How do I play this better?

[mikelott]

It was down to the last 25 of the Mansion $110k guaranteed. I was a big chip leader (270000 to the second places 150000) and had been for a while, I was pretty active, taking advantage of some tight play to win a lot of hands uncontested.

However, I had just been moved to this table within the last 7 hands.

I picked up a pair of tens in late position and there was a raise from someone with 120000 chips.

Blinds were 4000 8000 and he raised to 16000. someone with 66000 chips then called and I decided that there was a fair chance I was ahead and even if I wasn't, the squeeze would make it difficult for the raiser to call with anything other than a massive hand and even AK would be a difficult call. So I raised to 40000 which the raiser and the other player both called.

I was a bit concerned by this and thought he probably had AA or KK maybe QQ with a small chance of AK. The flop came J55 and they both checked so i bet 50000 thinking that an overpair would have made some sort of bet.

The raiser flat called with 35000 left and the other player folded.

I am now pretty sure he must have AA. However a Jack came on the turn and he bet a meagre 8000. Now I am certain he has AA and is scared of the Jack so I re-raised him and he went all in for an extra few thousand which I felt I had to call in case he did have the overpair and a ten hit the river.

I'm not sure if it was possible to put him on the AJ and whether my play was really bad or not but it cost me 150k of my 270k chips.

Any comments would be welcome.

I'm not interested in analysing his play.

Thanks.

[TightEnd]

Pre-flop if I am going to re-raise there I raise more maybe to 60/- or so..you learn more then..as it is once original raiser flat calls (as he should with the price you are giving him) the third player is priced in. At that point I wouldn't be thinking AA-QQ for either..more Ax-AQ or 55-99

if you rr to 60/- and the original raiser ships then its one of those things

Flop again 50/- into a pot of 120+ feels too small for me..if you make it 80/- or so then if you get a call you can play it softer after that

Turn 8/- is a weird bet by him..I might flat call and same on river for pot control

A bit of well meant advice (as thank you for posting, I like seeing new faces on PHA!) if you post next time without the result I think its easier fro people to give views without being too results orientated

[Longy]

Shove preflop for me, i feel im ahead of both ranges but have a vunerable decent hand, there is 36k in the pot the biggest stack apart from yourself doesn't even have a pot sized bet back if you make a smaller re raise. Making postflop really hard to play if there is an overcard on the flop.

As played when checked to i shove it in here, pot stands at 132k with 80k effective back (biggest of opponents stack).

When we get to the turn we can do nothing but put it in, pot is massive and we are getting something like 7 to 1. Let just hope he has a small pp (that isn't 55 obv).

[TheChipPrince]

The play from the turn onwards is irrelevant, tougher raise pre, and insta shove the flop if they both check...

[mikelott]

Pre-flop if I am going to re-raise there I raise more maybe to 60/- or so..you learn more then..as it is once original raiser flat calls (as he should with the price you are giving him) the third player is priced in. At that point I wouldn't be thinking AA-QQ for either..more Ax-AQ or 55-99

if you rr to 60/- and the original raiser ships then its one of those things

Flop again 50/- into a pot of 120+ feels too small for me..if you make it 80/- or so then if you get a call you can play it softer after that

Turn 8/- is a weird bet by him..I might flat call and same on river for pot control

A bit of well meant advice (as thank you for posting, I like seeing new faces on PHA!) if you post next time without the result I think its easier fro people to give views without being too results orientated

Advice noted and thanks for the analysis. I've been coming to the same conclusion regarding the size of the bet.

I was concerned about the small utg raise being a bigger pair.

Ironically, if I was smaller stacked I would probably have gone all in.

Are we committed to calling the shove if we bet 60000?

[TightEnd]

He raises to 16

Flat call behind

you make it say 60

He pushes for 120 total

Pot size is 120 +  your 60+ 16 from villain 2 plus 12 in blinds =  208

You have an auto call of his push getting over 3-1, and are in great shape if you take the 200k. If you lose you still have 150/- which is near the head of the pack

It becomes much simpler to play if you raise bigger pre-flop

Even simpler if you push I suppose!

[MANTIS01]

In a tournament I think there is a very definite sliding scale between a chip accumulation strategy and a chip preservation strategy and most of the time you will be somewhere in between the two poles. However, when you become a desperate short-stack chip preservation is no longer an issue and it becomes all about the double-up....you simply HAVE to risk your chips in order to accumulate. Now it stands to reason that at the other end of the scale if you are a big chip leader in a tournament chip preservation is the priority. You do not HAVE to risk lots of chips to accumulate and you can merrily edge forwards by using your stack to pressure the table.

I was pretty active, taking advantage of some tight play to win a lot of hands uncontested.

At THIS STAGE in the tournament a min raise to 16K and another player calling 25% of his stack would signal the end of my interest in playing this hand and I would fold. Although a pair of 10's is a pretty good starting hand that you are going to want to play in a lot of situations there is absolutely no need to play them in this current situation. Don't forget that if your stack is cut in half here you loose the power to keep taking orphan pots and people will be more inclined to play back at you. Why take such a risk? There is no immediate need for it. Folding might seem a bit weak here but I actually think it is quite a strong play.

[AlexMartin]

I like preflop play, re-raise is a nice size and stacks make calling difficult for opponents. I HATE shoving preflop here, risking 120k to win 40k. On the flop i think ur bet is fine, but you should prolly shut down on turn. He wont be folding any holdings that have you beat (and wont be calling with worse) when you bet again on the turn. Check back on turn, river prolly a fold to his shove.

[mikelott]

I like preflop play, re-raise is a nice size and stacks make calling difficult for opponents. I HATE shoving preflop here, risking 120k to win 40k. On the flop i think ur bet is fine, but you should prolly shut down on turn. He wont be folding any holdings that have you beat (and wont be calling with worse) when you bet again on the turn. Check back on turn, river prolly a fold to his shove.

He actually bet 8000 turn so I presume you call that and fold to river shove?

[mikelott]

In a tournament I think there is a very definite sliding scale between a chip accumulation strategy and a chip preservation strategy and most of the time you will be somewhere in between the two poles. However, when you become a desperate short-stack chip preservation is no longer an issue and it becomes all about the double-up....you simply HAVE to risk your chips in order to accumulate. Now it stands to reason that at the other end of the scale if you are a big chip leader in a tournament chip preservation is the priority. You do not HAVE to risk lots of chips to accumulate and you can merrily edge forwards by using your stack to pressure the table.

I was pretty active, taking advantage of some tight play to win a lot of hands uncontested.

At THIS STAGE in the tournament a min raise to 16K and another player calling 25% of his stack would signal the end of my interest in playing this hand and I would fold. Although a pair of 10's is a pretty good starting hand that you are going to want to play in a lot of situations there is absolutely no need to play them in this current situation. Don't forget that if your stack is cut in half here you loose the power to keep taking orphan pots and people will be more inclined to play back at you. Why take such a risk? There is no immediate need for it. Folding might seem a bit weak here but I actually think it is quite a strong play.

I quite like the reasons above although I suppose the alternative is a call looking for a set.

[KingPoker]

In a tournament I think there is a very definite sliding scale between a chip accumulation strategy and a chip preservation strategy and most of the time you will be somewhere in between the two poles. However, when you become a desperate short-stack chip preservation is no longer an issue and it becomes all about the double-up....you simply HAVE to risk your chips in order to accumulate. Now it stands to reason that at the other end of the scale if you are a big chip leader in a tournament chip preservation is the priority. You do not HAVE to risk lots of chips to accumulate and you can merrily edge forwards by using your stack to pressure the table.

I was pretty active, taking advantage of some tight play to win a lot of hands uncontested.

At THIS STAGE in the tournament a min raise to 16K and another player calling 25% of his stack would signal the end of my interest in playing this hand and I would fold. Although a pair of 10's is a pretty good starting hand that you are going to want to play in a lot of situations there is absolutely no need to play them in this current situation. Don't forget that if your stack is cut in half here you loose the power to keep taking orphan pots and people will be more inclined to play back at you. Why take such a risk? There is no immediate need for it. Folding might seem a bit weak here but I actually think it is quite a strong play.

EXACTLY what i think but put a bit more eloquently!