Did I overplay?
 

I had been playing pretty tight poker for the most part and I had to show down 3 different hands so far. One pocket pair of KK's and AQ and a JJ. I'm about average stack and I've had one AK cracked when an ace hit on the flop and my oppenent had pocket Aces. So when I get a second AK I decide to play aggressive. Keep in mind that the chip leader just sat down at the table the hand before this. Did I overplay? I appreciate comments and I've learned ALOT from lurking and asking questions on the board.

Thanks
Big

PokerStars Game #2511141284: Tournament #12216146, Hold'em No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2005/09/06 - 07:54:07 (ET)
Table '12216146 3' Seat #3 is the button

Seat 1: Lunar4 (1645 in chips)
Seat 3: LaBonteFan18 (1660 in chips)
Seat 4: TWEETYLADY (2320 in chips)
<font color="blue">Seat 5: BigCountry68 (2460 in chips) </font>
Seat 6: --Paula--x (190 in chips)
Seat 8: drturnage (10986 in chips)
Seat 9: MR HANNA (7295 in chips)
TWEETYLADY: posts small blind 75
BigCountry68: posts big blind 150

*** HOLE CARDS ***
<font color="blue">Dealt to BigCountry68 [Ks Ad]</font>
--Paula--x: folds
drturnage: calls 150
MR HANNA: calls 150
Lunar4: folds
LaBonteFan18: folds
TWEETYLADY: calls 75
<font color="blue">BigCountry68: raises 450 to 600</font>
drturnage: calls 450
MR HANNA: folds
TWEETYLADY: calls 450

*** FLOP *** [8c 7h 3s]
TWEETYLADY: checks
<font color="blue">BigCountry68: bets 1000</font>
drturnage: calls 1000
TWEETYLADY: folds

*** TURN *** [8c 7h 3s] [6s]
<font color="blue">BigCountry68: bets 860 and is all-in</font> <font color="red">I was pretty sure he didn't have the straight but I also didn't want him drawing at it. After the 1000 bet on the flop I was pretty much committed.</font>
drturnage: calls 860

*** RIVER *** [8c 7h 3s 6s] [Ah]

*** SHOW DOWN ***
<font color="blue">BigCountry68: shows [Ks Ad] (a pair of Aces)</font>
drturnage: shows [8h 8s] (three of a kind, Eights)
drturnage collected 5670 from pot

*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 5670 | Rake 0
Board [8c 7h 3s 6s Ah]
Seat 1: Lunar4 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: LaBonteFan18 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: TWEETYLADY (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 5: BigCountry68 (big blind) showed [Ks Ad] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 6: --Paula--x folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: drturnage showed [8h 8s] and won (5670) with three of a kind, Eights
Seat 9: MR HANNA folded before Flop

Re: Did I overplay?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I was pretty sure he didn't have the straight but I also didn't want him drawing at it. After the 1000 bet on the flop I was pretty much committed.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's why you should have pushed the flop if you were going to bet at all. The problem with playing AK the way you did on a stack like yours is that you'll miss the flop 70% of the time and you didn't really have enough chips to make a continuation bet. I think you have a few options that would be better than the line you took:

1) Check and take a free flop. If the board comes A- or K- high, you can probably get some money from players who might have folded weaker kickers if you raised pre-flop. If not, you get away cheap.

2) Push pre-flop. You stand to increase your stack by 20% if you take it down before the flop, and you'll be flipping a coin or dominating the vast majority of the time you're called.

3) Make a pot-sized raise pre-flop, and if you're called, push any A- or K-high board, check-fold if you miss. I think pushing pre-flop is a much better option than this, but if you're trying to play cautiously, this is an option.

What you can't do is make a 3x raise against several limpers, someone is going to call, and you are going to have a tough decision the 70% of the time that you miss.

Re: Did I overplay?
 

Mike,

Your pf raise was a little light. Big stack is not going away for only 450 more. I probably bump it to 750 and be prepared to push it all-in on the flop, or alternatively, just push pf. In this instance, push might be best to avoid playing AK oop against an unknown big stack.

Re: Did I overplay?
 

So far I've got two responses to have pushed earlier and after thinking about it some more I like that thought. You were right when you said that the big stack wasn't going away for that little of a bet. Thanks for the responses so far I never go away from here without learning something.

Big

Re: Did I overplay?
 

I'm trying to remember what made me raise this hand only 3x the BB. And I can't think of what my logic was at that point. I do think at this point I should've pushed all-in as my first option and checked as my second option. Question is, if you were sitting on the Big Stack's chip count would you have called an all-in bet by BB with your pocket 8's?

Re: Did I overplay?
 

I would push preflop. You are out of position and AK is a hand you would rather push with than see a flop. I agree with the other poster that checking in blinds or putting in a larger raise are probably better than what you did. If you put in a larger raise, just push on the flop whatever hits.

On the flop, you missed against two players. It is possible they both have high cards and you are ahead. Someone might have a small pair and fold. There is a lot of money in the pot, so the way youplayed it isn't unreasonable, but with two opponents, you could also check/fold.

Re: Did I overplay?
 

[ QUOTE ]
and checked as my second option.

[/ QUOTE ]

woh..no. Again, you miss the flop 2/3 of the time here and when that happens you're gonna have to check fold AK. I mean, you've got a decent stack, but not one where you can pass up an opportunity to pick up chips by underplaying your hand.

[ QUOTE ]
Question is, if you were sitting on the Big Stack's chip count would you have called an all-in bet by BB with your pocket 8's?

[/ QUOTE ]

Only really matters what he would do. Since he is new, you dont know. But, you already have the overlay you need to take a coin-flip, factor in the % of the time he folds and this is way +EV and makes checking really bad.

Re: Did I overplay?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I agree with the other poster that checking in blinds

[/ QUOTE ]

What % of the time do you actually do that in original poster's position? Not being critical, just asking. I think its giving up way to much.

Thanks-

Re: Did I overplay?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I agree with the other poster that checking in blinds


[/ QUOTE ]

What % of the time do you actually do that in original poster's position? Not being critical, just asking. I think its giving up way to much.


[/ QUOTE ]

I would do it 0% of the time, unless I was a WPT regular and people were watching how I played.

I just think it is better than the play OP made, making a pot building raise out of position with a hand that will miss the flop 2/3 of the time.

Re: Did I overplay?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I just think it is better than the play OP made, making a pot building raise out of position with a hand that will miss the flop 2/3 of the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

understood, ty.