Stars and Party 500k knockouts

Knocked out of both tourneys early on with similar hands...are these hands not good enough to play? Its early, so i have no reads...

HAND 1
Folded to me in Cutoff w/ A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]10 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]...blinds are 15/30 and i raise to 120(1500 behind)...button (covers me)calls, all else fold

flop A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

I bet 200, button raises to 600, and i think and push...button flips over AK...

Hand 2
Both players in hand have 1500 as do I. UTG +1 raises to 60, i call with K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] in middle position, as does button.

flop K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]4 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

UTG+1 bets 120, i call, and button raises to 300. UTG+1 thinks and calls...I reraise all in, the button calls, and UTG+1 folds...once again lose to AK

SO are these two hands not strong enough to play? Or the better question is, at what point do you drop either hand? Thanks for responses.

[illegit]

Is there not a PP 500K thread? I don't see one.

[OrcaDK]

1)
Raise less preflop, no reason to commit too much. Many (including myself) would call with AK like villain, so you've got an easy fold after he reraises you so heavily... What hands are you beating here?

2)
Fold preflop, no reason to play sucker hands this early in this position. You ush into a bet and a raise with top pair crap kicker? Bad bad bad, fold.

[yvesaint]

top pair? why yes, ill push!! /sarcasm

thanks for the insightful commentary Yves.

[yvesaint]

[ QUOTE ]
thanks for the insightful commentary Yves.

[/ QUOTE ]

use your head - what do you expect to call your push, in each hand, that you beat?

[benneh]

fold to the raise in the first hand.

the second hand, you can probably fold preflop, but its not TOO horrible to just flat call until you get in the problem of pushing that flop.

After UTG+1 calls the raise of the initial bet, what hands are you beating here? ZYou have to muck there.

[zgall1]

Hands like these are the reason that the people on this board can make so much money.

I think you played the A10 suited hand fine up until pushing after the raise. I'm fine with making it 120 and following it up with 200 on the flop. But then it's time to muck when he comes over the top.

1st hand: PF raise is fine, after the raise you should be done with the hand, he knows that there is an ace on board, he's not betting into you without one or something else of higher value.

2nd hand: Fold Preflop and avoid the knockout.. the best thing I can advise (unless you have super reads) is never to get involved with trap hands, especially from an UTG+1 raiser..

I'd also advise to try and keep the pots small, there's no need to be shoving everything at the first or 2nd levels with only top pair.