Playing around the bubble

[JonnyPoker]

Ok so I have been playing in some small no limit hold’em tournaments as of late and can not seem to get over the hump when it gets down to getting into the money. I want to know if I am playing my hands correctly. I have two situations both are similar.

First I was in a $50 NL tournament there was 70 people to start in the tournament and we are down to 11 players left 6 at one table and 5 at the table I am at. I was in second position with a little better than an average stack at the table with about 16000. I can’t exactly remember but blinds were at 1000-2000. I get 9-9 and so I push all in and I get a call from the big blind (who was also the big stack) she has J-Q off suit and I get beat as she flops a set of jacks. I figured O well I just got beat that’s Poker.

So then last week I am playing in a $100 NL Hold’em Tournament with 12 people left 6 at my table and I am in the big blind for 2000. The person in third position raises to 4000 (she is the big stack and I am the small stack with about 12000 in chips) I am dealt J-A suited so I come over the top all in and she calls with a pair of 7s and gets her third 7 to beat me on the flop.

My question is am I playing those hands to aggressively around the bubble? These tournaments pay out at 6th place. It seems like I was on both sides of these situations and lost both times. I am not sure if it is me and I need to make a change in the way I play or if it is just how it works out sometimes. Any advice would be appreciated. I am going to Vegas in two weeks and do not want to blow it when it gets down to making it into the money while I am there.

You can email me at steel_curtain20002001@yahoo.com or responde here.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

You played both hands properly.

[GeeBeeQED]

[ QUOTE ]

.....First I was in a $50 NL tournament there was 70 people to start in the tournament and we are down to 11 players left 6 at one table and 5 at the table I am at. I was in second position with a little better than an average stack at the table with about 16000. I can’t exactly remember but blinds were at 1000-2000. I get 9-9 and so I push all in and I get a call from the big blind (who was also the big stack) she has J-Q off suit

[/ QUOTE ]

Not a good call on her part. Your M is low enough that I think the Push is OK here. She had pot odds to call you from the BB if she knew your hand so in that regard she did not make an error. The only way it's clearly a bad call is if she had a similar size stack. Were I her I'd rather not enter a flop late in a tourny to call all in or nearly so with that kind of hand.

[ QUOTE ]
and I get beat as she flops a set of jacks. I figured O well I just got beat that’s Poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

She flopped trip jacks, a set is two in the hand.

[ QUOTE ]
So then last week I am playing in a $100 NL Hold’em Tournament with 12 people left 6 at my table and I am in the big blind for 2000. The person in third position raises to 4000 (she is the big stack and I am the small stack with about 12000 in chips) I am dealt J-A suited so I come over the top all in and she calls with a pair of 7s and gets her third 7 to beat me on the flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

You were beat before the flop, crushed afterwards. However, I think you made the right move short on chips. You must take the better of those two famous chances if you want enough chips to win a tourny.

I'd say your playing well if your strategy is to finish high. If you play like a kitten (just to get in the money) then I think your long term return might be lower. What's the point in entering a contest if it is not to win? Don't let a few bubbles shake your character into bunny land.

I've been leaning towards more aggressive play a little further from the bubble in recent games. Don't wait until it's right on the bubble to start putting presure on last longer bunnys. At least that's my view.

Dave

[00timh]

First ask yourself can you fold into the money and only play AA and KK or quality hands against a shortstack. then ask yourself is it worth it to be so crippled that on the first orbit you go AI with anything marginal. In your case you did do the right thing, even if you ended up being dominated. You put yourself in races but lost them. If you won both you would likely to have finished high in the money as you would be going in as a dominating force.

[JulioYalil]

played both hands perfectly. if u have that sorta questions and a few bucks to spend go buy harrington on hold em volumes 1 & 2. there's a decent explanation on how to play near the bubble (assigns a color code to ur stack ratio at any given point in the tourney and explains how to adjust accordingly) and no limit hold em tournaments overall. it's the best book for the specific tourneys u playin.

[JulioYalil]

also, forgot to mention that u lost a couple of coin flips near the bubble. that's part of NLHE MTTs. u have to win those 50/50, 60/40, and even 70/30 hands at some point to make final tables. think about it this way: which is better? fold ur way and barely make it to the money 4 times for a profit of 4 buy ins? or bust out near the bubble 3, 4, 5, or 6 times but get first or second place once in between for a profit of over 10 buy ins? it is worth takin the risk (in a smart way, not recklessly) by applyin pressure near the bubble. time near the bubble is the time to pick up chips for the final table. all great MTT players understand this and use it. seems u doin a good job so far. good luck next time and try to get a hold of those harrington books if u haven't already.

[Jean]

Indeed, Johnnypoker, you did alright. Near the bubble, when you have a decently large stack, you rather want to put pressure on medium small stacks, who have to fear for their lives but are not hopeless, rather than attacking chip leaders, but with legitimate hands you certainly have to push anyway. If these two coin flips had gone your way, you would certainly have had a good shot at big money, so your pushings were alright. As for the first hand, your opponent certainly had to fold, unless you had been attacking with any hand previously.

[JulioYalil]

oh yea, one last thing. the call the lady made w/ QJ was stoooopid unless she had a million gazillion fafillion chips. always be glad to have people like that @ ur table.

[pricklypete]

you lost 2 coinflips. it happens.