Early Stages of a Live Tournament

[the_doantster]

Live $300 Buy-In Tourney

Early Stages
Blinds 50/100

I've been playing very tight up to this point, mostly because I haven't picked up many hands, however I did manage to steal the blinds a few times.

I have about 2600 in front of me and pick up AK off UTG + 1

I make a standard raise to 300, folded to MP who is a loose aggressive player that I've played a few tournaments with, he likes to play a wide variety of hands, and also bluffs very frequently. He calls.

Everybody folds including the SB and BB.

Flop
10 - 2 - 6 Raainbow

My first mistake --- I check

He bets 300, I think for a second and call...?

Turn comes another 10

Another mistake? should I have fired in a bet?

I check, he checks.

River makes the board

10-10-2-6-8

I check (...ughh)....He fires in 800

I..

[durkahdurkah]

fold

[4CardStraight]

What is it you were trying to accomplish by checking the flop?

Were you hoping he would check behind so that you could lead the turn even if unimproved, and have him think you are completely FoS?

Were you hoping he would bet so that you could... (check raise might work here), as played, call him, leaving you no information as to wether you were ahead or behind?

This is an ideal flop to continuation bet, and in my book, betting here IS NOT A BLUFF. Your ace high best kicker, still has likely 6 outs to improve even if it is not the best hand.

You should bet half to two thirds pot on the flop. If he calls, evaluate the hands he could be calling you with, and likely fire again on the turn, or check fold the turn if you know you are beat. There arent many drawing hands with which he could flat call your bet. If you are dead to a set, he will likely raise you big on the flop and you can walk away.

If he smooth calls on the flop, his hand might be jj, qq, or something like AT. against these hands you still have a good 6 outs, and this bet/call will only sweeten the pot for you to take if you catch on the turn. If you dont improve on the turn, you can cbet again, check fold, or check raise all in, depending on your style and how frequently you think this opp will bluff you.

This could be debateable, but i think at the 50/100 level raising to 400 preflop as your "standard issue raise size" is better than raising to 300. if you raise to 300 in order for someone to call you they see it as "something like 10% of my chips to call, to win 750+)... if you raise it to 400 (with stacks of 2500ish), their mind sees it more like "something like a fifth of my stack" people tend to be bad at shortcut math and 400 seems to take more pots down than 300 at the 50/100 level live... but as i say its debatable... my recommendation is that you stay consistent with raise sizing, and if 300 has gotten respect at the table, and you raise 300 most every time, then stick with the 300... but raising to 4x preflop with a hand like AK isnt too bad a plan. Given your stack size, and being in bad position, your best bet might really be trying to get it all in preflop, and raising slightly more also increases the chance that someone will shove over your raise

In this hand you are out of position, against a tricky player who seems like he could be FoS, and not value betting your good hand on the flop seems a mistake.

[AceLuby]

[ QUOTE ]
This could be debateable, but i think at the 50/100 level raising to 400 preflop as your "standard issue raise size" is better than raising to 300. if you raise to 300 in order for someone to call you they see it as "something like 10% of my chips to call, to win 750+)... if you raise it to 400 (with stacks of 2500ish), their mind sees it more like "something like a fifth of my stack" people tend to be bad at shortcut math and 400 seems to take more pots down than 300 at the 50/100 level live... but as i say its debatable... my recommendation is that you stay consistent with raise sizing, and if 300 has gotten respect at the table, and you raise 300 most every time, then stick with the 300... but raising to 4x preflop with a hand like AK isnt too bad a plan. Given your stack size, and being in bad position, your best bet might really be trying to get it all in preflop, and raising slightly more also increases the chance that someone will shove over your raise

[/ QUOTE ]

This doesn't really matter and is almost a null point. Against a LAG whether we raise 300 or 400 isn't going to make a difference.

[ QUOTE ]
In this hand you are out of position, against a tricky player who seems like he could be FoS, and not value betting your good hand on the flop seems a mistake.

[/ QUOTE ]

The whole post is summed up by this

[Das Budrick]

you should be c-betting this flop. a check here most times will cause him to bet, and without any real information from him you need to fold that flop

[deankeaton7]

...played this so passively that Im throwing away chips. Bet the flop, if he raises, fold, if he calls, then probably shut down.

[Beachman42]

[ QUOTE ]
fold

[/ QUOTE ]

and yeah, I think you coulda poked at the pot on the flop or turn.