Questioning my tournament play. Comments appreciated.

[Sidekick]

I've played in about 18 to 24 online tournaments. The last half dozen or so have really frustrated me.

I feel like I'm just taking bad beats, but I hear so many players whine about that when IMO they just flat out got outplayed. I don't want to be in this category, so I would appreciate comments on what I did wrong or might do differently in the future in these types of situations.

Thanks in advance for those who take the time to read and analyze this hand.


This is close to 2 hours into the tournament. I took a bad beat earlier that nearly wiped out my chips. I've managed to survive and come back a bit, but the average stack at this point is around 7k.

Blinds are at 200/400 with a 25 ante.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (9 handed)

Button (t6750)
SB (t10145)
BB (t5165)
UTG (t4150)
UTG+1 (t5382)
MP1 (t13045)
MP2 (t7744)
Hero (t3003)
CO (t2140)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t800</font>, CO folds, Button folds, SB calls t600, BB folds.

Flop: (t1600) J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">SB bets t400</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t2178</font>, SB calls t1778.

Turn: (t5956) K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>

River: (t5956) J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: t5956

[SixgunSam]

I'm sure others are going to say the same thing -- mini-raises suck. What exactly did you accomplish with a mini-raise? You've commited nearly 1/3 of your stack on a mini-raise, so you are commited to put all your chips in anyway. You're not going to pick up the blinds for a mini-raise. If you are pushing all-in, you have a good chance at picking up t600 plus the antes by folding the blinds and growing your stack by about 1/4. If you get called, you commit your opponents to pay you off for t3000, the other way you only commit them for t800. You have less than 8x the BB, you should be pushing all-in pre-flop. You made it cheap for the larger stacks' inferior hands to draw out on you.

[Stoneii]

yep min raises are to be used sparingly (ie when blinds are huge) - u gave him nearly 3-1 odds to call with all antes in pot as well. Since 3BB is getting on for 40% of yer stack - push imo.

You therefore gain more fold equity and winning 800+ chips uncontested with a stack of 3000 is significant (again just my opinion)

G'Luck

stoneii

[Sidekick]

So... if I'm understanding correctly, the only problem you are seeing with my play on this hand is the small mini-raise preflop?

I understand that I don't want to use the mini-raise preflop often, but should I really commit to a large enough bet that will make me pot committed (considering my stack size), or even go all in with only an AQo? While this is a fairly strong hand, I didn't think it was strong enough to be a preflop all-in hand unless one is desparate?

I'm trying to understand concepts better so I can apply them to any similar situations I run across in tournament play. I really appreciate the helpful comments so far. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[West]

I most definitely think it's strong enough to go all in with here. And given your position I'd be feeling pretty good about it. In fact, this really is the type of situation you'd hope to get with your stack. The guy in the CO acting next has a short stack and may very well call his 2000+ with a hand you're dominating. And there's no guarantee the button or the blinds, who all have you covered, won't call you with say, AJ (or worse). The 800 in the pot is certainly worth winning uncontested when you consider your stack. The min raise could win up working well for you if say, one of the blinds has a hand like KQ that you're dominating, or it could cost you your 800 (or whole stack) if they decide to call and go with their hand if they catch a decent part of the flop. What do you do if all fold to BB, who calls, then puts you all in on a flop that misses you? Then you're down to 2200 chips and hurting if you fold. It may not be likely, but if the BB has a small PP (that he *should* likely fold to your all in), you're actually giving him implied odds to flop a set on you (800 in pot, plus your 800 raise = 1600, plus the 2200 you'll have left in your stack = 3800, only costs him 400 to call. 9.5 to 1 implied odds.)

You've probably got the best hand, may fold mid to small pp that are beating you, and may get called by hands you're dominating. I personally wouldn't play around with a min raise that could get you beat by an inferior hand, by a hand that would have folded to an all in, or even by a bluff on the flop, especially given you're stack.

[ron dogg]

you have less than 10x the big blind. Move all in preflop. There are some dominated hands that might call here.

that is all,
R-

[Sidekick]

Thanks for the added input. I know I didn't think about the implied odds on the call, just the actual odds when the other person made the call. Shows I still have a long way to go yet.

Thanks again for all the input. And FWIW, I'll post the results for the curious.

Results in white below: <font color="white">
SB shows As Tc (straight, ace high).
Hero shows Qh Ac (two pair, queens and jacks).
Outcome: SB wins t5956. </font>

[MikeGuz]

Problem you are facing is SB can call your all in here and still be in contention. SO I think your play here is to go all in and see all 5 board cards. Chances are you pick up the blinds which is not bad news and if you get called you went down swinging assuming you go down at all.

As a guy who has been playing tournaments both live and on line you will be fustrated getting big hands cracked even if played perfectly but the joy of winning or even making a final table in a field of good players is so gratifying it is hard to describe.

I wish you luck - my only advice is if you are going to error it ought to be on the side of agression not weakness.

[Sidekick]

Getting my hands cracked has been what prompted this post in the first place. My last half dozen tournaments or so I have been ahead when I pushed all my chips in, each time my hand was beaten (by what I thought at least) by weaker hands.

Typical stuff I'm sure, like going all in when I flop a full house, get called and the caller makes a bigger full house on the river. Going all in with a set and someone with a smaller set calls me and then hits quads on the turn, etc.

I'm not looking to bemoan how things went, but trying to see if there is anything I can improve in my game to stop it from happening with such regularity. I realize it is going to happen to everyone from time to time, but it has happened about six times in a row to me. I don't know if this is normal or just a bad streak.

[MikeGuz]

Harras carnival of poker. AA cracked 8 times busting me out of all the tournaments and some sats. Thank goodness for some good ring play and single sat table success salvaging a nasty trip.

This run of bad luck appears in the archives I was posting under the handle of Rounder. I actually had black AA cracked in successive hands here is how it happened. I got black AA in mid position and made a reraise an early position raiser who went all in and I called heads up - TT flops a set I immediately go over to the satalite section buy into a $200 sat get black AA first hand raise get reraised all in by 88 he flops 88 for quads. SO you want to talk about getting good hands cracked hell I have more bad beat stories than just about anyone I know - it didn't stop me I have played what I hope is my A+ game and took home a lot of prizes. Now that my kids are out of college I plan to get back on the mojor tournament trail and maybe win some big money.

I wish you luck and keep your chin up play agressively and don't let the bad beats change your game they are part of the game we choose to play.