[vrecksler]

I played in a NLHE tournament over the weekend, a home game hosted through one of my brother's friends from church. It was a $20 buy-in with unlimited rebuys but no add-ons, up until a certain time limit.

The final four players and their chips were as follows for the hand I would like your opinions on, there was $280 in play:

A (on botton) $180
B (small blind) $50
Me (big blind) $40
D (under the gun) $4

Some background: player A had rebought in twice because of very loose play, and a lot of luck. He cracked pocket A's with T5o, and then in a 3 way pot he busted pocket K's and pocket A's with pocket Q's. These two hands gave him the chip lead, but he was playing the chip lead well by raising the pot pre-flop a lot.

D UTG folds
A calls $2
B folds
I check

POT: $5
FLOP: Td, 3h, 4s

I check
A checks

POT: $5
TURN: Ad

I bet $10
A calls $10

POT: $25
RIVER: 6d

BOARD: Td, 3h, 4s, Ad, 6d POT: $25

I bet $15
A raises to $30
I move all-in (under $20)
A calls

A shows Qd 7d and getting the flush, beating my straight.

I was disappointed with the result for a number of reasons; only top 3 places paid so had I laid down the straight and waited until the short stack had been blinded I would have been in the money (and the short stack went out on the very next hand), the straight was the best hand I had all night, I felt like despite the chip advantage I had a chance at winning since up to that point I had played excellent poker for me.

Over a 5 hour span I had one pocket pair and nothing better than AJs to start with, which is kind of rare as I usually get big slick or some low pocket pairs over that amount of time. And I was unable to play any smaller suited connectors because I was at the aggressive table where the pre-flop betting was around $3-$6 pre-flop when I was still around the starting amount of $20. I actually made the final table with a little over $20 and then loosened up to get up to around $60 before losing a couple of pots and settling at $40 for the above hand.

Not being in the money is just a small part to me, before I moved all-in I knew I was taking a risk with the flush out there and that I only needed one more place to be in the money, but I was playing to win and to do so I needed to double up with my best hand. However I wanted to be in the final 3 because player B is my brother and he is a solid player and I think we could have outplayed A--we were not playing together but unless we each ran into monsters at the same time we would have tried to cash in on the chip leaders loose play.

I guess I am just seeking to see if I made a mistake on this hand, because I am trying to determine honestly if I am an OK player or not. It was a tough loss for me because I thought I was playing so well, and I consider myself decent enough but I also know most people believe themselves to be better than they are, and if I am deluding myself I would like to know.

In the monthly home games I play, I am the only person to win it more than once (3 times out of 7), and I have won other home games too but I have also gone out early so I am inconsistent. All of this is just making me re-assess things and my confidence is shaken a bit, hopefully you guys can help me out because I really like playing and am interested in improving. Reading SS helped me out a lot, and while I have read HOH (both) and consider my knowledge improved I have not been able to apply all of Harrington's stuff to the game's I play in just yet.

Thanks, and sorry for the long (whiney) post!

[Dwight87]

I'll reply with this advice from Matt Damon in Rounders after he lost to Teddy KGB in the opening game.

'Always leave yourself an out'

Your final all in bet didn't leave that out when you could have just called his raise.

[coyote]

yeah, when he raised you on the river, did you really think your straight was good??

It'd be a tough fold, but the raise was bad. You make him sound like just the kind of player who will stick around and make horrible calls drawing to the flush. Unfortunately for you, this is one of the times he hit.

Although he could argue implied odds, since he got most of your stack once the flush hit....

[Fins]

Originally Posted by schmag

FLOP: Td, 3h, 4s

I'm guessing this is supposed to be FLOP: Td, 3h, 9s ??

Originally Posted by schmag

I check
A checks

POT: $5
TURN: Ad

I bet $10
A calls $10

I'm not sure why you bet 2X the pot on an OESD (I'm guessing you had 7-8?)... your playing the big stack here and betting the scare card would have me worried when he called. Or did you have 2-5 (and the board at the end is wrong?)... if that's the case then I still wouldn't bet 2X but good bet since he called.... bad beat.

Originally Posted by schmag

POT: $25
RIVER: 6d

BOARD: Td, 3h, 9s, Ad, 6d POT: $25

I bet $15
A raises to $30
I move all-in (under $20)
A calls

Hard to put him on the flush calling your overbet so I can see loosing it all here... although him not reraising you if he had an TPGK or a set and just smooth calling could have set you on alert given the possible flush draw. When the flush draw hits and you get reraised you could have layed it down. Sounds like you knew your player just got unlucky. I'll go with the biggest problem being trying to bully the big stack on the bubble w/ D having 2BB's... didn't need to be that aggressive (risky) IMO.

[VARoadstter]

Depending on your read, you fold or call. You don't reraise without the nuts. Had you folded here you still had a good shot to outlast the small stack.

[vrecksler]

Thanks everyone, that is the same conclusion I had come to; I should have called rather than put in the rest of my money. I did see the flush was out there, and even if I did not think he had it since he has re-raised before with just T high, why take a chance on going out just in case. Especially since he has enough money to chase the unlikely flush on the turn.

Do you think I could have won the pot going all-in after the turn? I made my straight, and the 4th diamond just hit and with the odds of a runner-runner flush do you think I could have won the hand? I have never played with this group before, but I will definitely play with them again so I need to be prepared.

Thanks again!

[SpaceMonkey]

I don't know what you held, but this was not a spot to bluff at the pot on the turn. The SS has 2 BB's left. In this situation, you're better off folding AA preflop if someone puts you all in.

The betting makes no sense either. You say you have T40, and the BB was 2. You then bet T10 on the turn, leaving you with T28. If you bet 15 on the river and are raised, you can only call with your T13. You can't reraise all in.

You said you thought you liked your chances of winning once you got into the money. You need to get there first, and with someone having only 2x left, you wait the 1-4 hands it takes for them to hopefully get knocked out. If they double or triple up, then you have to re-adjust.

I would probably try and check the hand down, or check-fold the turn, or maybe make a crying call on the river if the bet is small enough.

[Murf]

Originally Posted by Fins

I'm guessing this is supposed to be FLOP: Td, 3h, 9s ??

I'm not sure why you bet 2X the pot on an OESD (I'm guessing you had 7-8?)... your playing the big stack here and betting the scare card would have me worried when he called. Or did you have 2-5 (and the board at the end is wrong?)... if that's the case then I still wouldn't bet 2X but good bet since he called.... bad beat.

Hard to put him on the flush calling your overbet so I can see loosing it all here... although him not reraising you if he had an TPGK or a set and just smooth calling could have set you on alert given the possible flush draw. When the flush draw hits and you get reraised you could have layed it down. Sounds like you knew your player just got unlucky. I'll go with the biggest problem being trying to bully the big stack on the bubble w/ D having 2BB's... didn't need to be that aggressive (risky) IMO.

He was in the big blind, so couldn't he have had 2-5? That would mean that the flop could have been T 3 4, and then when the A hit, he would have made his straight... which would also explain his 2x pot bet.

[vrecksler]

Damn, sorry everyone I totally forgot to put I held 52o in the BB. So I made my straight on the turn and bet it, hoping to get a call or raise.

[Murf]

Heh, I'm just glad I was able to use my reasoning skills to figure that out.