Could This Sick Bust Been Avoided?

[billy the punter]

Haven't played for a while due to time. This happened in my first tournament back since the two I played on the staking forum. Decent size buy-in. Blinds were 100/200 - still pretty early. Folded around to me, I have 6s4s in the SB. I make it 700 to play. BB calls. EEK! Flop was T64 rainbow :nana. I bet the pot, 1400. BB calls. Turn was K - board now T64K Now I wasn't sure what he called with, possibly a TEN I'm thinking. Obviously KT is a possibility, but at this point, given the pot size - I ain't passing. I move in for my remainder which was about 5000 (pot was 4200). He calls in a flash with AK. AK? If there is a lesson on how not to play AK then this is it. Flat calls pre-flop heads up - WRONG Calls with nothing on flop after missing - WRONG Calling all in with one pair on turn - Fair enough maybe, but I would never have got to the turn. River another TEN! :puke I'm 97.3% favourite on the flop when I bet the 1400 and 81% fav when I went all in. (I had to check it on the calculator! Really should just let it go). I was sick as a pig and left cursing the total fish who busted me, but I've since been thinking. Did I play this well? I don't think I did. a) I didn't REALLY need to steal from the SB I suppose, although it I made up the BB he would've raised and I probably woul've seen a flop as we were both fairly chipped up. b) I should bet smaller on the flop. I'm in pretty good shape and have no one to fear at the table. I don't need to play big pot. I should be playing smaller pots. I know this but I just had a rush of blood and forgot my usual tactic. If I bet smaller on the flop I don't go bust. Once the turn comes I should check-call, or even bet small again. This way there is still plenty of player AFTER the turn, this way I can get away from the hand when it's clear I've been outdrawn. Ok, so it wasn't bad play as such - I got it all-in when 81% fav after all! Maybe I'm being over critical of myself and reading too much into things. But, I should know better than to give lesser players a CHANCE to bust me. Keep the pots small if you're in control at the table. If I did so this bad beat would not have been as damaging as it was. Maybe this isn't the best example but it certainly pays to keep pots small when you are comfortable in a tourn. Any views on this hand or the "small-ball" thoery?

[GeordieGaz]

Re: Could This Sick Bust Been Avoided? bad call pre-flop i reckon - you're saying he shouldn't be in the hand by the turn - I agree but imo you shouldn't be in the hand at all!