Post Mortem - Was I Unlucky?

[Snapman]

Hi there, first time poster here. Just crashed out of a $2+20 tournament on PokerStars, and am doing a post-mortem as to what went wrong. My whole tournament seemed to hinge on this hand. Before, I was steadily increasing my stack - the tight nature of the table made it very difficult to win big pots, and people tended to bet only when they had something. A bet of a third to half of the pot on the flop in late position after everyone had checked normally caused everyone to fold.

Anyway, yeah, here it is. Was I unlucky, or should I have bet harder on the flop and turn?

Snapman = ComradeTom


PokerStars Game #4433161931: Tournament #21925364, Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2006/03/27 - 16:36:26 (ET)
Table '21925364 36' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: ginggang (1095 in chips)
Seat 2: leedsglaser (1790 in chips)
Seat 3: bo-n-mo05 (2380 in chips)
Seat 4: ComradeTom (2365 in chips)
Seat 5: xLefty (355 in chips)
Seat 6: zazjohnson (1425 in chips)
Seat 7: ChrisG(FE) (4895 in chips)
Seat 8: Rza320nh2 (1210 in chips)
Seat 9: MDAceCowboy (485 in chips)
ChrisG(FE): posts small blind 25
Rza320nh2: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to ComradeTom [Kc Jh]
MDAceCowboy: folds
ginggang: folds
leedsglaser: calls 50
bo-n-mo05 has timed out
bo-n-mo05: folds
bo-n-mo05 is sitting out
ComradeTom: calls 50
xLefty: folds
zazjohnson: folds
ChrisG(FE): calls 25
Rza320nh2: checks
*** FLOP *** [Kd Qc 5h]
ChrisG(FE): checks
Rza320nh2: checks
leedsglaser: checks
bo-n-mo05 has returned
ComradeTom: bets 70
ChrisG(FE): folds
Rza320nh2: folds
leedsglaser: calls 70
*** TURN *** [Kd Qc 5h] [4d]
leedsglaser: checks
ComradeTom: bets 340
leedsglaser: calls 340
*** RIVER *** [Kd Qc 5h 4d] [9s]
leedsglaser: bets 300
ComradeTom: calls 300
*** SHOW DOWN ***
leedsglaser: shows [Js Td] (a straight, Nine to King)
ComradeTom: mucks hand
leedsglaser collected 1620 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1620 | Rake 0
Board [Kd Qc 5h 4d 9s]
Seat 1: ginggang folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: leedsglaser showed [Js Td] and won (1620) with a straight, Nine to King
Seat 3: bo-n-mo05 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: ComradeTom mucked [Kc Jh]
Seat 5: xLefty folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: zazjohnson (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: ChrisG(FE) (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 8: Rza320nh2 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: MDAceCowboy folded before Flop (didn't bet)

[jackvance]

I don't get it.. you won here with TPMK, how is that unlucky?...

[Staresy]

Hi Snapman,

Welcome to FTR! Good to have another Brit about the place.

I've converted your hand using a HH converter to make it a little easier to read.

First off, I personally would fold KJo in MP. It really isn't that strong of a hand. However, if I were to play it, with only one limper in front and okish position, I would raise and try and (a) take control of the hand and (b) eliminate the blinds and get this HU.

As is, yes, bet more on the flop. 70 chips into 175 pot doesn't really eliminate a player on a draw. OK, he isn't quite getting the odds to call, but it is more of a mental thing, a bigger bet scares people out. I would pot it on the flop (bet 150-175).

Oh, and your opponent in this hand was a donkey.

Just a quick question - Is this a $2+0.20 or a $20+2 tournament?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t50 (9 handed)

UTG+1 (t1095)
MP1 (t1790)
MP2 (t2380)
Hero (t2365)
CO (t355)
Button (t1425)
SB (t4895)
BB (t1210)
UTG (t485)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with K, J.
2 folds, MP1 calls t50, 1 fold, Hero calls t50, 2 folds, ChrisG(FE) calls t25, BB checks.

Flop: (t175) K, Q, 5 (4 players)
ChrisG(FE) checks, BB checks, MP1 checks, Hero: bets t70, ChrisG(FE) folds, BB folds, MP1 calls t70.

Turn: (t315) 4 (2 players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets t340, MP1 calls t340.

River: (t995) 9 (2 players)
MP1 bets t300, Hero calls t300.

Final Pot: t1595

I don't get it.. you won here with TPMK, how is that unlucky?...

err, you might want to re-read!

[Snapman]

Hi Starsey, thanks for the reply. I'll bear that pre-flop advice in mind next time. And yeah looking back, I should have bet more on the flop. I think my main thinking at the time was to find out where my hand stood in relation to the others, as no-one had shown any strength before the flop. But it ended up backfiring. You live, you learn.

It's a $2+0.20 tournament.

[jackvance]

err, you might want to re-read!

Heh, he edited it.. the original version I replied to said he won the pot..

Oh yeah and I just had a similar thing happen, but with a flush draw. I had hit a straight early on, bet very heavy, but he just called and called, and hit his flush on the river. Due to the size of the bets he was calling, I didn't really know what he was doing so the flush draw escaped my radar and I got destacked.. sigh..

[Sprayed]

err, you might want to re-read!

Heh, he edited it.. the original version I replied to said he won the pot..

Oh yeah and I just had a similar thing happen, but with a flush draw. I had hit a straight early on, bet very heavy, but he just called and called, and hit his flush on the river. Due to the size of the bets he was calling, I didn't really know what he was doing so the flush draw escaped my radar and I got destacked.. sigh..

Snapman = ComradeTom

leedsglaser showed [Js Td] and won (1620) with a straight, Nine to King

ComradeTom mucked [Kc Jh]

[jackvance]

Snapman = ComradeTom

leedsglaser showed [Js Td] and won (1620) with a straight, Nine to King

ComradeTom mucked [Kc Jh]

The original post was in the format that Staresy used (the better readable kind) and the "results in white" showed that his opp mucked and "hero won pot with a pair of kings". This is what I replied to. I guess he made an error when converting or something? Anyway, after everyone else came in, he had already changed it into the other format with the correct information.

Not blaming him for anything here btw, just wanna explain that I'm not a noob to read this kinda stuff.

And personally I think Snapman kinda lucked out there..

[DaHorror]

Your flop bet makes it looks like you are betting middle pair or somesuch. I'd probably call there and hope someone else in the hand does as well to help finance. I fold the turn...your bet there is fine, and of course you have pot odds to call the river, though it's fairly obvious when he comes out firing what hand he has.
So, bet 150 - 200 on the flop, continue on the turn 3/4 pot, check river, or stop and think a bit before calling anything unreasonable that he fires off.

[chardrian]

Fold or raise preflop (fold is probably best).

Bet more on the flop.

You played the turn and river fine.