This is another mid-pocket pair hand from the same tournament. We're now in level 9 (300/600 with a 50 ante) and I'm at 35k in chips, but now there's several around me, though still only the one player above (at 48k now).

UTG limps (30k) and it folds to me in MP, so I raise to 2400 with pocket tens. It then folds to the SB, who flat calls (27k) and the original limper calls.

After all that, there's 8250 in the pot. When the flop comes 244 with 2 diamonds (I do have the Td), I've decided that I want this pot. Both players check to me - so how much should I bet?

I finally decided to take a bit of a risk and bet out about half the pot (4200). This does price in the flush draw - but they won't get another cent if the flush hits - and I was outwardly hoping they would push right there.

The SB flat calls my bet. and the 9c comes out - putting a second flush draw out - not that I'm worried about that suit. SB checks once again and I need to find a price to put out there.

The only thing I can really put this guy on would be a flush draw from the flop - maybe a smaller pocket pair. I bet about half the pot again (8400) and he calls quickly.

The river completes the club flush with a 5 and he checks once more. At this point, I'm certain that I can't beat anything he'd call with, so I just check behind. He gets to show his impressive 6d8d to the table and I rake in the pot.

I'm mostly looking for pointers on the betting - because something about it just didn't sink in right to me.

Here's another one. Level 11 (600/1200 with a 75 ante), I'm down to 40k in chips which is still well above average, but there's two above me now.

I'm the button with TJs and it folds around to the cutoff, who makes a minimum raise (20k). Looking after me, the SB has 51k, but the BB only started with 6.4k on the hand. In other words - I felt this call had a chance that it would cost me another ~4k or so.

I decide I like the situation enough to make the call. The SB folds and the BB pushes. Both the cutoff and I flat call.

The flop is 23J rainbow with one heart. Unfortunately for me - the cutoff now pushes. What to do?

After thinking about it for a while - I decided his range could have been any pocket pair from 10s on up, or an AJ, maybe an AK. Since it is a dry side pot - I'm less inclined to think it is AK. However, out of all of those - I'm only beating the tens - so I make a tough decision and fold my top pair.

Turns out my opponent did have AJ - and I was very happy with my play. Especially, when the turn showed a ten that would've given me two pair... GRRR!

On a positive note - we're past the bubble - so I'm netting at least a $20 profit at this point since I didn't rebuy nor addon in the first hour. Heh - and as I was writing this - I just doubled up - so I'm feeling a little better about my stack (which was down to 20k at the time).

The 3rd break just hit. I've got 47k and I'm 49th out of 143. The avg stack is 40k or so.

PokerStars Game #5489513457: Tournament #27318378, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level XV (2000/4000) - 2006/07/08 - 01:31:00 (ET)
Table '27318378 26' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: The Jackal01 (97949 in chips)
Seat 2: ucutme (35938 in chips)
Seat 3: bean hole (63275 in chips)
Seat 4: cubfan46 (56180 in chips)
Seat 5: docbaby (16070 in chips)
Seat 6: ibbyc79 (69651 in chips)
Seat 7: Starstealer (45313 in chips)
Seat 8: nothing9 (48103 in chips)
Seat 9: PocketKiings (109637 in chips)
The Jackal01: posts the ante 200
ucutme: posts the ante 200
bean hole: posts the ante 200
cubfan46: posts the ante 200
docbaby: posts the ante 200
ibbyc79: posts the ante 200
Starstealer: posts the ante 200
nothing9: posts the ante 200
PocketKiings: posts the ante 200
Starstealer: posts small blind 2000
nothing9: posts big blind 4000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Starstealer [Ah Jh]
PocketKiings: folds
The Jackal01: folds
ucutme: folds
bean hole: raises 4000 to 8000
cubfan46: folds
docbaby: folds
ibbyc79: folds
Starstealer: calls 6000
nothing9: calls 4000
*** FLOP *** [Ac 8d Tc]
Starstealer: bets 12000
nothing9: folds
bean hole: raises 43075 to 55075 and is all-in
Starstealer: calls 25113 and is all-in
Starstealer said, "gl"
*** TURN *** [Ac 8d Tc]
*** RIVER *** [Ac 8d Tc 3c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Starstealer: shows [Ah Jh] (a pair of Aces)
bean hole: shows [As Jc] (a flush, Ace high)
nothing9 said, "dirty"
bean hole collected 100026 from pot
bean hole said, "sry"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 100026 | Rake 0
Board [Ac 8d Tc 3c 5c]
Seat 1: The Jackal01 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: ucutme folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: bean hole showed [As Jc] and won (100026) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 4: cubfan46 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: docbaby folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: ibbyc79 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: Starstealer (small blind) showed [Ah Jh] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 8: nothing9 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: PocketKiings folded before Flop (didn't bet)

I'm very happy with my call there - but man oh man - was I not happywith the turn and river...

Second hand:
The board is paired, you do not have trips, and your card of that suit is only a 10
I would go into check/fold mode.

I am feeling kinda sick here.
So relived that your read on him was spot-on, A-J or worse, then runner-runner clubs

SS you seem to be up and down a lot are you doing a lot of chasing?

Depends on the night. I have caught myself chasing a fair amount. Sometimes I bleed alot preflop too - it really depends on how disciplined I am on a given night.

That being said, there's also the fact that I lose a lot in blinds and antes in between hands. In one hand above (the one with JTs and I had 40k), I mention that I was down to 20k right before the break and I managed to double up right then. The 20k I lost between level 11 and the end of level 12 was pretty much all blinds and antes.

Of the hands above - that represents about 1% of the hands from the tournament, so there's plenty of time to lose to antes and blinds.

In the first hour I seem to have an amazing knack for building a decent stack in a rebuy tournament - this being the 3rd time this week where I was over 20k at the end, without doing a rebuy or an addon at the end. Clearly this indicates taking some risks - but it is mostly just easy plays on my end and stupid players on the other...

One of these days, I'll do a full tournament report. These isolated hands, in my opinion, really don't give off any of the feel of the pressures at different points in the tournament.