$4.40, 180's

Not often I do well in these. I just don't know what to do with some of these players.

PokerStars Game #999: Tournament #999, $4.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2008/07/30 - 10:11:02 (ET)
Table '98942581 11' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: locosma (1190 in chips)
Seat 2: scupize (1490 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 3: captainAs34 (6430 in chips)
Seat 4: toeliscious (950 in chips)
Seat 5: tjango14 (2960 in chips)
Seat 6: Mouser1299 (1410 in chips)
Seat 7: 7letters (2240 in chips)
Seat 8: doppelmarta (1700 in chips)
Seat 9: POKER PU99 (1470 in chips) is sitting out
captainAs34: posts small blind 10
toeliscious: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 7letters [ ]
tjango14: raises 40 to 60
Mouser1299: folds
7letters: calls 60
doppelmarta: calls 60
POKER PU99: folds
locosma: calls 60
scupize: folds
captainAs34: calls 50
toeliscious: calls 40
*** FLOP *** [ ]
captainAs34: checks
toeliscious: checks
tjango14: checks
7letters: bets 240
doppelmarta: folds
locosma: folds
captainAs34: folds
toeliscious: folds
tjango14: calls 240
*** TURN *** [ ] []
tjango14: checks
7letters: checks
*** RIVER *** [ ] []
tjango14: checks
7letters: bets 120
tjango14: raises 620 to 740
...
all the way I'm thinking A5/A6/A8 is highly possible. I'm pretty sure he isn't on a straight. I don't want you to guess who won and I'm not going to tell you. Just wondered what would you do here.
No real read on him but the standard of play at the table is very poor.


Here's another hand. You may get something of a feel for the table from this one.


PokerStars Game #999 Tournament #999, $4.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2008/07/30 - 10:14:07 (ET)
Table '98942581 11' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: locosma (1880 in chips)
Seat 2: scupize (1490 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 3: captainAs34 (6370 in chips)
Seat 4: toeliscious (880 in chips)
Seat 5: tjango14 (3520 in chips)
Seat 6: Mouser1299 (1410 in chips)
Seat 7: 7letters (1200 in chips)
Seat 8: doppelmarta (1620 in chips)
Seat 9: POKER PU99 (1470 in chips) is sitting out
tjango14: posts small blind 10
Mouser1299: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 7letters [ ]
7letters: raises 60 to 80
doppelmarta: calls 80
POKER PU99: folds
locosma: calls 80
scupize: folds
captainAs34: calls 80
toeliscious: calls 80
tjango14: calls 70
Mouser1299: calls 60

...oh good, just what I wanted...


*** FLOP *** [ ]
tjango14: checks
Mouser1299: bets 240
7letters: raises 520 to 760
doppelmarta: folds
locosma: folds
captainAs34: folds
toeliscious: folds
POKER PU99 is connected
POKER PU99 has returned
tjango14: folds
Mouser1299: raises 570 to 1330 and is all-in
7letters: calls 360 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (210) returned to Mouser1299
*** TURN *** [ ] []
7letters said, "yep"
(I'm not in a good mood am I )
*** RIVER *** [ ] []
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Mouser1299: shows [ ] (a pair of Fours)
7letters: shows [Qh Qd] (two pair, Queens and Fours)
7letters collected 2800 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2800 | Rake 0
Board [8d 5h 4s 4d 9c]
Seat 1: locosma folded on the Flop
Seat 2: scupize folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: captainAs34 folded on the Flop
Seat 4: toeliscious (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 5: tjango14 (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: Mouser1299 (big blind) showed [2h 3h] and lost with a pair of Fours
Seat 7: 7letters showed [Qh Qd] and won (2800) with two pair, Queens and Fours
Seat 8: doppelmarta folded on the Flop
Seat 9: POKER PU99 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

I made chips there...thankfully.

Was just an annoying game. Nothing I tried worked. I missed 12 and 15 outers several times and I was more or less finished off when I bet a KJx4 board and got called by pocket 7's. My next hand I shoved with A6 one caller with KTo and I busted. No prob with that really. It's just that the standard was terrible, and I'm sulking and I'm venting.
IS THAT OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??? WELL IS IT!!!!!!!!!!??












.............................ok, I'm calm now













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I've had some success in these (got 3rd twice) and I just did it by not bluffing that much at all early getting a tight table image which allowed me to steal later in the game but I will agree their are a handful of fish in these games early key is to single them out so you can capitalize and take some big pots of them..

Yeah good post Captious. I'll go along with all that you said there. I think that's exactly how you should play them. Tight, tight, steal where you can, aggressive when you do play a hand, then get nasty and play a bit in the later stages. I intended to do just that - it's all in my head at the start -but these sites and players won't let me sometimes! It's not fair

I don't do too well in stars tourneys. I'm not sure what my stats are in the 4.40, 180's without looking but not good. Seems every time I play one it doesn't go well. I think remember getting a 2nd place once and maybe another little cash but I'm a bubbler and a moaner mostly

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May/June '07
....Team:7 Black Balls
.... Sunday Lge Team Champs

Nov/Dec '07
....Team: 7Balls
....Sunday Lge Team Champs
....Sunday Lge Individual RunnerUp

Jan/Feb '08
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June/July '08
....Midweek League
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I do well in these $4.40. As for the first hand in which you chose not to show the outcome, All I can do is laugh......... Its a typical Early hand in those $4.40's in which your opponent most likely could have any 2 cards at all. Most likely he called your $240 flop bet w/ the gutshot or the backdoor flush draw. I see this all the time in these games.

Theres only 1 real way to play these games. You get a hand like AA,KK, or QQ then push all in if you have a few callers in the pot already. Someone will call. Then you have to hope it holds. If nobody's in the pot and you get these hands then raise it up to 1/3 your chip stack and be prepared to just take the blinds.

Any other hand, including AK AQ JJ then just raise it up 10x BB and play post flop poker w/o committing too much on the C/bets.

All other hands like suited connectors and small pairs, then limp often when many have entered the pot and hope to make trips, str8, or flush. Otherwise check fold those hands if you dont hit them big.

Thst a successful recipe for the $4.40's 180 man. I gaurantee success or your money back. LOL!!!!!!!!!

lol Thanks Bsquad. I should probably stay away from these things but no doubt I'll jump in one again sometime. When I do I'll be taking onboard all you wrote.

__________________
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May/June '07
....Team:7 Black Balls
.... Sunday Lge Team Champs

Nov/Dec '07
....Team: 7Balls
....Sunday Lge Team Champs
....Sunday Lge Individual RunnerUp

Jan/Feb '08
....Sunday Lge Individual RunerUp

June/July '08
....Midweek League
....Winner

Very new to this site but been playin poker stars for a couple of years and used to play pacific poker. but im no pro but like to think im gettin better and my goal is to keep gettin better. I agree with all the above alot of peaple are way to loose (probly the ones with so much money already whats 4.40 to them right) it makes for a hard tome to those of us trying to get better.

ya'll talk about stats is there a way to get ur stats? i would like to see mine. We'll i probaly really don't. lol

Hi RANGRMAN, Many of use Sharkscope and Official Poker Rankings for tourney stats.

__________________
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May/June '07
....Team:7 Black Balls
.... Sunday Lge Team Champs

Nov/Dec '07
....Team: 7Balls
....Sunday Lge Team Champs
....Sunday Lge Individual RunnerUp

Jan/Feb '08
....Sunday Lge Individual RunerUp

June/July '08
....Midweek League
....Winner

Decent advice from Bsquad as i would expect.

There are other ways to play these tourneys to your advantage but this is by far the simplest and there is little point advocating looser harder to play strategies as whilst they might have slightly higher ev if played right this will often be undermined by people's naturally loose instincts modifying the advice.

The key problem is that people often play these as though they were 2500$ buy in tourneys and play styles of play that just do not work at this level. Also they assume because their opponents are poor they will beat them and "deserve" to win or that their opponents will not play like morons who do not care about losing 4$. The key to winning these tourneys is not to outthink your opponents and give yourself the best chance of taking advantage of their poor play at minimum risk to yourself not playing complex mind games and trying to tripple think anyone.

Then as you progress you develop more complex reads on your opponents but remember that people are more likely to call key decisions in these than in the 10 or 20 180 man varietals. At the same time the standard of pre final table play is so poor that so long as you realise how loose people are, solid poker till there are 28 or so people left , then solid tourney poker is the key.

To refine Bsquads strategy slightly also play the occasional cheap drawing hand and when you hit well you will often be rewarded but still play c18% preflop at most.

In terms of the hand in question you have already misplayed the hand to the point that it is impossible to recommend a play. On the one hand you have developed a read and then played the hand according to that read. You have hit a situation where you have either needed to reevaluate your read and acted with caution or showed bottle despite difficult cards to read stuck to your guns. However you have been making life diffiucult for yourself.

A simple way of playing the hand would be...(from turn)
OK I am strong, bit scared a moron is chasing a straight and caught or calling with bizzare hard to predict cards but I look good here...My hand is not awesome - he could easily have me here if he has trips, 2 pair (most likely if he is ahead it is with this). Dont want to build up too much of a pot cause not major confident here- have a tingle in side me saying he has 2 pair. Still going to play the percentages till I get a stronger read and bet the turn to get value for the chasing hands that he most probably has (100-180 bet). If he calls it is likely he will still check the river in which case I will check as either he is chasing and caught or chasing and missed but neither pay me....

After all "I think he has 2 pair" and my AQ will be beat unless I get a lucky river card . With these low cards a straight looks too likely and to be honest he could be chasing a flush draw now as well. Not likely but not taking my chances or giving me too tough a decision to make......

From this bet on the turn if he reraises - you are good enough to know what he has - either a bluff, 2 pair or a straight and youll know which depending on your reads of him, speed of play and betting range.

As you played the hand you have given him a free card, set up a perfect bluffing oppertunity that it is real hard to call unless your read is good. You have given yourself a really tough river situation. IF you check the river you are fine . Betting only has value if he has 2 pair after all otherwise (and there are too many otherwises) it is either setting up a bluff that at this level is a needlessly difficult decision to call or paying him off for crazy chasing.

Key to winning MTTs is do not make mistakes. The easiest way of doing this is to play tight solid poker AND do not give you difficult decisions to make. These things can be won without those headaches that you ended up with on this hand.