Teach me tournament play, AJs

[Sir Winalot]

I'm coming from shorthanded cash games so all this full-ring and tournament stuff is very new to me. Don't try to be pretty if I'm missing something fundamental.

This is a hand from stars $4.4 180 player tournament, blinds 10/20 and going up in ~6 minutes. CO in this hand doesn't seem to be very smart, he got his big stack from a 3-way flippament. No other reads except I'm assuming most of these players suck hard because it's a $4 tourney.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (8 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

CO (t4290)
Button (t480)
SB (t2910)
BB (t1570)
UTG (t1330)
UTG+1 (t1450)
MP1 (t1470)
Hero (t1410)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t60</font>, CO calls t60, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, SB calls t50, BB calls t40.

<font color="blue"> Is raising here standard? I've heard that 3+1 preflop is good for tournaments so I made it 3bb here. Should I be raising more because the stacks are still quite deep or is this good? </font>

Flop: (t240) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t160</font>, CO calls t160, SB folds, BB folds.

<font color="blue"> I expect them to call with worse A's/pp/draws all day so bombs away. Is the betsize good?</font>

Turn: (t560) J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t360</font>, CO calls t360.

<font color="blue"> I didn't exactly love that spade, but I hit 2 pair and expect villain to still call with worse A's/2 pair and some XxX[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. </font>

River: (t1280) 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t830 (All-In)</font>, CO calls t830.

<font color="blue"> Is shoving good or am I just hoping he sucks hard enough to call with top pair? </font>

Final Pot: t2940

[beenben]

PF Raise is standard. 3x is OK. some people go 4x early. whatever you pick, just be consistent.

flop - bet size looks good. some people would go higher, maybe up to a pot sized bet due to the flush draw.

turn - I like a smaller value bet to try to find out if he hut the flush, and to represent the flush, but as played, I am leery of his call. either he's a calling station, or he hit the flush and expects you to bet the river so he doesn't check raise you here.

river - the push is fine because you are going to get called in a 4/180 by worse hands.

[Luisgallo]

Pushing at river is terrible.

You only get called by a made flush.

your initial raise of 60 is not stopping very marginal hands to call.

[Pondy]

Mr Gallo is correct. Early in the 180's dont be afraid to push these hands hard pf. Blinds are 20, with that hand a raise of 120+ would see of the sort of the limpers that are going to call a 3xbb with anything (ie. unsuited connectors etc).

Flop - Pot size or over bet (there's 4 of you in still)
Turn - He's called your flop bet, so he's stupidly drawing or had Ax. Your bet is fine.
River - Value bet and fold to reraise.

[Loki9]

Your preflop bet won't fold many, it just a pot sweetener. In the cheap MTTs you need to raise a lot to get people to fold.

Your flop bet is on the small size. People will chase the flush, ignoring the pot odds. I like to bet a bit more than the pot here to really punish them. If anyone calls or raises, I'm likely done with the hand.

His turn call is scary, he could have a flush or a set of fours.

I value bet the river and fold a raise. If you want to be agressive and shove, I would do it on the turn.

[betgo]

On the river, you have 800 and there is 1200 in the pot, so I don't like betting and folding to a raise. I would either bet the river or check/call the river.

On the turn, I would probably check/call and then check/call the river.

[blockafor]

[ QUOTE ]
On the turn, I would probably check/call and then check/call the river.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am not a fan of check/calling the turn here. I think the third spade will scare a lot of the weaker hands from betting that would be calling if we fire a bet. And I would hate to give a free card to a lone spade.

[arod18]

check/calling the turn IS bad in this situation. However, I think your hand is good here as most players in the 4.40s would have reshoved you on the turn with a made flush. Villian could very well have As with a decent kicker like 10ish or so and therefore with the missesd flush, feels that he can still call you down and win the pot.

[Sir Winalot]

[ QUOTE ]
On the river, you have 800 and there is 1200 in the pot, so I don't like betting and folding to a raise. I would either bet the river or check/call the river.

On the turn, I would probably check/call and then check/call the river.

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree that bet/fold the river would be horrible with these stacks.

My thinking was that shove&gt;c/c on river because he will probably check behind with many hands that would have called a shove with. Am I wrong here?

C/c turn seems wrong to me because I don't like the idea of giving the initiative to villain and let him take a free card with a spade.

[ QUOTE ]
If you want to be agressive and shove, I would do it on the turn.

[/ QUOTE ]
I have 1300 left and the pot is ~550, I don't think so. I think I would only get called by a better hand there.

[nath]

I like the way OP played the hand.