your thoughts

[jayadev]

your thoughts

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Game is $3 NL multi table tourney at PokerStars. We were down to about 150 players left, I think the top 90 got paid. I had been playing solid and had very good table respect at this point.

I put in a decent raise from mid position with KJs (overplaying cards had been working quite well for me). 4 callers. Flop comes 6s Tc Qs. UTG raises, next guy reraises about a third of his stack. Now here's where I have a decision to make. I should expect at least two pair, possible trips at this point, but I have such a sweet draw that...I go all-in. Both people call, one with top pair, other with two pair. Of course I didn't hit any of my outs and was out of the tourney.

So the question is, what would you have done? I could have just called to preserve some of my stack if one of my cards didn't hit on the turn, but I figured that UTG would reraise all in if I just called. Your thoughts?

[SportsPhenom]

I probably would've just called and if the utg guy went all-in and he had you covered i would've folded, but i play real tight when money is on the line.

[Blinking Lights]

I think you played it well. I would most likely have done the same thing.

This is why I like the play:

1. Assuming you are fairly even-stacked you are getting great pot odds to call for your whole stack.

2. If you win this pot, it gives you a bunch of chips which will likely take you much deeper into the tournament, which is where most of the money is anyway.

3. You have a reasonable amount of fold equity too. With a bet and a raise into you an all in has a lot of weight. Since you said you had great table image, most players would have to put you on QQ or 10 10 and would fold 2 pair. Then again you said it was a $3 tourney so you can't be sure of anything.

4. It's getting close to the money so many people would fold stronger holdings just to get back what they invested.


Note: Because you didn't reveal your stack size or the other players image, I'm assuming the stacks were average as well as the players. If not, then the points I made may have been different.

[Full House]

I would have played exactly the same as you - you had a good set of cards, with a few options.

It all comes down to guts when the big money is in, and sometimes people will try and bluff you.

I presume you felt the others left in the hand would not follow you - or were you very confident of your hand?

[kimball24]

when after the flop you have 15 cards that give you the nuts (or at least the likely nuts) you have to be willing to go to the felt with your hand on the flop. calling isn't a good thing because that takes away one of your chances to win the hand (making others fold) so pushing all in is the way to go. with 15 outs after the flop to get the winning hand you are nearly 60 percent to win the hand, so by pushing all your chips in you give yourself a chance to win the hand with folds or you are the favorite to win in a showdown .you played it right, and completely right, any other way is a big mistake.

[HeyKidMove]

i think you played the hand well, you have to be happy with getting all your chips in on that flop when you were actually favored to win that hand. Just because you didn't hit doesn't make it a bad play at all

[VJStacks]

Your Forgetting 1 thing....Whats the Most important chip you own...the last 1... your tourney life...draws/pot odds are out the window when your tourney life is at risk.....if you had them covered of course gamble...its a MTT ..gotta accumulate chips...Unless u just felt like gambling...3 dollar tourney prob woulda gambled 2

[VJStacks]

Other Thing Is...sadly..like Hey said....Ur actually A favorite over Q 10 in that spot...50 percent for u .. 40 percent for him

[CardChick]

I think you played it well. I might not have played it the same, but I am quite conservative, to a fault at times, and it's not bad to have taken this chance. You just never know.

[Fictive]

Well, it's a tournament, and you can't win a tournament without surviving at least one all-in race. I'd say you did the right thing on that. Besides, in those smaller tournaments it could've been just as well that the first guy after your all-in calls it with AK and the second one with a pair of queens.

I would've done probably only thing differently. Altough I like to raise a whole lot pre-flop, KJ isn't one them except in cash tables if I'm the first in to the pot and sitting in late position. That hand is extremely dangerous. It looks very nice (especially suited) but it get's you into so much trouble. I would've just limped and tried to see a cheap flop. Either of these two guys would have gone all-in pre-flop, it's an easy fold with no chips invested. Same goes to the flop as well.

[r8rpwr]

[quote=Fictive]Well, it's a tournament, and you can't win a tournament without surviving at least one all-in race.QUOTE]

Well, that's certainly a good point, and a different way of thinking about the issue.

[PittsburghVitt]

I've been playing for about 4 years now and for the first 3 years I would have done that. Now however, without knowing your MU or other facts I say it was the wrong move. If your think trips then a paired card ends your tourny, if your thinking 2 pair, then it's a race. My thing is, you want to play poker... not race(gamble). When I come to those decisions now I think to myself, well I am a good player, why not just wait and win chips with little risk. The main difference between amatuer and successfull poker players is patience. We have all heard that a million times, however, a hand like this is the definition of patience. To me it is almost like going "All-In" pre-flop to race, you really dont need to do it and it should probably be one of your last choices. If you want to be successfull it is my opinion that limiting your races is how it is done. In short, i've been more successfull in the last year then the previous three, and playing "poker" to me seems to be the more successfull route to go---rather then the latter "Gambling"

[Jonathank]

this is a lot of work