Party $20+2 NL...what did I do wrong here?

[Go Blue]

So this hand is from the Party $20+2. This is the point where I was eliminated so I'm wondering if I could have done anything different here to either take down the pot or get away from the hand.

This is just after the first break, so around half the field is left and my stack is just below average at around T1800. I am in MP. The person to my right, who has a stack of around T4500 or so min-raises to 200. I have AKs. I don't want to risk losing a lot of chips here yet I know it's a good hand. I decide to min-raise to hopefully get everyone else to fold and to isolate the opponent to my right (who, I should add, has made some raises with a couple of questionable hands). I decide that If I flop the top pair or a flush draw, I will go all in almost no matter what and if I don't, then I will probably not commit too many chips.

Anyway, one other person (also a big stack) called and the raiser called. The flop came KQ4 rainbow. That's something I liked at that point and I figure that the only hand I should be worried about is KQ. So the guy to my right bets for 100 and I move all in as planned. The other big stack folds and the bettor calls with KQ. I'm out.

So, let me have it. What should I have done here? I'm really not happy with the way this turned out. Should I have just pushed preflop or something? Thanks in advance.

[DemonDeac]

do more than miniraise and hope the villain is a smart player and will fold KQ becase that hand is trouble

[Go Blue]

Is that it? Thanks...I guess.

[TylerK]

I don't think there's anything you can do...I probably lose my stack on this one.

[Go Blue]

Ah! Well at least someone said it!

[TylerK]

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Ah! Well at least someone said it!

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I just knew what you wanted to hear. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Seriously though, there's maybe 2 hands you're afraid of here. Not enough to not lose all your chips, IMHO.

[ethan]

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So, let me have it.

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The min-reraise preflop is pretty bad. Anyone who'd have called the 200 will call the 300, so it does nothing to isolate you with the loose raiser. Isolating is a very good idea, though. Raising the pot would be making it 750. 1/2pot would be to 475. My instinct would be to make it 550-600 here. He doesn't sound like the sort to fold preflop to this raise, and it should clear out a bunch of hands you'd like gone.

Then on the flop, he bets 100 into a pot of 1000 and you push your remaining 1500. The problem here is that you still lose the maximum while behind, but you'll make less some of the times when you're ahead. I'm more inclined to make it 700 or so, then push the rest in on the turn. If he's bad he may not realize that you're pot-committing yourself on the flop and that it's going to cost him the 800 you have left to see a river, so hands that might have folded will hang around.

If you're ahead he has at most 7 outs (JT), and much more likely 3 (KT) or 5(QJ). Maybe even 2(TT). You may also be able to get some chips out of the 3rd player if he has something like AQ. If either has JT and makes a straight so be it, I want to double up here.

You say "I don't want to risk losing a lot of chips here." I think you'd benefit from changing your mindset to "I have action from a loose player and a great hand, I want to get as much out of this as I possibly can." If you're going to gain chips, you're going to have to risk losing them, too.

Pushing preflop is an option. You'd be raising about 3x the pot, and he might be willing to gamble with a worse hand. If he's the sort to call a push with KJo then go ahead, otherwise you probably want his KJ to see a flop.

[ethan]

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do more than miniraise and hope the villain is a smart player and will fold KQ becase that hand is trouble

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My take -
Do more than miniraise and be happy that villain is a dumb player who won't fold KQ because he doesn't know the hand is trouble.

[ZeroMan]

in the situation youve got yourself in pushing on the flop is just -EV. your only going to be called be a hand like KQ, or better than yours. so you end up losing the max and winning the least with this play

[DVC Calif]

Okay, Villain minraises from UTG+1 and smooth calls your min re-raise. Your notes have him raising with questionable hands, but I would be careful of his stack and early position raise. Your AKs is a premium hand but is dominated PF by any pp, especially AA and KK. You really don't have any information on the strength of his hand because you failed to raise enough to put him to a decision.

That being said, here is what I think may be leaks in this play:

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I decide to min-raise to hopefully get everyone else to fold and to isolate the opponent to my right...

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Was this a fairly passive table? As stated above, I would raise more to help define villain's hand a little. T500 sounds about right with t350 already in the pot.

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I decide that If I flop the top pair or a flush draw, I will go all in almost no matter what....

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If you only want to take the pot, why not push PF? It would have been the same amount of chips. With this flop, you are either way ahead or way behind. There's no telling though because you have no information.

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I figure that the only hand I should be worried about is KQ.

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Why is that? I could see AA and KK played the same. Even QQ might have been min-raised due to early position. This would allow him to get away cheaply if re-raised substantially. And if villain was raising questionable hands, he might have even minraised with 44 too. You could have been up against a flopped set and not even known it.