Playing against the big boys...

[Dodger]

32 players. Top 2 places each get $14,000 packages, next 3 share $4000 excess...so probably the biggest game I've ever played in! Been playing for short of an hour...very tight and only hands I've played were small pots. ** WSOP Weekly Final[1628704]:Table 2 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (50.00|100.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money - Douser sitting in seat 1 with $2725.00 - T98104 sitting in seat 2 with $4488.75 - Tricky-Trev sitting in seat 3 with $1842.50 - Amrak sitting in seat 4 with $3598.75 - happymaxy sitting in seat 5 with $2027.50 - petrus82 sitting in seat 6 with $2387.50 - TheTrapper sitting in seat 7 with $2838.13 - stenn sitting in seat 8 with $3611.87 [sitting out] - backno sitting in seat 9 with $5085.00 [Dealer] - eddieyates sitting in seat 10 with $3055.00 eddieyates posted the small blind - $25.00 Douser posted the big blind - $50.00 ** Dealing card to Douser: Ace of Clubs, King of Diamonds T98104 raised - $200.00 Tricky-Trev folded Amrak folded happymaxy called - $200.00 petrus82 folded TheTrapper folded stenn folded backno folded eddieyates folded Douser called - $200.00 ** Dealing the flop: 10 of Diamonds, King of Clubs, 6 of Diamonds Holding top pair top kicker...in hindsight if I'd raised the pot I would probably have taken it down there and then. But no, maybe being gready I wanted somebody else to play so I could raise...it all worked just as I wanted... Douser checked T98104 checked happymaxy bet - $625.00 Douser raised - $1250.00 T98104 folded happymaxy went all-in - $1202.50...after taking extra time...it was here I felt I had him cooked. Douser called - $1827.50 happymaxy shows: 10 of Clubs, Queen of Clubs This made me 77% favourite...was very pleased at this stage! ** Dealing the turn: 5 of Clubs ** Dealing the river: Jack of Clubs happymaxy wins $4280.00 from the main pot End of game 963444015 Now this isn't a bad beat thread...I know it was unlucky...but did I basically play it wrong? Should I have been pushing the betting after the flop instead of being a smart arse and looking for the check/raise? Or could you even fold to his initial pot bet?...I know I couldn't. Anyway lost later all in 99 vs JJ, but the damage had already been done. Ah well...qualified for this $1090 entry game by filling in a questionaire, then winning the resultant freeroll, so it didn't cost me anything...just a few pipe dreams that's all.:sad

[AJ]

Re: Playing against the big boys... You played it perfectly, he made a dreadful donkey call with middle pair, after you faked weakness on the flop. Cruel game poker though

[JulioArca]

Re: Playing against the big boys... You could have reraised preflop to try and get heads up as AK plays better two way than three. Taking a risk of third diamond coming on turn if no bet on the flop, but once you had decided to check raise the plan was perfect except for the fact that HappyMaxy was a complete luckbox. Hindsight is a wonderful thing :)

[GaF]

Re: Playing against the big boys... I agree - I prefer to raise with AK - most of the time it misses the flop - it's great strength is that it's only massively behind to 2 hands (and even against KK it has chances) - you can therefore reraise with it pretty fearlessly.... You're out of position - that often leaves me caught in 2 minds - just call to keep the pot small, or reraise to make post flop decisions easier (assuming you see a flop)

[glceud]

Re: Playing against the big boys... Lets all laugh at Happymax, but was it really that bad? He bet the pot with a pair after 2 checks thats ok with me. He then got reraised the pot which can often be a reply to his initial bet being a standard last to act bet or a semibluff on that board. He threw his last chips in with a remote chance of a fold by douser but still getting about 3/1 if called and unless up against a made monster thats about right to an overpair. One thing he did not do was call a bet with middle pair. You should have checkraised all in or just bet the flop and moved on, instead of playing it weakly and hoping it held up and you maxed on it.

[BAM]

Re: Playing against the big boys... Looks like a bad beat thread to me:ok You lost it pre-flop by playing weak probably because of the reasons you describe. He's hit 2nd pair and is prepared to gamble and he got lucky but it is usually the gambler at this level that claims the prize.

[Nade]

Re: Playing against the big boys... I don't know if you can have too many complaints with the outcome as essentially they felt they were ahead so bet, and in doing so got themselves pot committed so weren't going to fold to a re-raise so the possibility of outdrawing you is there. But if you'd bet out then they fold and you win the hand. That's just playing devil's advocate but it's how i try and critique myself when the same happens. As they say though get your money in when ahead in the long term ... (TBH this notion is starting to bug me as i'm starting to think there's a lot larger factor of luck in the game then i previously acknowledged)

[glceud]

Re: Playing against the big boys... People mix up the luck factor and the skill factor. Luck factor is being lucky enough to get your chips in when ahead. you were lucky to get those cards. Skill factor is winning enough chips when behind through opps folding for you to have enough chips to have enough chances to appear lucky when they call "ahead".

[Dodger]

Re: Playing against the big boys... Thanks for the responses...appreciate the feedback.:ok Confirms my initial thought that I allowed him into the hand by calling the initial raise of 200 rather than raising it again and probably getting rid of the eventual winner. Of course we don't know what the original raiser had, but assume the flop missed him completely. So essentially I cocked up by lack of aggression pre-flop rather than slow playing the flop. It all adds to the learning experience though...next time maybe then.:hope

[daftpegasus]

Re: Playing against the big boys...

Confirms my initial thought that I allowed him into the hand by calling the initial raise of 200 rather than raising it again and probably getting rid of the eventual winner.

Whilst a raise preflop may have been the best move from you I'm left wondering how big that raise would have had to be to get him off the pot. Pre flop and out of position he's called a 4xBB raise with suited connectors. Having already committed 10% of his chips to that hand how many more would he be prepared to put in pre flop? The answer is possibly given to us by his action post flop when he's prepared to commit the rest of his chips to middle pair with runner, runner straight and flush draws. I'm happy with his pot size bet post flop following the 2 checks, but the check raise must have told him he was behind. At best he put you on a diamond draw. I feel that unless you raised it up a lot you wouldn't have got him off the pot pre flop, and that would possibly have pot committed you needlessly. I think you played it correctly (unless you can point to any reads of either player in the hand) and that this therefore is simply a bad beat story:tongue2

[Valiant23]

Re: Playing against the big boys... Just a thought... Looking at him from his perspective, the play by Dodger does look like that made by a player on the flush draw.