From lead with 10 to out 9th, need critiquing

lacky · #1 06-17-2005, 05:24 PM

This is from a $11 rebuy on stars. I was a large (80k) chip lead with 10 players, finished 9th. I need some critique of my play. I will give my reasoning for each play so you can correct my thinking, if needed. I've had several chip lead to out finishes lately and I'm just not sure anymore what I'm doing.

the blinds and ante's were wrong when I converted it, so I corrected as needed

1) 5 handed, and I was the dominant stack. Standerd steal attempt, felt I had to call the reraise as it was only 19k more.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t12000 (5 handed) converter

SB (t148506)
BB (t124152)
Hero (t253212)
MP (t56280)
Button (t107343)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
Hero raises to t36000, MP raises to t55680, 3 folds, Hero calls t19680.

Flop: (t132360) 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)

Turn: (t132360) 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)

River: (t132360) 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)

Final Pot: t132360

2) MP3 was basically pot committing himself raising into the chip leaders blind, so I felt A10 was too weak to play here.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t12000 (9 handed) converter

UTG+1 (t137507)
MP1 (t153020)
MP2 (t140706)
MP3 (t114941)
CO (t104352)
Hero (t201132)
SB (t119160)
BB (t309639)
UTG (t105543)

Preflop: Hero is Button with T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
4 folds, MP3 raises to t48600, 4 folds.

Final Pot: t53400

3)Called the min raise here, then got all in with the worst hand. So, was playing here at all foolish, if I do play is calling correct, or would reraising be better, and was my thinking my A could be good on the flop reckless?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t12000 (9 handed) converter

UTG (t136907)
UTG+1 (t152420)
MP1 (t140106)
MP2 (t137741)
MP3 (t103752)
Hero (t200532)
Button (t112560)
SB (t297039)
BB (t104943)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
3 folds, MP2 raises to t24000, 1 fold, Hero calls t24000, 3 folds.

Flop: (t71400) 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
MP2 bets t36000, Hero raises to t175932, MP2 calls t77141 (All-In).

Turn: (t297682) J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (t297682) 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: t297682

4) Standerd push here to end it, no content really

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t12000 (9 handed) converter

BB (t136307)
UTG (t151820)
UTG+1 (t139506)
MP1 (t297682)
MP2 (t103152)
Hero (t62791)
CO (t111960)
Button (t290439)
SB (t92343)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
4 folds, Hero raises to t62191, 2 folds, SB calls t56191, 1 fold.

Flop: (t123182) 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)

Turn: (t123182) 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)

River: (t123182) J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)

Final Pot: t123182

Lloyd · #2 06-17-2005, 05:45 PM

1) I'm certainly not going to tell you to refrain from stealing. It's completely situation dependent and if you felt like you could steal than great. I do think that your standard raise at this level could be a bit less. Often when the blinds get this big a raise of 2.5X usually is sufficient. It's an auto-call with pot odds and even if you had raised less you'd still have the odds to call. But keep in mind that you were caught stealing and probably need to change gears and slow down for awhile - at least until you show some real hands from early position.

2) Nothing wrong with laying that hand down. He could be on a steal or have a middle pair. But I don't see a reason to call off half of a nice stack with ATo.

3) I would probably fold this pre-flop. You have a suited ace and that looks nice, plus position, but it's just not good enough to play at this blind level. I can't really comment on the flop action other than I'd never put myself in that position.

4) Fine.

So I do think you might be taking some unnecessary risks with your stack. I don't know you but a lot of people who are successful at building nice stacks in rebuys have a tough time adjusting to the non-rebuy period where play must tighten up and become smarter.

ThrillFactor · #3 06-17-2005, 05:48 PM

I don't like hand 1 b/c shortie knows the blinds are fixing to eat him, and unless there is someone at the other table smaller than him, he's going to be looking for any decent hand to get his chips in with now. Any steal raise commits you to calling his push.

Hand 3 is just terrible, but you already know that. Why get involved at all here?

durron597 · #4 06-17-2005, 05:50 PM

The only hand I don't like here is hand 3. Fold preflop.

lacky · #5 06-17-2005, 07:35 PM

actually i seem to do fine till the end portion where the blinds get huge, then get over aggressive i think, and play too many hands

lacky · #6 06-17-2005, 07:40 PM

yeah, I definately have gotten impatiant lately and need to focus on picking my spots. I really didnt even need to play a hand until the right situations came along. ugh

Steve

ajmargarine · #7 06-17-2005, 09:32 PM

Only really have thoughts on hand #1. With a little stack directly behind you, given his *current* chip total, any hand you raise preflop with, you have to be ready to commit 20% of your stack to it if he goes all in; because, you will have odds to call him. And if you're stealing with junk, you're going to be an underdog going in, giving him an opportunity to double up and get off life support. I know this is a great time to steal, as everyone is hoping for the final table, and you have a nice stack; but, given where the shortstack is sitting and his current chip amount, I think a little bit of caution is in order. (at least for an orbit or two) You have a big enough stack to wait for more legit hands to raise preflop with *in this specific situation.*

Depending on how many other shortstacks are at the other table, a few more orbits, and you are to the final 9. So, a few orbits of patience was in order here, until his stack was about 10% of your stack, then I don't care if he calls me or not.

ThrillFactor · #8 06-17-2005, 09:43 PM

I think the relative position of the short-stack is very important. I'd rather go for the steal after he's made it thru the BB and is sitting on SB or Button because psychologically he now has a few more hands to make a decision.

Chief911 · #9 06-17-2005, 10:20 PM

Hand 1: I think I'd find a better time to steal than UTG. And, if you are UTG here with a big stack, I'll more likely min-raise steal, making it easy to bail out if someone comes over the top of me. Not many are going to come over the top of a utg raiser like that without the goods.

Hand 3: I'd really like you to explain what you were doing here? If an ace falls, are you happy, or sad? Seems like the only flop that is going to make this worth playing is hearts, or A5x. Dump it, especially to a min-raise.

If people were giving you chips on steals, no reason to pay other people off when they show aggression. Just continue to take chips when no resistance, and then take em out when you get a hand.

Nick

lacky · #10 06-17-2005, 11:28 PM

hand 1) I agree, the reason I though I could steal past the small stack is he had been at my tables for the last hour+ and had only played AA-QQ and AK. Unfortunatley he had AA in this hand.

hand 3) Basically I was entering the hand reasonable cheap to try and steal the pot after the flop. This works pretty well when I have the big stack. Why did I go over the top all in after he bet a reasonably large amount (in relation to his stack anyway)? I have no idea, I just didnt think it through at all. The card he was most likely to have was an A ( he had A9o in fact), so that was an awful flop. I really should of skipped the hand preflop, as the blinds were to big at this point to try and steal the pot without commiting way too many chips to the attempt. The last couple weeks I've just had no patience and have tried to force the action at great cost to myself.

It's gotten to the point that i took 2 days off and am grinding it out at 5/10 limit for a while till I calm down.

Steve