Please critique this hand!!!
 

Ok, late in a poker stars Multi with about 600 people in it. There are 26 people left and I am a little above average but waiting to make a move to push me to the final table. I get dealt Aces on the button and here is my sad story. What could I of done differently ... Thank you.

PokerStars Game #993307516: Tournament #4046623, Hold'em No Limit - Level XI
(600/1200) - 2004/12/23 - 23:01:10 (ET)
Table '4046623 59' Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: fryedaddy (12278 in chips)
Seat 4: kwonzalez (37589 in chips)
Seat 5: Se103 (6330 in chips)
Seat 6: TonySopran0 (18735 in chips)
Seat 7: kywildcard (15965 in chips)
Seat 8: dimplerock (50051 in chips)
Seat 9: Shakes73 (28035 in chips)
fryedaddy: posts the ante 75
kwonzalez: posts the ante 75
Se103: posts the ante 75
TonySopran0: posts the ante 75
kywildcard: posts the ante 75
dimplerock: posts the ante 75
Shakes73: posts the ante 75
dimplerock: posts small blind 600
Shakes73: posts big blind 1200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to TonySopran0 [Ad Ah]
fryedaddy: folds
kwonzalez: folds
Se103: folds
TonySopran0: raises 1200 to 2400
kywildcard: folds
dimplerock: calls 1800
Shakes73: calls 1200
*** FLOP *** [3c As Tc]
dimplerock: checks
Shakes73: checks
TonySopran0: checks
*** TURN *** [3c As Tc] [4s]
dimplerock: bets 3600
Shakes73: calls 3600
TonySopran0: raises 8400 to 12000
dimplerock: folds
Shakes73: calls 8400
*** RIVER *** [3c As Tc 4s] [Qc]
Shakes73: bets 5000
TonySopran0: calls 4260 and is all-in
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Shakes73: shows [Ac 2c] (a flush, Ace high)
TonySopran0: shows [Ad Ah] (three of a kind, Aces)
TonySopran0 said, "unreal"
Shakes73 collected 43845 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 43845 | Rake 0
Board [3c As Tc 4s Qc]
Seat 1: fryedaddy folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: kwonzalez folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Se103 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: TonySopran0 showed [Ad Ah] and lost with three of a kind, Aces
Seat 7: kywildcard (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: dimplerock (small blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 9: Shakes73 (big blind) showed [Ac 2c] and won (43845) with a flush, Ace
high

Re: Please critique this hand!!!
 

I think I bet out here on the flop 1/2 to 2/3 the pot get some information about what your opponents may be holding. If they call and then check the turn, you can then make a decision if you want to bet them out and try and win the pot right there or try and value bet hoping the flush draw doesn't hit.

You decided to gamble and got beat. You obviously want to get maximum value for trip AA's but on that baord, there was certainly an opportunity for someone to catch you. As they say, its better to win a small pot than lose a big one.

I think your mistake was not betting that flop just to gain some information.

Re: Please critique this hand!!!
 

You never ever made a bet that made it correct for Shakes to fold, much less that actually encouraged him to exit the premises.

Sometimes the trapper is trapped.

And just what was it that you thought was "unreal?"

Doug

Re: Please critique this hand!!!
 

Well doug, it was a huge hand and I was a little uhh "perturbed" that's what UNREAL means. I just find it hard to believe that anyone with a flush draw with one card to go would risk it all knowing full well he was beat with a check raise like that. I was playing Shakes' game as he was often stealing pots I knew one of em would fire at the turn and I wanted to hit em with the check raise. I do agree with the first guy, not betting the flop was my demise. Being greedy is a bitch in poker, but I wanted it all and a free ride to the final table and got burned. Plays like these are why I always make the money and a ton of final tables but never hit 1st, I get to fancy.....

Re: Please critique this hand!!!
 

I would make a bigger raise PF unless minraises were standard at the table - it's a bad idea to vary your raise size just because you want a call.

Onto the hand: I think this particular outcome is just bad luck. There is no 'information' you can find out from this hand: 99% of the time they've got nothing and fold. (In the rare event that somebody calls, they've got a weaker ace or maybe a medium pair more often than the draw.)

However, you still need to bet for a different reason: checking means you either have nothing or a monster. Unless you are up against a real LAG don't disappoint them - bet weakly and let them semibluff CR over the top with middle pair.

In this case, though, you're screwed anyway. He has top pair and the flush draw; he's not folding.

Re: Please critique this hand!!!
 

Look, I don't want to get into a pissing match with you, but if you can shake off your emotional reaction to the hand, I think you can learn something from it.

Put yourself in Shakes' position. You've got A2 suited in the BB and get to see the flop for a minimum raise. The flop gives you top pair and the nut-flush draw. From that point on, there was never a bet that wasn't CORRECT for him to call, given the pot odds.

You may not like the result, but, as I believe has been said elsewhere on this Forum, that's poker. Trust me, you'll lose with AA to worse beats than this one.

I don't mean to be harsh, but I do think you need to understand that this hand is not in any way, shape or form unreal, or even that out-of-the-ordinary in nature.

Doug

Re: Please critique this hand!!!
 

The guy directly in front of me in this hand was well known at the table to play any ace. I put him on A rag and was hoping he would hit on his rag for two pair. My first instinct was to bet the flop because of the clubs, but I was sure one of them would of bet their draw. I mis played it and paid dearly, however if that Q would of been a spade and not a club I would be calling myself a genius. If I had it to do all over again I would hit the flop hard and take it right there,. Knowing the kind of player he was I would of been all in at that point anyway because he would of pulled the trigger and I would of been obligated to call obviously. But I have been cashing in a ton of tournaments and am just looking for a way to get to that next level and finally take first in a big one. I am sure some of you have read my other whiny posts about JJ losing to JQ on the final table etc. I am by no means a seasoned pro, I've only been playing for about 6 months. So all these reply's really help me and I want to thank everyone (except for Doug, don't need any smartass remarks from the peanut gallery). Anymore?

Re: Please critique this hand!!!
 

[ QUOTE ]
I would make a bigger raise PF unless minraises were standard at the table - it's a bad idea to vary your raise size just because you want a call.

Onto the hand: I think this particular outcome is just bad luck. There is no 'information' you can find out from this hand: 99% of the time they've got nothing and fold. (In the rare event that somebody calls, they've got a weaker ace or maybe a medium pair more often than the draw.)

However, you still need to bet for a different reason: checking means you either have nothing or a monster. Unless you are up against a real LAG don't disappoint them - bet weakly and let them semibluff CR over the top with middle pair.

In this case, though, you're screwed anyway. He has top pair and the flush draw; he's not folding.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have been trying to mix my raises up an awful lot so nobody can put me on anything. I go from 2-5x the BB in different orders with all sorts of hands. In retro spect though I should of put in more, you are right. The problem with that is they just would of called anyway. And to be honest if I am going to get called down with a set of Aces I aint folding, ever.... The more I think about this hand I was just damned from the get go, there was no way to drop it......

Re: Please critique this hand!!!
 

you have to mix up your play

this hand could go either way, i like your line, but you got sucked out on

checkin this flop is somewhat dangerous since there is a flush draw and also an inside draw to broadway if someone has high cards

it's a tough beat but all you can do is shrug it off, guy made a bad call drawing real slim and pulled it- it's poker....

Re: Please critique this hand!!!
 

If anyone is paying attention, mixing up your preflop raises will actually do the opposite of what your attempting.

Ovbiously by now you realize you should have bet the flop, but i have to think that you both would have ended up all in, it being on the river instead of the flop or the turn doesnt really matter. I'm quite certain he was willing to go the whole way with this one.

Just bad luck is all.