Help a Brother Out

[Taraz]

It seems like I'm always folding my way to level 3 lately and finding myself as one of the shorter stacks and then something like the hand below happens. I have a couple questions: On a smaller scale, I played this hand correctly, right? But on a larger scale, do you guys often find yourself in a position when you have around 600 chips when the blinds are about to move to level 4?

All too often I end up having to push marginal hands before it really gets to the bubble. That's just the nature of the beast, right? Trying to steal 50 chip blinds is wrong, isn't it?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t50 (9 max, 6 handed) converter

MP (t860)
Hero (t760)
Button (t1840)
SB (t530)
BB (t995)
UTG (t3015)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t150</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, BB calls t100.

Flop: (t325) 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t150</font>, BB calls t150.

Turn: (t625) T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, Hero checks.

River: (t625) K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">BB bets t250</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: t875

[Scuba Chuck]

I don't know if I'm qualified to help a brotha out...

[ QUOTE ]
It seems like I'm always folding my way to level 3 lately and finding myself as one of the shorter stacks

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, so far that sounds like me 75% of the time (or more)

[ QUOTE ]
Hero (t760)

[/ QUOTE ]

That's not small for level 3.

[ QUOTE ]
BB checks, Hero bets t150, BB calls t150.

[/ QUOTE ]

IMO, if you're going to make a continuation bet, it needs to be larger. Threaten his stack. If you had QQ here, would you bet this little with the flush draw?

Scuba

[lastchance]

Seems fine. Standard. Remember, you take it down a lot of the time when you bet the flop.

[Newt_Buggs]

looks fine to me, but as scuba suggested I would also make the continuation bet 200-250.

on getting blinded down to a short stack:
My guess is that you are just on a cold streak not catching many cards. I'll often have several sets where on every table I just can't get delt a playable hand until I'm forced to make a steal without ever having won a pot. It sucks, but it happens.

[DasLeben]

[ QUOTE ]
But on a larger scale, do you guys often find yourself in a position when you have around 600 chips when the blinds are about to move to level 4?

[/ QUOTE ]

That's way normal. Sometimes you just end up folding your way to level 4 because of crappy cards. It happens a good amount of the time. A lot of the time I find myself doubling up for the first time while sucking out on a steal. ATs? Psh, I have 73o, baby.