learn from me young padawans...

[ricker 0]

This isn't a bad beat story, mostly cause I played this like a dumbass. This is what happens to you when you get too overconfident in your reads and forget the type of player you're playing...I'm UTG in a live tourney this morning here at Ocean's 11. I'm feeling pretty good, after some key pots, I'm up over 4500 from a starting stack of 2500. This is the third level with blinds at 50-100.I've been seated at the left of a real rock player. He's never shown down anything less than the nuts. I've got the image of a tight agressive player who will shove any edge he has up your nose.Ok, here's the hand:I'm UTG with pocket sixes. I subscribe to the school of thought of always trying to get in cheaply with any pocket pair because of the dividends they can pay you if you hit a good flop. It's called by only one other player, the SB and the BB (our rockish friend here) checks his option.Flop comes QQQ. Checked to me and I bet 500 into the 300 pot. I figure my PP is good and I don't want any high cards drawing out on me so I want to make it expensive. This was my mistake #1...I overbet the pot with a weak hand and it probably screamed weak hand to the other players in the hand. I was only going to get called by a hand that could beat me i.e. a higher pocket pair or god forbid a Q. Rock thinks and thinks and thinks for a long time sighs and says, "well, I HAVE to call you."Mistake #2: This guy is a ROCK and he's screaming strength with his playacting of "oh no, I gotta catch up."Duece comes on the turn...Rock again checks to me and this time, (mistake #2) I commit almost half my stack with a 1500 bet. (obviously commiting myself to this pot) :oops: Why did I do this? Because I got caught up in the heat of battle and forgot/ignored key important factors, I completely forgot that he's a rock and isn't going to be calling me with anything less than a queen or higher pocket pair. I had him pegged on overcards and I was trying to keep that ace from showing up. He play acts some more and calls my 1500 bet. I realize I shouldn't have bet 1500, I should've checked behind him and folded on the river after he called the overbet on the flop. Doesn't matter what comes on the river, we all know how this ends, (it was another duece) he checks and I commit the rest of my stack which he calls and flips up Q 8 off. I'm not mad at him. He played it perfectly. Looking back on it now, I realize the horrendous mistakes I made the entire way through that pot. I want everyone to learn from my mistakes. Keep track of who's in a pot with you. If it's something as obvious as mine is, hopefully, I can keep someone else.Important things here to remember: 1) Don't get caught up in your own hubris thinking you have a dead on read on what someone's cards are. Always be prepared to reevaluate as more information comes to you, which brings me to #22) Pay attention to all the new information coming to you. The sigh and acting all weak on the flop should have immediately clued me in he was strong, maybe not Q strong, but at least bigger PP stronger than me, there were a lot of things that could beat me, but I felt like I was ahead the entire way and didn't open myself up to the possibility that I was destroyed.3) Remember who/what type of player is in the pot with you. I think if a maniac was in that pot with me, more than likely, all he woulda held was A 9 off, and I would have won myself a nice pot making it easy to cruise to the FT. However, if it's a rock, or a solid player with you playing this way, then get out of the way and pick up your money in a better spot. I think I'm more mad at myself for making this boneheaded play. I'm better than this and I shoulda check folded the turn and river. Now I know better and hopefull you do too.

[ForKeeps 0]

So where did it all go wrong? Were you insistent on beating him no matter what (your hubris), thought you were playing on the internet? From what you've written it seems you're way to smart to have made repeated mistakes in one hand.The only hole in the story here is that you implied that he just called your turn bet of half your stack. You mentioned you were then "pot committed", but he gave you a get-out-of-jail free card by just calling you there, and also may have deceived you a bit into thinking he didn't have the Q. He must've figured you were still going to bet the river even though you got a call on the turn, but that was really a chance for you to escape without totally busting.

[macphec 0]

He played the river horribly. How do you not bet the river with quads?

[jimmybaker04 0]

At least you know you played it horribly. Good hand to learn from, I think. I cannot believe he checked the river. What a donk. He most have known exactly what you held. How can he expect you to continue to bet? Unfortunately, you did and bailed him out. Oh well.On a side not I am going to need more than 45 BBs before I am limping UTG with 66 or less. Too good of a chance we get raised off our hand. I'd say lets get to 60+ BBs before we start making such a liberal limp.

[bcook823 0]

Nice post. Well thought out. I'll be the jerk to tell you to put it in the tournament section.Along the same lines as the above post, I don't limp with small pairs in the first three positions. Certainly you want to try to see a cheap flop, but unless your really deep I find it is not a winning play, up front. You may get reraised, you may offer someone with other small pairs to play. Then you get into all the reverse implied odds.

[bcook823 0]

Nice post. Well thought out. I'll be the jerk to tell you to put it in the tournament section.Along the same lines as the above post, I don't limp with small pairs in the first three positions. Certainly you want to try to see a cheap flop, but unless your really deep I find it is not a winning play, up front. You may get reraised, you may offer someone with other small pairs to play. Then you get into all the reverse implied odds.

[ricker 0]

Couple of things - First off, I know that a lot of people like to get a little deeper stacked before they're limping in EP with small PP, however, with these live tourneys that have blinds raising every ten minutes, I have to take chances.I was just so certain I was ahead and didn't reevaluate where I might be in the hand. Looking back on it, I can't believe I didn't check the turn and fold on the river. Second, I was intent on beating him as someone earlier mentioned. I got caught up in the heat of battle. I also had made him lay down a superior hand earlier in the tourney which is why I figured he would lay down...ESPECIALLY after the turn bet. I did commit myself after the turn unfortunately. I really shouldn't have bet the river at the very least.Either way, thanks for the feedback...this is my new article that will be posted later today on www.lifeofsports.com.

[Arkus 0]

I say you should have raised preflop like 300 then you might have pushed the rock to your right off his Q 8 off, especcially if he is a rock this might have taken a smaller pot but you wouldn't have got kicked in the balls either. At any rate you at least a smart enough to admit you played this wrong and no doubt will not make the same mistake twice.I also think that if blinds are raising that fast turn your aggression up a notch just so you can take down a few more smallish pots to float you a couple more blinds. This will also setup the others at your table to thinking your stealing and then they'll put on their sheriff badge and call you down with that A9 later when you have a hand.

[Love4hockey 0]

I say you should have raised preflop like 300 then you might have pushed the rock to your right off his Q 8 off, especcially if he is a rock this might have taken a smaller pot but you wouldn't have got kicked in the balls either.  At any rate you at least a smart enough to admit you played this wrong and no doubt will not make the same mistake twice.I also think that if blinds are raising that fast turn your aggression up a notch just so you can take down a few more smallish pots to float you a couple more blinds.  This will also setup the others at your table to thinking your stealing and then they'll put on their sheriff badge and call you down with that A9 later when you have a hand.

Raising with 66 utg is a horrible play. When you get called and the board comes will all overs, what do you do? raising a small pair utg is -EV.

[BoBetter 0]

I don't like the limp....I like a minimum raise better, if you HAVE to play this hand. At least then you can represent a big pair....because many people only minimum raise big hands UTG looking for action.

[Arkus 0]

I say you should have raised preflop like 300 then you might have pushed the rock to your right off his Q 8 off, especcially if he is a rock this might have taken a smaller pot but you wouldn't have got kicked in the balls either. At any rate you at least a smart enough to admit you played this wrong and no doubt will not make the same mistake twice.I also think that if blinds are raising that fast turn your aggression up a notch just so you can take down a few more smallish pots to float you a couple more blinds. This will also setup the others at your table to thinking your stealing and then they'll put on their sheriff badge and call you down with that A9 later when you have a hand.

Raising with 66 utg is a horrible play. When you get called and the board comes will all overs, what do you do? raising a small pair utg is -EV.

This was meant in the context of this situation. Just looking at what could have been done during this hand.

[ricker 0]

and the more I thought about it too, you all are right, I probably would have picked up the blinds with a raise of say 300 or 400. I completely agree the rock would have absolutely laid down his Q 8 in his BB...he wasn't a defender, and really had no reason to risk his chips with a weakest hand preflop...he was in a comfortable position and didn't feel the need to play sheriff.Excellent responses, thank you all so much.