Help a tournament newbie out...

[livitup]

Please take it easy on the newbie... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I've been playing .50/1 and 1/2 limit cash games moderately successfully for the past several years. I'm not making enough to make a living, but I haven't reloaded my PP account in quite a while either.

I am trying to make the transition to NL tourneys, but I'm having a lot of trouble with betting my hands properly. This happened tonight and is a perfect example:

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t50 (9 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

UTG+1 (t1500)
MP1 <font color="#A500AF">(Villian)</font> (t1395)
MP2 (t1360)
MP3 (t2015)
CO (t1100)
Button (t1375)
SB (t3055)
BB (t3775)
Hero (t1290)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t150</font>, UTG+1 calls t150, MP1 <font color="#A500AF">(Villian)</font> calls t150, MP2 calls t150, MP3 calls t150, <font color="#666666">4 folds</font>.

Flop: (t825) 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(5 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t1140 (All-In)</font>, UTG+1 folds, Villian calls t1140, MP2 folds, MP3 folds.

Turn: (t3105) K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>
.

River: (t3105) Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: t3105

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
Hero has 9d 9h (one pair, nines).
Villian has 4d 4s (three of a kind, fours).
Outcome: Villian wins t3105. </font>

Here is what I am thinking, and I hope you will tell me where I am going wrong... (nicely, please!)

1) 9, 9 is a raise in a limit game, marginally so UTG, but I would be prepared to lay it down if a reraise or huge flop came about. Extending that theory to NLHE, I figure 3x BB is good here.

2) This was the first hand with this many callers, usually 2 or 3 go to the flop. This surprised me. But for some (stupid!) reason, it didn't scare me.

3) Now after the flop, I was thinking that I probably had the best hand. Anything from AA down to JJ should have reraised me preflop. So, I pushed.

Of course villian's pocket 4s crush me.

My fundamental low/micro-limit strategy has been bet when you have the best hand, which I'm beginning to realize isn't right in the NL world. So what should I have done, and why?

Thanks!

[Donkey5layer]

The problem with this push is the ONLY hands calling you have you beat. with this many people in the pot lead out half pot and see what happens... if someone calls and somone else reraised or something like that this is an easy fold.

[yNnOs]

I think you played it fine. Std opening raise of 3x (mix it up with 4x sometimes), and what looks to be a good flop. You have to bet it strong, and a 3/4 PSB or more commits you anyway, hence shoving also looks good. All in all, I think you did well and just got unlucky. This is one of those situations where a large percentage of the time we're taking this down or doubling through a whiffed draw. Question yourself based on what happens here most of the time, and not what actually happened.

[yNnOs]

[ QUOTE ]
The problem with this push is the ONLY hands calling you have you beat. with this many people in the pot lead out half pot and see what happens... if someone calls and somone else reraised or something like that this is an easy fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're forgetting hands like a flush draw with overs, and even something like 77 may look you up hoping you're pushing AK. Can't lead 1/2 pot here, you want to protect your hand. With that kind of bet you're giving 3:1, and after the flop overcards are usually 3:1 to improve.

If you lead 600 here, you have around 500 left. There's no way I'm folding to a re-raise in a pot that would now be around 2K, getting 4:1 with an overpair.

[gobucks27]

Is anyone mucking preflop or just calling...Guess it depends on table dynamics but I'm folding to a LAG table..the raise is acceptable at a tight passive table..

[jonnyd]

this is not a case where the only hands that call him are beating him. however im not saying the open push is a good line to take here.

i usually limp with this stack but the flop shove really isnt that bad.

[hagbard celine]

I think that early in a tournament I'm limping 99 UTG and basically playing for set value.

Hopefully lots of others overlimp, and you can flop a set in a multiway pot. The worst spot to be in is the one in which you found yourself--a huge pot OOP with a fairly marginal hand.

[hamnegger]

ok 99 utg is marginal. u may not have best hand when u get called 1010-qq may flat call. now if you do have best hand there are pp in play (uh oh i see a set coming) but you are in tough spot. if you bet ai is correct. if you check its over fold. i have no idea what id do here id prob shove too

[Win.by.TKo]

I'd be inclined to check here &amp; shove if only one player bets, but fold if more than one does. If everybody checks, I'd employ the same plan on the turn.

[jonnyd]

not on that turn.
check shoving that K after flop checks is horrible