Worse problem, having the big stack or the smaller one.

[Buccaneer]

I was in a hold-em tourn today and came in second. Twenty players. I got to h2h with the last player and was holding about 3/4 of the chips. I would raise and he would usually fold or if I called he would go all in. He did this about 15 times everytime I gave him the opportunity. I usually just folded figuring that I keep playing till I hit a good hand, and then call and when he goes all in push in. I am getting junk cards and can not watch the blinds raise while he chips at my stack. We got to about 50/50 on the chip count and then I got a QQ in the BB I checked his bet (any raise on my part caused him to fold) and he went all in and I pushed and lost the hand and one bb later the rest of my stack.

I think I played it right. What do you think. What can you do with this type of play next time I see it.

Let the flamming begin, but please your input.

[Shilly]

You got your money in with the best of it, and lost. It happens.

[augie00]

How is this anything more than a glorified bad beat post? Next song please.

[Nottom]

Lemme get this straight, he was folding everytime you raised his blind and this caused you to stop raising his blind?

[Buccaneer]

Thanks for the input.

I may have not been clear. This is not a bad beat story. It bothers me not that my QQ got out drawn. I want to correct what got me to this point. I had 75% of the chips and I let them dwindle down through what I assume was sub par play on my part. Loosing the big stack to the small stack happens to so I have no gripes with the spin of Fortuna's wheel. I do want to play in a manner that does not assist Fortuna wheel when it is spinning down, down, down.

I was getting garbage.

When I got a playable hand he foldes with the slighest agression on my part.

I did not want to over bluff him and LOOSE my ability to bluff.

He used my reluctance to get into a big pot to take chips from me by going all in.

I waited for a premium hand.

That premium hand was a long time coming. Too long.

I see this as bad play on my part from the moment we got h2h. This is not a bad beat thread.

I still am looking for your thoughts on this. Thank you very much.

[Dentist]

you should have immediately changed your strategy to raising with weak hands and calling with stronger ones...

Is it just me or does this not seem obvious?

you have to know he's not getting premiums everytime... take a stand... any ace, any pair, any twenty hand will do heads up.. and there are quite a few more playable hands too.

[woodguy]

I was getting garbage.

<font color="blue"> So was he, you had the best hand 1/2 the time, I don't care what your cards were </font>

When I got a playable hand he foldes with the slighest agression on my part.

<font color="blue"> If he was folding to your aggression, you should have started to raise about 3/4 of your hands. If he was folding everytime you raised, you weren't raising near enough </font>

I did not want to over bluff him and LOOSE my ability to bluff.

<font color="blue"> sounds like you didn't bluff at all, really </font>

He used my reluctance to get into a big pot to take chips from me by going all in.

<font color="blue"> raising would have curtailed this action.. </font>

I waited for a premium hand.

<font color="blue"> bad strategy HU, they rarely come and there is no guarantee you'll get it paid off </font>

That premium hand was a long time coming. Too long.

<font color="blue"> see above </font>

I see this as bad play on my part from the moment we got h2h. This is not a bad beat thread.

<font color="blue"> as some of the other posters mentioned, if he was folding everytime you raised, and pushing every time you called, you should have started raising crap and call with your good hands...if he's being that predictable, its pretty exploitable </font>

I still am looking for your thoughts on this. Thank you very much.

<font color="blue"> Regards,
Woodguy </font>

[Buccaneer]

[ QUOTE ]
Is it just me or does this not seem obvious?

[/ QUOTE ]

No it is me. I am a learner and, well to be honest, I just did not adjust to this guys strategy. I really saw no other way than what I had been doing. I guess it was a brain freeze or something. I posted here to get some ideas on what to do in a situation like this next time.

I suspect that not adjusting to the blinds going up was a lot of my difficulty as well as not using the balls I used to get to the end of the tourney. Thanks

[captainzodiac]

heads up is a tough aniaml,the more experience you get at it the easier it becomes,but still it's always different,every opponent has different ways to play you heads up,i just like aggression myself,no matter what 2 cards i hold,but if you're up against the same exact kind of strategy you have to adjust yours,i guess mainly it's all about adjusting to what your opponent does and not about your cards,like someone on here said,you had the best hand half the time.you could have played it differently,but your play could have easily won it also,so that's just poker!