how right do things have to go to win? a final table story.

[elmitchbo]

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I do win flips/suck out most of the time when I go deep (pulled a 5/95 on somebody to get to one of my FT's last night...that's a first, though*), but sometimes you manufacture your own luck.

Example: Big stack raises and you call with KQ. KQ is close to a monster 5 handed if you had 8 BB, but there's a microstack in with you and you have 20 BB. I probably call here too, but I might push and I might fold depending on how tight he's been.

So you call and flop a 12 outer on an ace high board. I would rather not bet here because if I'm checkraised it's for my stack as a dog with the microstack cheering the hand on. Instead, I'll check and maybe CR the overcaller, or fold to a bet/CR, or do something else that involves seeing a turn. If I am playing for my stack in this situation it will be as the aggressor, and maybe someone will make a big mistake like laying down QJ.

*Or, you can get your chips in with top pair vs. a made flush and runner runner a boat. That works, too.

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good response, thanks. i agree that good aggressive play helps generate 'luck' to some extent.

you're right about the last hand. i just didn't put everything together as well as i should have. the micro stack didn't really occur to me at first. i have new respect for the guys at live tourney's. i'm used to playing 5 table Sng's or playing big fields and busting out after a few hours. 6 hours into the tourney at 4am i was having trouble keeping up with the action. i need preactice keeping my focus for long, late sessions.

the big stack had proven he had lots of gamble in him. he had been all in more than anyone at the final table and his chip stack had swung up and down dramatically. i felt Ok about calling against his range with KQ, if the hand took place in a vacuum. in reality it would have been better to see the micro out first, rather than call off my stck on a draw.