Picking the time to go all-in ???

Hi guys, hope you are all well and winning lots of cash !!!

As I have said in the past, I`m new to holdem (6 months playing, on line only)

I have followed SexyAceJoker`s MTT guide which has helped me alot - thanks mate, but I am still falling just short in tournys.

I would love to hear any advice on going all in and I`ll give u a few exaples when I did and let me know if you think it was a good, bad or indifferent move.

17 place, out of 17, MTT $10 rebuy (I bought one add on at break, some of them would only have broken even if they won!!!) top 10 get paid (112 enter) Blinds 400/800 I have about 8000 chips left. In middle position I am dealt pky JJ. 2 callers to me, I raise 5 times BB. everyone folds to chip leader (45000) on BB. He raises to put me all in. I do it, he turns KK. KK holds up. Did I do the right thing?

Then, 26th out of 26. $25 MTT (not rebuy) top 20 paid (about 230 enter 20th to 10 about $50 pay out) blinds have just passed, I`m on the button (that is the correct word, dealer chip in front of me and last to act before the blinds???) dealt A9. blinds again about 400/800. I have about 3000 chips left, both blinds have about 5000 left. I need to double up about 3 times to get into decent money. I go all in. BB calls and turns over A10s. He wins with higher kicker (both catch AA with pair 4`s and kicker. Again, did I do the right thing?

Any thoughts or advice alway appreciated

Cheers guys


Ronaldadio

1st hand - surprised you are last with 10 times the big blind!? Still, you've got to commit your chips with JJ - I like the half stack bet - you dont really want the blinds in this situation, you need to double up, so you did right to entice a caller. With the chip leader having KK you were always doomed, but better to go out with a bang than be blinded away.

2nd hand, your position is more important than your hand strength in this situation. The hand played out perfectly for you as 9 times out of 10 the BB wont have a better hand than A9.

You made the right decisions in these circumstances. JJ is a must when you are that late in a tourney with the position that you were in. You have to make a move to improve your standing, and that is the type of hand that you want to do it with. The second hand is marginal, but like Rob said, you just happened to be up against BB that held a better hand then you were holding. Doesn't happen too often, and most times you will be able to simply take the pot down preflop in that situation.

Sounds to me like you might need to loosen your play up a little bit earlier. You always want to try and have 10 times BB, but you never want to be sitting in last position. I would open up a little earlier and try to steal blinds so that you are in better position at this point in the tourney.

1st hand- this is the tough one...JJ is a hand where players, (often short-stacks) see and start lickin thier chops for. when really if you are a average stack this hand brings a little bit of difficulty. when holding JJ any A, K, Q on the flop is a bad card. providing you do not hit your set, there are 12 cards to beat your hand. by raising a hand like this strongly from middle position, you commit yourself to calling all-in. which you never really want to do. because if you are going to get re-raised all-in , you are most likely beat, or a coin flip, (AK AQ KK QQ). however a lot of times you could be ahead with the chip leader holding a smaller pair to your J's.

depending on how the tournament has been played, and your perception of the table, (how much of a bet is repsected by players and the blinds especially) i would post a standard bet of about 2.5-3xBB. in most cases this may allow you to see a flop, for minimal cost. if a rag flop comes such as 762 rainbow, i suggest a check raise, or big bet out, depending on your opponents image, if he likes to bet out at flops, let him bet out then put the hammer to him once he has commited chips. if he is a fish, you put the hammer to him right away. i don't suggest going all-in with JJ from middle mainly because if you get called you are mostof the time beat, or in a coinflip. and considering you still have 10XBB, hold on to those, a better situation will arise.

the second hand was done perfectly, just unlucky.

hope this helps, gl

Thank mate. It`s nice to be able to discuss theses kind of things. If I can ever help u let me know.

Regards


Ronaldadio

Sometimes actually seeing the flop isnt a bad idea either. When not in the best table position and the chip leader has yet to play then maybe limp in. I know its not the recommended strategy in all cases, but if he's been bullying anyway and it's not going to cost him a lot he's probably going to call anything with A-rag. If the flop goes your way then you can decide what action to take next. Usually with a higher pocket pair you are buggered anyway unless you hit your set, so it's a tough call. Just before the money I'll often limp in with the recommended 4x hands if I'm in early position, just to get a feel for the rest of the table. You may lose on the flop but at least you haven't totally committed yourself. If the flop hits you can usually earn enough chips to make it worthwhile anyway.

my opinion on this is :-

the 1st hand i think the 5 times bet was a bit big at this level if u just raise 3 times it has the same effect. with JJ i try to get info with it so if i was reraised here would would lay it down, also with such a big raise u have told him u dont want a caller so he wont put u on AA. in my opinion JJ isnt an all in hand unless i was forced to, by raising to 2400 u could have still got away from the hand cos at best ure in a coin flip and all good players will tell u dont risk ure chips on a coin flip.

in the second hand u played it rite with so few chips the chances u were behind was slim u just ran into a better hand.

good luck in future : )