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mgodd · Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 2:34 pm Post subject: Another tournament blowup

I was playing in the Ferguson last night for nearly 3 hours, and was in the top 10 nearly the entire way. I was close to 30k in chips at my highest point, and then I played a pot with pocket 8s and got played back at, and had to give it up, putting me down to about 20k. I am waiting, and waiting, and catching absolutely nothing, so right about now I decide to try and make a play with my A4s with one limp in front.

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, The Ferguson, 400/800 Blinds, 100 Ante, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

UTG+1: 19,955
MP1: 54,199
Hero (MP2): 17,777
CO: 46,700
BTN: 5,625
SB: 27,659
BB: 23,376
UTG: 27,517

Pre-Flop: (2,000) 4

A

dealt to Hero (MP2)
UTG calls 800, 2 folds, Hero raises to 3,200, 4 folds, UTG calls 2,400

Flop: (8,400) T

5

4

Villain INSTANTLY shoves as soon as the flop comes out, I take my time thinking about what he could possibly have after a limp, call, and then insta-shove. I figure he either has total air or maybe he has a diamond draw, so either way I decide to bite with my pair. I really don't like being pushed around, and also I knew if I were to fold here, I would only be left with about 13 big blinds (blinds were just about to go up to 500/1000).

(2 Players)
UTG bets 24,217 and is All-In, Hero calls 14,477 and is All-In

Turn: (37,354) K

(2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: (37,354) 6

(2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 37,354 Pot
Hero showed 4

A

(a pair of Fours) and LOST (-17,777 NET)
UTG showed 6

7

(a pair of Sixes) and WON 37,354 (+19,577 NET)

So it turns out he was just on a draw like I thought, and hit a pair on the river to beat me. Regardless of the outcome, I felt like I made the right call, got stung on the river, busted out 67th out of 1009, and made a whopping $2.12.

This just always seems to happen to me. Every time I am feeling good about making a deep run in a tourney, I just always fall short every time and I feel like my time has been wasted spending hours playing and usually just barely doubling my money. I'll admit I have sort of a short attention span and maybe large field MTT just aren't for me. I am a fairly good SNG player, but every once in a while I like to take the chance of playing a small buy-in tourney hoping to make the final table or maybe even win one eventually for a hefty return on my investment, but I am still yet to make a reasonable size cash at a MTT.

I guess this is just sort of a rant, but I will gladly listen to any advise about the hand, or MTT play in general, maybe I should just stick to SNGs? I don't know Sad

goomlah · Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 3:30 pm Post subject:

since I'm roughly the same type a player as you, I can safely say that I probably could make this call as well. A lot of people will say this is -EV in the long run but I always say stick to your reads and forget the odds in this case.

bingy1990 · Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 9:11 am Post subject:

I know how frustrating it is to finish just short of the monet. I've played in alot of MTT's were I have just fallen short. I think you made the right decision, obviously the Kh on the turn gave the other guy alot more outs and you busted out. Just keep believeing in your game and I'm sure it will come good eventually.

dcdoorknob · Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 11:37 am Post subject:

It definitely takes a large sense of perspective to not get frustrated with large MTT play, and it can certainly be difficult to keep this perspective for the vast majority of players. Just try to remember:
1) You are really aiming for the top few spots. Final table, top 5, top 3, etc. That is your goal (if not, it really should be).
2) You WILL fail at achieving 1) the vast majority of the time. It's about finding ways to give yourself chances to get there.

That said, the thing about making the call you made, is even if you put him on a draw + 2 overs, he's going to get there somewhere close to 50% of the time. If he plays say, 88 or 99 like that too (seems possible imo), it is a very iffy call.

Badlydrawnboy · Flush Joined: 28 Jan 2008 Posts: 127

I feel just like you mgodd.

I usually play small stakes SnG's, but every once in a while I mix in a 1 dollar tournament on Everest. If they're maxed out, it's 1000 people, but I did manage to reach the final table twice, one sixth place and once 5th, if i remember correctly.

But the other 30 or 40 attempts, I always get busted early or with a ridiculous payout of 2 dollars or something.

Just now, I finished another one (this time there were only 200 people in there so I thought I might as well make a good chance for some $$$).

Had some hot cards in the first ten minutes and quadrupled up. Was chipleader for half an hour or so. Made a costly mistake by calling an all-in with KQs whereas I didn't need to risk anything. But I corrected my mistake and before the break I was in the top ten again.

And I would stay in the top ten. Slowly building my chip stack, stealing blinds, busting some short stacks out.

And then it happens: I'm in second position and the guy before me limps in. I go all-in with JJ, hoping to get everyone including him to fold (wouldn't mind if a shortstack called me though). Everybody folds but to my surprise he CALLS.

Of course, he turns over QQ. Sigh...

Flop comes T-5-J (yes!)-3 (yes!) - Q (noooooo!)

In one hand I go from 9th place to 25th out of 33 left, with 20 places being paid.

Next orbit, I'm the SB and the guy to my left (same villain) calls. I raise it 3 times with A9 suited. BB calls. He calls as well.

Flop comes 8-4-A.

Ok, shove here right? If I wouldn't I would be left with an M of 5 or so. So I shove, BB calls. She has A7o. Yes!

Turn: 7 (nooooo!!!)

River: blank.

Another two precious hours of my life wasted. Online MTTS are cruel, really.

rezod212 · Pair Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 32

I'm probably about the same as you. I do ok in the 18 and 45 man MTT tourns but once it gets up into the 100's to 1k's I do bad.

On pokerstars this past friday I won a ticket to the weekly WSOP freeroll though. I was down to 196th of 199 left and within 8 hands I was up to 6th. That was one of my better runs at a table Smile

There were 2150 players in that one.

I usually finish about in the middle of the pack (on a bad beat) but I have only played in about 10. I don't have hours and hours of free time to play in these types.

chipengineer2 · High Card Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 9

I have to disagree here and dont like the call at all. First your against a utg limper who just called your prefop raise. I know he had nothing but you dont know that at the time. He could have you beat in a number of ways after this flop and to me thats a easy laydown. Your not pot commited and would still easily have enough chips to play.

Problem was your selection of hands to try to make a move in my opinion. Ace/x suited raising agaisnt a utg limper? Im sorry thats a laydown preflop or at best a call hoping to get into a multi way pot which is what you want with your hand. Its not a hand you really want heads up mainly because if the ace hits your kicker sucks and that can get you into alot of trouble.

Just from reading your post and looking at the hand history it seems you should really focus on being patient. Mtts are a marathon not a sprint like a stt and you have to have that mindset or just dont bother playing.

Next time you get your 30k and the blinds are low be extremely patient. Look to pound the small stacks not the bigger ones. Play your big hands hard and look to stay away from coinfips as well. If you must make a move then again look to push a short stack that cant hurt you as much if they force you in or get lucky.

PokerJessO · Straight Flush Joined: 28 Jun 2007 Posts: 371

I don't mind the pre-flop raise, but I really don't like the post-flop call. If you had any kind of a read on your opponent, it would be a reasonable call. But you didn't state any reads in your post, so you were just blindly hoping bottom pair was good. The only hand he could have that you'd even possibly be favored against is 2 overs with no draw. Any draw he could have will certainly contain 2 overs to your pair, and you'll be 50% at best. Fold here and look for a better spot.

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