. He is clearly confused, terrified to enter any pot with me. Now I have 12,000 in chips, Big Stack has 13,000 (he is still crushing the small stacks) the other two guys have 3,000 and 2,000. Then this happens....
Big Stack is in the small blind, I am UTG and see Q spades J spades. I call the big blind, hoping to check-raise. Sure enough Big Stack raises 200, big blind folds, button has already folded. I re-raise 1,000. Big Stack looks bewildered, he thinks for 3 minutes at least then flips his lucky fifty cent piece to determine whether or not to call, I don't think he's acting and put him on rags since all day he has called any raise so long as he has a facecard. Lucky JFK says call.
Flop comes A clubs Q hearts 10 spades
I have second pair, need a King for the nut straight, and have a very outside chance at a flush.
Big Stack checks. I raise 5,000. This time 5 minutes go by before he croaks "call." I smell weakness all over him.
Turn card is 4 hearts.
I move all-in. This time he calls quickly. He flips over A diamonds 4 clubs.
I pray for a Queen or a King but my sins draw me an 8 of whatever. Just like that I'm out of the tournament, out of the money and out of luck.
How bad of a move was it? In retrospect I should have just leaned on the small stacks till I broke them before trying a coup against the only player who could hurt me badly. I have read many poker books and know my timing was horrible. On the other hand, I smelled weakness and truly believed I had the best hand. In the back of my head the whole time was every poker experts' exhortation "Be aggressive." The worst part is that I was by far the most skilled player at the table and know I could have outplyed them all if I hadn't been broke.
So, Am I an idiot?
Last night I made it to the final four in a local no-limit hold'em tournament that only pays the top three finishers. When we got down to four I had about 6,000 chips, Big Stack had 16,000, the other two players had 5,000 and 3,000. Big Stack is playing very loose-aggressive (he called a pre-flop raise with 8-2 offsuit and flopped a full house) and catching tons of cards, breaking people right and left. Earlier he had gone broke twice and rebought both times. Anyways, once we get down to four I start slaughtering him. I win six head-to-head pots in a row against him. Everytime he calls me I have a huge hand, everytime he folds under pressure I am either bluffing or semi-bluffing. He is clearly confused, terrified to enter any pot with me. Now I have 12,000 in chips, Big Stack has 13,000 (he is still crushing the small stacks) the other two guys have 3,000 and 2,000. Then this happens....
Big Stack is in the small blind, I am UTG and see Q spades J spades. I call the big blind, hoping to check-raise. Sure enough Big Stack raises 200, big blind folds, button has already folded. I re-raise 1,000. Big Stack looks bewildered, he thinks for 3 minutes at least then flips his lucky fifty cent piece to determine whether or not to call, I don't think he's acting and put him on rags since all day he has called any raise so long as he has a facecard. Lucky JFK says call.
Flop comes A clubs Q hearts 10 spades
I have second pair, need a King for the nut straight, and have a very outside chance at a flush.
Big Stack checks. I raise 5,000. This time 5 minutes go by before he croaks "call." I smell weakness all over him.
Turn card is 4 hearts.
I move all-in. This time he calls quickly. He flips over A diamonds 4 clubs.
I pray for a Queen or a King but my sins draw me an 8 of whatever. Just like that I'm out of the tournament, out of the money and out of luck.
How bad of a move was it? In retrospect I should have just leaned on the small stacks till I broke them before trying a coup against the only player who could hurt me badly. I have read many poker books and know my timing was horrible. On the other hand, I smelled weakness and truly believed I had the best hand. In the back of my head the whole time was every poker experts' exhortation "Be aggressive." The worst part is that I was by far the most skilled player at the table and know I could have outplyed them all if I hadn't been broke.
So, Am I an idiot?