This is just after the first break of a $5 rebuy tourney....SB is an average player from what ive seen. But he did tell me right before this hand that the donkish play stops now or something like that. AVG stack is around 13 to 14k at this point.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (9 handed)


MP3 (t11505)
CO (t4520)
Button (t13470)
SB (t16425)
Hard2tel (t17530)
UTG (t6150)
UTG+1 (t1280)
MP1 (t8000)
MP2 (t29410)

Preflop: Hard2tel is BB with , .
2 folds, MP1 calls t200, MP2 calls t200, 3 folds, SB completes, Hard2tel checks.

Flop: (t800) , , (4 players)
SB checks, Hard2tel checks, MP1 bets t200, MP2 folds, SB calls t200, Hard2tel raises to t1000, MP1 calls t800, SB raises to t16225.....?

results later.

Last night, playing No Fold 'em at a casino, I layed down KJ on a K high board. It was a very, very bad lay down and I'm still pissed at myself. The raiser ran me off, thinking he had a better hand. The winner turned over K3. It was a nice pot and would have ensured I had a winning session. It was the difference between turning a very nice profit and losing a buck, overall. I made a terrible read and the lady who won actually made a very good read, as I found out. I just simply played very badly and it was my fault.

I know I'd go broke here, too. It would have been an incredibly hard fold, but it would have been the sign of a top player. Top players make these folds. You had a great read and managed to talk yourself out of it. Someday we'll all learn to go with our reads and probably see a dramatic improvement in our success percentages.

"If you're not folding the winning hand on occasion, you're not trying very hard to win." D. Negreaneau.

We should all try to keep this one in mind. We think of Phil Helmuth differently than do his peers. He makes these laydowns, all the time. It's perhaps the one thing that makes him a great player in the minds of his peers and we don't see. He makes great reads. I think we should try harder to aspire to the things which separate us from the pack, and this is an area I need to work harder on. A lot harder.

Folding here because you're a puss is different than folding here because you're good, damned good. If it's the former, you're doomed. If it's the latter, eat me, because you're far better than I am.

nh--good post

CJ