Teach me to steal

Hi. First post here, so be gentle [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I haven't been playing poker that long. Maybe around 6 months. I usually do well in the beginning of tournaments by playing tight. But as the blinds rise, my stack slowly dwindles unless I get a couple of good hands that pay me off. And normally I don't. So I need to learn how to steal. And I must be doing something wrong, because every time I play a solid hand noone'll give me action and *every* time I try to steal I get caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

Latest case in point:

The $50+$4 Euro daily on Pokerroom. Blinds are $75/$150. I have $2.195 in chips. 75 out of 174 left. 30 get paid. I'm in the CO seat and it's folded to me. I have Kd, 7h. I make it $450. The BB - who I don't have a read on - calls me with a $5000+ stack, so he has me covered. Flop is 8c,3h,4h, so I miss.

He bets $500 after the flop. I push all-in. He calls the remaining $1200 and turns over Ad, Jd. Turn and river are blanks, so he takes the pot and I'm out.

This is my first attempt at stealing in this tourney. Up until this hand I've been playing very few hands and the ones that have been shown down I've had AA or KK. So if someone has attached an image to me, it should be 'tight'.

So - am I crazy to try something like this? Is my stack already so small that it doesn't threaten anyone? Or is he crazy to call an all-in with AJ and no draws?

And if you have any book recommendations on how to play this 'middle-part' of online MTTs well, I'd love to hear about them.

[Lloyd]

Read the Anthology, particularly the post that has eMarks name.

[LethalRose]

I will make it even easier


http://archiveserver.twoplustwo.com/show...amp;sb=5&o=

Thanks. I've read it a couple of times - it's great stuff. And it's partly responsible for me wanting to learn to steal better. Not having much luck with it though...