I tried to steal...

[Raiser]

Hey guys. Thanks to eMarkM's famous post, I've been doing better in these MTT's of late (not good enough, but better anyway). Unfortunately I've gotten in a few steal spots that I think I took too far. I have an especially tough time when people play back at me because they know that I'm likely stealing. Then I feel I have to play back at them to make it look like I'm not stealing. etc, etc, etc. Anyway here's one such hand.

I'm on the button with ~3200. It gets folded to me. The big blind is 100 at the time. The SB has ~700 and the BB has ~3000. I look down at T4o and I remember all of the posts that say that this is a good steal opportunity with almost any 2 cards. So I make my standard raise (300) and BB calls. Flop is QTx (2 hearts). BB bets 200, which I felt was a weak drawy type bet. I felt I was ahead and raised it to 750. He then goes all in. I fold and he claims to have been on a heart draw.

Did I play this okay? This happens to me quite a bit where I try to steal and catch enough of the flop to believe that I could be ahead.

Thanks in advance.

[DonT77]

I'm not the player that some of these other guys are, but I can tell you that when things are not running well your steal attempts will run into hands like AA or KK. When tight players suddenly become aggressive, then it is time to back off. Sometimes players will play back at you when they suspect that you are stealing with any two, and that will test your post-flop play (because you'll usually fold T4o to a re-raise PF).

I suspect that this guy was getting tired of being run over, so he pushed back with anything that he thought could win - in this case a flush draw. Raise him again next time when you have the goods and call his frustrated all-in reraise.

[SossMan]

I tend to fold my complete junk when on the button. The blinds will be expecting a raise from that position, so when I fold, I put it in everyone's mind that I'm not stealing everytime it gets folded to me in LP. If I have junk and want to steal preflop, I will do it from 1-3 spots from the button (depending on the tightness of the players on my left and the blinds).
The problem with stealing with junk on the button is that the blinds will put you on junk. When people put you on what you have, it makes the rest of the hand tough.
it seems counterintuitive, but i believe this line is correct...at least for now.

[gergery]

I also like the “fold on the button, followed by a steal from the cutoff”. And its close cousin, the “fold in the SB then steal from the button”. People will have just seen you fold a good stealing oppty and give you more credit.

I also think you need to be careful with stealing – it works when people let you do it – so if they are playing back or catching you its time to tighten up for awhile.

[housenuts]

i think stealing from the cutoff is more obvious than stealing from the button.

[betgo]

I know the books will say to steal with nothing, but that is only with the right situation (tight table, tight blinds, big stack). You have to be pretty sure you won't get called to raise with a hand like that. This is the kind of trouble you get into playing T4. You hit something, but you can't play it confidently.