Teach me how to play MTTs

[redrooski24]

This is probably the worst hand I've ever played in an MTT and need some help with it.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t4000 (8 handed) converter

MP2 (t92424)
CO (t63355)
Button (t41114)
SB (t105686)
Hero (t179399)
UTG (t75181)
UTG+1 (t59885)
MP1 (t53945)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP1 calls t4000, MP2 calls t4000, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (t15400) 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t12000</font>, MP1 folds, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises to t32000</font>, SB folds, Hero ....

What's my plan of action here? This is from the Stars 11r and my first time playing it. This is also the first time I've had a deep stack vs deep stack confrontation this late in a tourny. Somewhere in this hand I lost track of the fact that I had 45bb or so and villain had about 25bb. I told myself I was going to try and pick up a bunch of small pots and not get into big ones without really strong hands (almost playing like the early stages of an MTT, with some stealing) but strayed off here bigtime. Is this a good mindset to play a big stack when its somewhat deep into an MTT or should I be keeping the pressure on constantly?


Edit: No read on villain, just got moved to the table.

[baumer]

any read on villain?
are there antes?

hmm, I would use some deductive reasoning if there are absolutely no reads on the player.. if there are that's a different story..

I'd pretty much take AA QQ KK out of the category unless he's synonomous for slow-playing big hands pre-flop this isn't an option.. Plus you already have a King and a Queen so there are even less ways for that to be plausible.. even AA is vulnerable against more than one player so I'd take that out of the picture.

Now, with an AQ he would have surely raised before the flop..

Unless he's really loose, I don't think he would have entered with Q-J or under and you've pretty much said that you have a queen in your hands. (Though big blind can have anything I guess)

I would either put him on a bluff or trip 3's.. the thing is, with a VERY safe board for trips (no straights or flushes on the board) I really don't see why he would raise you if he had trips rather than smooth call and get more out of you on 4th and 5th street.

Conclusion: I think you have the best hand.. if he does have the trips, the raise is questionable unless he really doesn't like to give free cards

[Xhiggy]

Without a read, I'd fold. Your lead out in a 4-way flop is strong, and with this bare board and your stack size, his raise represents incredible strength.

Mainly, I don't fancy the idea of investing half my stack on the hope that an unknown is bluffing. You have a lot of chips to work with and will see better spots.

[radioheadfan]

Without a read I muck.