Busting Out

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Busting Out

Postby Insidestr8 on Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:34 pm

As you get late into a tournament the approach taken to hands will change. Here are just a couple of situations where I busted out and some thoughts behind them.

First Case
In the first case Mimi busted me a week or two by calling my all in with something like Q-6. Just looking at calling an all in with Q-6 you might think its a donkey move, BUT, based on where we were in the tournament, what the chip stacks were, and who she was playing against it wasn't a bad call at all. At the time Mimi was the dominant stack and had about 7,000 in chips. I was the short stack and had about 800 chips and the big blind was likely 200 or something like that. I was in middle position and players before me had folded. I had a weak Ace and since I only had a few big blinds left I went all in. People folded around to Mimi and she thought for a bit, and then she called my all in so we were heads up.

I don't know her thinking, but I'm hoping she thinks I'm an ok player and that at that point of the tournament, and with my small stack size, I'd go in with a very wide variety of hands including small suited connectors. Q-6 isn't a great hand, but against some of the hands I might have she might be ahead, and against many of the hands I might have she would only be a 60-40 underdog. The other point for her to look at was stack size. Her calling me only cost her about 10% of her stack and even if she lost she would still be the major stack at the table so the risk was minor. Also, I think I'm a good player at PBL, so she also had the chance to knock me out of the tournament without putting her stack in jeopardy. She made the call, she was about a 60-40 underdog, and she won. Its not a bad beat or suck out as far as I'm concerned since to me I can see the logic behind her call. If I wasn't the small stack and if she didn't have me dominated I doubt she would have made the call.

Second Case
Last night I was one of the small stacks and we were at the bubble in the final table. I was dealt pocket 10s and I think I may have had about two and a half times the big blind. The other small stack was on the big blind and I was going to go all in hoping to take the small stack's big blind, or to force that person all in. However, a big stack made a bet before. I changed my mind at that point since I didn't think I had enough of a stack to force the big stack out, and the big stack was already doing my work for me by raising the small stacked big blind. So I went sucky and folded. Well the small stack big blind called the big stack and won the hand and doubled up leaving me as the small stack. I think my pocket 10s would have held up, but I didn't want to take the chance at that point of the tournament. How did the poker gods reward my cowardly fold? Well I got AA on the next hand and went all in. Lulu called me with her KK and caught a K on the flop knocking me out.

I second guessed myself a bit for the fold of the pocket 10s on the previous hand but at that point I was playing the bubble and didn't want to challenge the big blind when I thought the other small stack was teetering and being pressured by the big stack. If I had a bigger stack at I would have raised with the pocket 10s. A wimpy play by me I guess and I guess the poker gods felt that way too.

Anyway, here are two recent scenarios I was involved with near the end of recent tournaments and I wanted to give you my thoughts on how I played the hand and what I think the other person might have been thinking in one of them. Thoughts and comments are appreciated, as are disagreements. :)
Insidestr8
 
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Re: Busting Out

Postby mimi girl on Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:01 pm

Thank you str8, that was such a nice compliment. As for your playing, I think your one of the best players. Thats why Your compliment means alot to me. Thank you, see ya at the tables, 'SMILES"

mimi
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