My biggest poker problem (HELP!)

Im 18 and just started playing poker seriously about 6 months ago and I play alot, maybe 20-30 hours a week. Im not trying to be cocky or boastful but I think im a pretty good player, my profits in live play are very good and my online profits are not nearly as good but im playing for free with my profits. In live games I wont play anything but cash games, online I play everything (cash games, sng, & Mtt's) my biggest problem when I play the sng's and Mtt's is when it gets down to the final table and there are only a few people left everyone is pushing with anything and stealing the blinds. If I get a good hand ill obviously call but usually I just have an average hand and as much as I hate giving away my blinds to a guy pushing all in with probablly nothing I cannot bring myself to call an all in with an average hand.

Does anyone have an advice on this? In a tournament im very TAG but in cash games im very LAG. Anyone have an advice?

We cannot give you any specific advice, but if you stick around, post some hands for us to analyze in the tournament and ring game hand analysis sub-forums, we would be more than happy to help.
I am glad that you know you are a winning player but still seek help to make yourself an even better play.
And welcome to CardsChat.

Check out these links on shallow stack pushing strategy, hope this helps

Rich


Open-shoving short stacks in MTT play; guide and discussion

Turbo STT guide
this is for single table turbo but same concepts will apply with the
shallow stacks, read the mid and late strategy section

grow some balls.

If your going to play scared then dont play tornaments.

Admitedly there are many times where folding is better. And i agree with royalburrito.

Here are a few examples that will hopefully help. This is pretty late in a SNG and the blinds were big so everyone was trying to steal each others blinds. Here are a few hands.

PokerStars Game #16560729719: Tournament #83863951, $6.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level VIII (200/400) - 2008/04/07 - 16:56:55 (ET)
Table '83863951 2' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: Lucky_Devil (4955 in chips)
Seat 3: toadman2005 (5585 in chips)
Seat 4: xCaShiN_iNx (3820 in chips)
Seat 5: mik1973 (2055 in chips)
Seat 6: SRFRB3 (4380 in chips)
Seat 8: fish&chips77 (2545 in chips)
Seat 9: LePic25 (3660 in chips)
Lucky_Devil: posts the ante 25
toadman2005: posts the ante 25
xCaShiN_iNx: posts the ante 25
mik1973: posts the ante 25
SRFRB3: posts the ante 25
fish&chips77: posts the ante 25
LePic25: posts the ante 25
mik1973: posts small blind 200
SRFRB3: posts big blind 400
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to xCaShiN_iNx [Qs Ks]
fish&chips77: folds
LePic25: folds
Lucky_Devil: folds
toadman2005: folds
toadman2005 is sitting out
xCaShiN_iNx: raises 600 to 1000
mik1973: folds
SRFRB3: raises 3355 to 4355 and is all-in
xCaShiN_iNx: calls 2795 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [Qh 9h Tc]
*** TURN *** [Qh 9h Tc] 9♦
*** RIVER *** [Qh 9h Tc 9d] [Td]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SRFRB3: shows [Ad Ac] (two pair, Aces and Tens)
xCaShiN_iNx: shows [Qs Ks] (two pair, Queens and Tens)
SRFRB3 collected 7965 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 7965 | Rake 0
Board [Qh 9h Tc 9d Td]
Seat 1: Lucky_Devil folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: toadman2005 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: xCaShiN_iNx (button) showed [Qs Ks] and lost with two pair, Queens and Tens
Seat 5: mik1973 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: SRFRB3 (big blind) showed [Ad Ac] and won (7965) with two pair, Aces and Tens
Seat 8: fish&chips77 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: LePic25 folded before Flop (didn't bet)


PokerStars Game #16560615344: Tournament #83863951, $6.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (100/200) - 2008/04/07 - 16:52:09 (ET)
Table '83863951 2' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Lucky_Devil (8510 in chips)
Seat 3: toadman2005 (4005 in chips)
Seat 4: xCaShiN_iNx (4170 in chips)
Seat 5: mik1973 (1040 in chips)
Seat 6: SRFRB3 (3055 in chips)
Seat 8: fish&chips77 (1920 in chips)
Seat 9: LePic25 (4300 in chips)
Lucky_Devil: posts the ante 25
toadman2005: posts the ante 25
xCaShiN_iNx: posts the ante 25
mik1973: posts the ante 25
SRFRB3: posts the ante 25
fish&chips77: posts the ante 25
LePic25: posts the ante 25
toadman2005: posts small blind 100
xCaShiN_iNx: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to xCaShiN_iNx [3c 2d]
mik1973: raises 815 to 1015 and is all-in
SRFRB3: folds
fish&chips77: folds
LePic25: folds
Lucky_Devil: folds
toadman2005: folds
xCaShiN_iNx: folds
mik1973 collected 675 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 675 | Rake 0
Seat 1: Lucky_Devil (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: toadman2005 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: xCaShiN_iNx (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: mik1973 collected (675)
Seat 6: SRFRB3 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: fish&chips77 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: LePic25 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

PokerStars Game #16560436611: Tournament #83863951, $6.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level VI (100/200) - 2008/04/07 - 16:44:44 (ET)
Table '83863951 2' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Lucky_Devil (1665 in chips)
Seat 2: 0li$hit (1830 in chips)
Seat 4: xCaShiN_iNx (4185 in chips)
Seat 6: SRFRB3 (2285 in chips)
Seat 7: Cera1976 (1015 in chips)
Seat 8: fish&chips77 (3975 in chips)
0li$hit: posts small blind 100
xCaShiN_iNx: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to xCaShiN_iNx [Td Ah]
SRFRB3: folds
Cera1976: folds
fish&chips77: folds
Lucky_Devil: raises 600 to 800
0li$hit: folds
xCaShiN_iNx: calls 600
*** FLOP *** [7s 9h Js]
xCaShiN_iNx: bets 865
Lucky_Devil: calls 865 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [7s 9h Js] 6♠
*** RIVER *** [7s 9h Js 6s] 4♣
*** SHOW DOWN ***
xCaShiN_iNx: shows [Td Ah] (high card Ace)
Lucky_Devil: shows [Ad 9d] (a pair of Nines)
Lucky_Devil collected 3430 from pot
xCaShiN_iNx said, "unbelievale"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3430 | Rake 0
Board [7s 9h Js 6s 4c]
Seat 1: Lucky_Devil (button) showed [Ad 9d] and won (3430) with a pair of Nines
Seat 2: 0li$hit (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: xCaShiN_iNx (big blind) showed [Td Ah] and lost with high card Ace
Seat 6: SRFRB3 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: Cera1976 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: fish&chips77 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

It just seems like if im agressive I end up going up against AA or KK and losing and if im tight then all my money goes straight to the agressor.

I guess im just a better cash game player but how do I get better at this?

Harrington on Hold'em Volume II covers this very nicely. I don't think anybody who's read it will disagree.

I advise reading #1 first though.

Someone here pointed out that Buy.com had the series for pretty cheap.

^^^omg omg this^^^

^^^

Your better off pushing all in with marginal hands yourself. With a decent stack but large blinds you have the fold equity to push with basically any 2 from button or small blind when folded to. Just think more about pushing yourself with marginal hands, than calling all in with marginal hands

Yes, buy.com has a GREAT deal on these books.

You can put all 3 books in your cart for a total of $53. Then you apply for the Revolution Card...if you are accepted you get an immediate $50 discount.

I just bought all 3 books for $3.00.

this.^^^ the hand where your raise 2.5 bb with KQ qhen you only have 9bb total is horrible for a sng. If you have 10bb or less shove as it gives you maximum fold equity.

google "SNG whizz" it rally helps with shoving ranges. also you need to be looking at maximizing ICM when you play SNGs.

GL