Am I overplaying AKo?

Slacker · #1 05-20-2005, 09:06 AM

This starting hand bit me in the butt three times last night. I'm thinking I'm taking it too far. It was a live NL MTT, start with 40BB which increase every 20 minutes. I felt like I had zero room to maneuver.

I'm trying really hard not to make this a whine about bad beats, I'm really just curious if I made mistakes.

First hand, I raised about double the pot preflop and get one caller. Flop comes A 9 4 rainbow, so I bet a pot sized bet out, other player calls. Turn is a blank, I check, he checks. River is a 2, I raise again, he calls.

Now I'm seriously short stacked but recover some with pocket 10's. With the increased blinds, though, I'm only at 9BB. Here's my play:

AKo, I'm the BB. I check, connect with AQ7 rainbow on the flop. I bet all in, one caller. Turn is a blank, river is a Q.

Finally, AKo (again!), I'm in middle position with what is now a short stack (started with T400, I have T300 but blinds are now 15-30, so I only have 10 big blinds). This one I know I played wrong. Again I connected with the flop...AdQdJd. I'd made a T90 bet preflop and there were two players. Other player did not bet, I bet T100, he calls. Next card is my 10, so I have an A high straight. Other player checks, I raise all in, he calls. Last card in another diamond. Should I have folded after the all-diamond flop?. Just checked after completing my straight? The other hands didn't bother me, but this one is really eating me because I played it so poorly.

blackize · #2 05-20-2005, 02:49 PM

The first hand I think you played fine. Sounds like you were up against a calling station and you had no reason to believe you were beat.

For the second hand I would move all in preflop with AK with only 9BB. Letting him see the flop cheap is a bad bad move when you are so shortstacked since you have to move all in if you connect with any part of the flop.

The 3rd hand you played horribly. Dont be into a suited flop when everyone around you knows that you have to go all in if you commit any more chips. If I see the short stack betting at a suited flop and I have the flush Im slowplaying it knowing I can take all your chips. Plus for anyone with an average stack size a bet of 100 wont push anyone off a draw or made straight.

On another note please stop saying that you "raise" when there is no bet to you. You bet all in or you bet again.

Slacker · #3 05-21-2005, 09:13 AM

Thanks for your feedback. I'm hoping I can learn from this.

Also, duly noted about the use of "raise"...not sure why I put it that way.

blackize · #4 05-21-2005, 12:27 PM

No problem. I just reread my post and it sounded rather condescending at the end. Sorry about that. I just wanted to convey the dangers of betting into a coordinated flop like that. And the raise thing is just a pet peeve of mine.

setzf · #5 05-22-2005, 04:26 AM

The first hand seems fine except I don't see any merit in checking the turn. Giving a free card with only top pair in a fast moving tourney is a bigger mistake than falling in a trap in my opinion.

As for the other two hands I'm all in preflop with both. 9 and 10 BB is not enough to make decisions with after the flop. the only goal is to hope to get heads with with (very likely) the best hand. think of it this way, if you connect with the flop or not you'll probably have to get all your chips in anyway so you might as well try to thin the field while you've got an edge.

ps. this thread would probably be better off in the tournament section instead of the poker theory section

Slacker · #6 05-22-2005, 09:57 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I just wanted to convey the dangers of betting into a coordinated flop like that.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, my head was not in the game on that hand. I was so excited with my A high straight I didn't even read the board. I've got a lot to learn. Relaxing, paying attention, and keeping my focus are pretty high on the list.