Honestly, how bad did I play this.

[semperfi]

$20 MTT on Absolute.

Blinds are 50/100 and I am down to about 1100 chips, after losing a big chunk on a turn bluff into a huge stack. I am dealt KQo in the BB. UTG+1 (who has been playing very tight) minimum raises to 200. A loose aggressive big stack calls in MP. As the action came around to me, I was thinking that the early raiser either had a pair or AK, AQ most likely, and I could be drawing very thin. But I am short, I am getting 11:2 to call, and this is the cheapest flop I will see the rest of the tourny as blinds are about to increase. I call. Pot is T650.

Flop comes Kxx, with two to a flush. I am first to act of course, and go all in, with my last 900 chips, knowing that if I get called I am likely to see AQ. I was right, that's what the original raiser had, and I am out.

I had been pretty card dead for a while, and needed to make a move relatively soon. The way I usually play, I am probably going broke on this hand, even if I don't go all in on the flop.
Did I pick a good spot here to try to double up?

[TexasKowboy]

The hardest thing to do is let a hand go when you havn't been getting any hands. We have to trust our reads. You put him on a hand and he had it. If you know your beat you are just going to have to let it go.

I'll give you a good example. Last night I was sitting in pretty good shape with around 3800 in chips blinds are 50/100. I get dealt KK UTG+2. I had just stole the blinds with a 3X the BB bet with AJs. I bet 4X the BB. MP who had about the same amount of chips calls as does the SB and the BB.

The flop comes JQ6. I bet the pot which is 1200. MP calls all others muck. The turn is a A. I tell myself MP has 2 pair. I check MP checks. The river is blank. I check MP bets 800. I again tell myself MP has 2 pair. I call MP turns over AQ. I am now crippled.

Not sure what I would have done differently before the A hit but after the A hit I needed to let my cowboys go.

When we know we are beat even when we are short stacked we need to let the hand go. IMO.

[semperfi]

thanks kowboy. i guess that is why i am giving myself a hard time about this one. i would normally go all the way with TPGK when short, but in this case i had a good read on the guy, and should have made a stand later i guess.

[Tokenizer]

This is a common situation to be in... short stacked and blinds going up soon, you've been waiting for a hand to double with and then you get two paint cards that look like gold. It's a tough spot when you're getting blinded away fast.

When I'm in this spot I am either pushing or folding. I know you are getting 5.5:1 on the call and all that but unless I have smaller suited connectors I don't call here. The reason being that if you hit your hand, like you did, you are still likely to be behind and if you don't you have to fold. With 550 in the pot I either try and get headsup or fold it off. Some may disagree with me but it's just something *I* do to prevent myself from being in this situation with a dominated hand.

What I do here is fold KQ and save my 100 chips. The reason I make that move is the min raise from the tight player and the call from the MP loose/aggresive player. IMO the tight player made a smaller than usual raise with a hand that has you dominated so that the loose player with a large stack has a chance to dump a chunk of change on the hand. Turns out he has AQ which is the lowest hand I put him on here but still one that dominates your hand.

If UTG+1 is a tight player that means he's in the BB when you get the button and this is were I get loose. As a short stack you get to use your folding equity to play a hand. At this stage there is no bet that prevents you from being pot committed so you have to push allin and for others it's hard to call what is probably a third of their stack to look you up. If I were you I'd wait the blinds out and then push the next two hands regardless of what you have as long as there are no raises in front of you. If you get called you will be playing for a pot that will set you back up in good shape and more than likely you'll have live cards and not a hand thats dominated. I love to push with live unders that are sutied in this spot. You're short and don't have time to wait but if you're called by AK, AQ, AJ type of hands you are only a 40/60 underdog and thats good enough for me to try and get a healthy stack again. If you wait for the right cards you will more than likely die a slow painfull death. Use your stack and position to try and pick up the blinds once or twice a round until you either go out or double up. IMO there's no shame in making some loose moves when you are under 10xBB because you can't play proper poker in that spot. You need to build a stack or go home and stealing the blinds alone is 15% of your stack so it's worth the risk to push in a few times and see what happens.

Interestingly enough KQ, KJ, QJ, AT etc are my least favorite hands to go allin with when short. If you're called by anything other than a PP you are dominated 95% of the time. I like moving with any pair or cards that are going to be live, I'd take 89s over A8 anyday in this situation..

[semperfi]

thanks tokenizer. KQ is about my least favorite hand to make a stand with as you are so often in trouble with a high card flop. maybe i should be laying it down more. i don't like it, but i have still been playing it.

i do try to get in with live cards when short, and will take my chances with unders, great post, thanks for the input.

[TexasKowboy]

I'm with you Tokenizer I like PP for going all in when short stacked. I dont have to improve most of the time to win.

But the same MTT i wrote about earlier I was down to 950 in chips blinds were 75/150 I was the BB. UTG+2 raised the blind to 300 3 callers when it gets to me I push all in for my last 950 with pocket 10's. If i can just get the pot I will double up. it is folded back to LP who types in. I'm a big dog if I call. As the time is about to run out he calls and flips up A6s. He makes his straight on the river knocking me out. I would have been back in the game if my 10's had held up. Oh well lose some and lose some more.

[MVPSPORTS]

[Mad Genius]

[semperfi]

yes the flop was Qxx, thanks for covering for me MG