I think you played the first hand too strongly. You're only going to get called by hands like KK/QQ and maybe AK/JJ from donks, whereas you're letting Ax and lower pockets get away cheaply. You may have to play a bit of post-flop poker (shock horror!) but in the long run it'll maximise your profits on that hand.

2nd hand was fine.

Maybe off subject a little, but at the lower levels I am not at all a fan of the "Your only going to get called by..." logic. Sometimes you raise an extrordinary amount because there is enough money in the pot and you don't want to get called so it's ok if everyone folds. Most of these people downloaded the quick install software without fold buttons anyway so your going to get called by a lot more than you think.

the real question is: If the flop comes down and you do not have the , can you lay it down if your CB gets repopped.

If the answer is no, then yeah push, because its not going to matter. If you can get away from aces, then you should play the hand out.

-Jus

really ?

What's the worst thing that can happen? No, not getting your AA cracked, but giving away all those lovely chips you could have and should have won. (We're not talking about these particular bad beat stories, btw. A pox on their houses.)

You get AA once in every 223 hands. Theoretically, you'll get AA once in a long MTT. If you routinely push, you will only pick up blinds and limpers most often. (Debatable in a $3 MTT, but I maintain play good poker and forget the buy in.) If this is the case, then you are giving away all the value of having the best starting hand in hold 'em.

You want action! Put in a raise of the same size you'd make with any other hand. If you have only 1 limper and you're on the button, hell, make it a mini-raise. You want someone to come in with you. Even 2 as you're losing a mere 4% points with 2 instead of one. What's the extra chips worth? Certainly more than 4%. You're 23% to lose head's up. Make it worth your while. And when you get cracked, you can say you played it right, just lost. Easier to say when you don't go all in.

Plus, if you'd put in a raise and only the QQ called, you might have taken down the pot without having to play the player and the poker gods at the same time. He might have folded on the turn to a big bet. Likely would have. He has to know that catching that miracle card is, well, a miracle. Let everyone think he's the donkey he is.

Stop being afraid of post-flop play. Make it your friend. Go play some real cheap NL cash games where you aren't afraid of losing and do nothing but work on your post-flop play. (How you can get much cheaper than $3, I don't know.)

If you ever, EVER, want to get to the highest levels of poker, you better learn how to play post flop. Those guys know. They'll clean your clock, without having QQ against you.

Just some advice. It only costs when you take it.

CJ