am i stupid

[pistonbroke]

im trying to work out whats wrong with my game and would like some feedback i just folded AA, i am stupid , just plain broke or drunk too much JD im in the bet365 freeroll 231st with 316 left the money starts at 300th $4.50 i played good to start and built a fair stack Then my problems start i just seem to get tighter and tighter the closer i get to getting in the money, to the point i just might as well sit out i get all consumed with just finishing in the money and not trying to win i can manage to get into the top 10% with no problem in most tourneys but unless i can kick this ill never have that killer instinct i won $6 inthe the bet365, 199th and 1.75 ish in the SO freeroll , 19th i think i dont think im a bad player but at this rate ill never be a great one Help I

[Valiant23]

Re: am i stupid Yes! ;) Right. Did you fold it pre flop? If so then the answer is yes - to a point. I think that you need to find a balance in styles, not just depending on the situation, but the hand. Even the tightest player has to loosen up occasionally. Look at the various situations that could happen. Would calling another all in (say from the smallest stack) have hit your stack hard? Would you be able to fold it if you limped and the flop went against you? How would you have played AA earlier one? For me (and no offence) AA/KK/QQ at that stage of a competition act as a pressure valve. If I go all in and scare every one off, well so be it, at least I didn't lose. If I bet heavily play the hand and lose, I just revert to the game that got me so far. I think AA is the only hand that you can play in any way without comebacks. I find that when I'm playing ok I have periods of loose play in between playing quite tight, but come on PnB, you get AA once in a blue moon-enjoy it, win or lose.

[pistonbroke]

Re: am i stupid Thank you for your kind words and understanding Mr V

[georgej]

Re: am i stupid When it starts to get close to the money, i usually play that way too. Depending on how much i've got and the blinds really affects the way i play. Bear in mind though that it should also affect others in the same way. I think it comes down to not how much you can win at certain stages, but how much you don't lose. If the entire table was tight and no massive stacks waiting for a bug to squash, then i wouldn't fold preflop. After the flop - depends...

[guesswest]

Re: am i stupid You should be getting looser as a tournament progresses, not the other way around, you can't win if you're too afraid of losing, either by tightening up or putting in huge shutout bets on big hands to insulate yourself from the pain of a suckout. On the bubble is the very best time to play loose and make steals. If you start playing just to hit bottom cash, you can never rack up a profit from MTT play, because even the best tournament players in the world can't reliably cash enough to make a profit without final table finishes. Remember one first place is worth a hundred or more bottom cashes. It's a weird thing with human psychology - if you have more chips you should be gambling more, but people instinctively do the opposite when they've accumulated to try and protect what they have. There's such a thing as stupidly burning a big stack, but you have to keep playing with a big stack, you're in an excellent position to accumulate and tight play is throwing away the advantage your stack gives you. And you should never, ever fold aces pre-flop outside of a satellite.

[georgej]

Re: am i stupid Guesswest, what you say makes sense and i'm going to try to just stick to my normal play (maybe a little looser when i'm ahead). So obvious, but as you say, thinking can get in the way. What's the use of protecting your position only to come in 11th with top 10 getting paid. All that effort for what? Practice? I'll let you know if you've to get an agents fee. :ok

[guesswest]

Re: am i stupid :) If I go out in 11th in a tourney that pays 10, provided it's a result of a reasonable play with positive expectation, I'm normally pretty proud that I took the PE. I wish I could bring myself to do it more, not less.

[GaF]

Re: am i stupid A quote from "Harrington on Hold'em Volume 1: Strategic Play", when talking about "Elements of a Hand"

Most tournaments pay prizes to about 5-10 percent of the field' date=' although a few pay much less.(...) As long as the cut-off point for prize payouts is distant, play proceeds normally. As the number of players shrinks and gets close to the prize cutoff, play changes dramatically. Most players turn conservative and try to preserve their chips. Good players become more aggressive and see this period as the best chance to make some easy money by stealing chips.[/quote']

[pistonbroke]

Re: am i stupid Thanks guys It looks like the case is proven now wheres those nurofen :$ :$

[Valiant23]

Re: am i stupid Hopefully you'll see this PnB when you've finished in the money on the $ up. I read an article today in Inside Edge; FOLDING POCKET ROCKETS....ARE YOU NUTS? It may sound like madness, but there are times when folding A-A is prudent. Sometimes you should fold pocket aces pre-flop. This is rare, but there's an example where it could and would absolutely be the right play. Let's say you're in a satellite tourney and have 30% of the chips. The top 8 win seats for the WSOP and there are nine players remaining. A player with more chips than you moves all-in. This is where it would be correct to fold AA. After all the top eight players all get the same reward, so why risk getting eliminated when you're only a 9/2 favourite or less? by Phil Helmuth. So to an extent you are correct in folding.....sometimes. As in most aspects of poker there is no hard and fast rule. Take each situation on merit. There you go mate.:ok

[pistonbroke]

Re: am i stupid im not being quite as cautious as i was, when getting close to the top im still folding too many winning hands ( possibly winning) i did go all in on the AA 10 mins ago they all folded !! I did fold my way into the money though and then did not pick up my game but thanks to the help and advice from this forum i seem to be getting better and am 50 bucks better off

[friskyfitz]

Re: am i stupid just to throw something in here if it helps........... I NEVER EVER fold AA pre-flop EVER EVER EVER regardless of situation, position, Phil Helmuth or anybody else!!! and on 97% of the time i wont soft play them either!!! A,A or K,K or Q,Q are premium hands - make them pay to play pre flop *that said - I think it was rednutt that was on my table in the safety net on saturday that would have witnessed my getting K,K - 3 times in 11 hands :loon:loon:loon 1........... called by a, 3 o ---- ace on flop 2........... called by 7,7----- 7 on turn 3........... called by a,6 o ----- flop comes 2,3,4,5 :lol:lol but this is totally a once off occasion and i find in general that it pays to make them play.

[guesswest]

Re: am i stupid It can be correct to throw away aces in a satellite - but I'm pretty sure the original post wasn't referring to a satellite. Outside of of a satellite, in any MTT, STT, cash game, anything - it's never correct to lay them.