I really think I screwed up here, but maybe not.

[HonchoOverload]

Yesterday's Stars $10R. On the final table, four left. What you need to know: I had took a somewhat substantial chip lead at 750k vs. 5 other players have 250k at the outset of the final table, playing extremely aggressively with a mix of pretty good cards. At that point, I picked up jacks and raced against AK suited. I flopped my jack and he flopped his flush draw and when I third spade came on the river I went down to about 450k. Still barely a chip lead, but no longer able to really push people around as much. All of a sudden, I get cold-decked and a villian across the table starts getting SUPER aggressive, taking down almost every hand preflop while I have nothing to reraise him with. Finally, we get down to four handed, but he has built up a huge lead after taking out the last two players with better kickers on top pair.

Then this hand came up. I pick up A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] in the small blind. The villain, who is in the cut-off, makes his standard 3x the big blind raise, which I know is any two. I decide that I want to take this opportunity to punish him for his aggression, but knowing that he almost always lays down to a reraise from me, I decide to smooth call and try to stack him on the flop if I like it. Flop is K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] I figure any pair is good here, but if I push, he will fold. If I can get him to bet, a check raise certainly has him pot-committed. He bets 180k, I cr allin and he calls quickly and flips up K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

I curse my bad read and go out in fourth.

In retrospect, it seems like a horrible play on many levels. Reraise preflop and just take it down right there against a hand that can't call a reraise. check-fold a flop with just bottom pair.

However, after living on my wits for five hours and trusting my instincts, I trusted them once again and was just wrong.

Should I have played this differently? I'm sure most of you are going to say yes, but I'm interested in feedback. I'm not sure if I should be really hard on myself or just tell myself "you were wrong, it happens"

It burns me up that I left with only $1k when first was a cool $3k. I'm not saying that I was in a great position to win, in fact, at that point the villain/chip leader had 750k vs. my 360k vs. opp 250k vs. opp 310k, so I was in big trouble in terms of being able to necessarily win, especially because he was playing pretty damn aggressively/well.

[binions]

Are you sure that's the Stars 10 Rebuy ("10R")? Those chip levels don't sound right. I had 3.8 million chips the other night at the 10R final table (9:15 pm central tourney start time).

Anyway, your retrospective analysis is correct. Your hand rates to be better than random, but not a monster. Reraise preflop, all-in if need be.

As for the flop action, going all in on the flop with 3rd pair is no good. Ever see Boiler Room? Play "as if."

What would you do if you flopped a big hand? Go all in? Probably not. You would try to milk it. When semibluffing (which you are most likely doing with 3rd pair against a preflop raiser), play "as if" you have a big hand.

[HonchoOverload]

Sorry, it was the $10R that was running in the morning, not the one last night. 310 entries, 750 rebuys, 180+ addons

[HonchoOverload]

forgot to mention...blinds were 15k/30k. I contemplated a push preflop, and guess I definitely should've.

[durron597]

[ QUOTE ]
forgot to mention...blinds were 15k/30k. I contemplated a push preflop, and guess I definitely should've.

[/ QUOTE ]

15k/30k? So he makes it 90k and you have 350k total?

EASIEST PUSH EVER. He can't call you without a hand and the pot is like 30% of your stack.

[HonchoOverload]

I might've had more actually. I don't recall having as little as 10x the bb. Lemme get the hand history.

[durron597]

A6s is not a hand you want to try to trap a LAG with. Just resteal and wait for a better spot for a big pot.

[sekrah]

Yea, you screwed the pooch on that one.

If you're going to bluff a LAG, do it preflop, not with bottom pair.