first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

Hi all, been playing home poker games for about 6 months now and played in my first proper live tournament a few weeks back and wondered what you thought of this hand that I busted out on.

The blinds were 100/200 and I was sitting on about 2500. I was in middle position. Everyone folds to me, I have QQ with one of them being a diamond.

I raise to 700, everyone folds but the BB calls.

The flop comes K 9 7 all diamonds. The BB goes all in. I'm pretty sure he has a king but I only had 1800 left so I called evern though I knew I was beat at that time, hoping to hit a diamond for a flush.

He did have a king, I didnt hit my flush and I was out. Also found it v hard to lay those Queens down even tho there was an overcard.

Any thoughts?

Also can you recommend a good, reasonably simple book to start learning the game properly? I hear Harrington is worth it.

Thanks in advance

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

Laying down big hands takes a while. QQ should be an easy fold here.

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

With only 8 rounds of blinds left, I'm all-in pre-flop.

As played it should be an easy fold. Hold'em is not a 2-card game. Big hands pre-flop don't have to win the pot.

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

The best saying for this is 'never get married to your hole cards'.

If you have two aces and there is a possibility that some could beat you with a flush or straight or anything better you got to fold, better to be able to fright another hand then be out. So my point is dont be scare to fold, thats were most noobs trip up.

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

You just got some really dumb responses. Without any other information I'd say you played it fine.

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

Post this in the Multi Table Tournaments forum, and you will get much better advice.

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Laying down big hands takes a while. QQ should be an easy fold here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Way no.

You played the hand absolutely fine.

He's pushing way more hands here that you beat than you are behind. Even when you ARE behind, the only hand you're in real trouble against is AK if the A is a diamond.

Hope this helps.

Edit: Harrington is definitely worth it (vols 1+2), but the best resource for learning MTTs is the MTT forum here on 2+2.

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

I think you played this hand fine.

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

I think you played it fine. Personally I push with QQ preflop. If this is a live tournament you'd be surprised at the worse hands that will call an all in preflop mainly any pair, Ax. Given your stack size I push for exactly this reason with only one over and a flush draw I can't fold this flop in a tourney.

If villain wants to call a raise with K-rag then make him pay by pushing all in.

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

I'm all-in preflop. May him pay to see it.

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

Thanks for the responses, playing the tourney again tomo, will post in the MTT section any key hands and see what u all think.

Re: first live tournament did i play this hand wrong?
 

Let me explain a little more why I push QQ. You have 2500 in chips the blinds are 100+200 = 300. So you have 2500/300 = a little more then 8 orbits left without playing a hand left in your chip stack, Harrington calls this your M. I start getting desperate and making more plays well before I get to this point.

When I have an M < 10 and I haven't pushed all in yet in ep I push with QQ-99, AK-AQ, and fold everything else except AA, KK which I make a standard raise. In middle position you can add 88-66, AJs. In late position Ax, KJ+, and PP. Of course this is table dependent, this is my general strategy.

Your hand is a great example of why you push. Had you pushed you gain 300 which increases your stack by more then 10% if everyone folds and you have the chance to double up. With how you played this hand, the flop has a pot of 1500, while you have a stack of 1800. You are now pot committed. I could only get away from an AKx flop against a tight opponent in this spot.