HEARTBREAKING HAND

OK this hand is the most devastating one of my poker 'career'.

I feel that I played it right just to get unlucky but am seeking the opinions of others.

The tournament was a $120 buy in tourney with a 1st place prize of $7,000.

There was 12 players left and I was short stacked at 50k. The blinds were 1500/3000 and the big stack had about 200k, who happened to be a maniac and sitting directly to my right.

I was in the BB and it was folded to the SB, who was the big stack/maniac. I had seen him call off raises with rags and win the pots in hands before. I knew he was cocky and that he felt he could win with any two cards at that point.

I was dealt K10 off, and as I said, it was folded to him in the SB. He limped in hoping to see a flop. I was surprised he didn't raise my BB, being the big stack and first to act. Whether he limps or raises from the SB, I'm certain I have the best hand preflop given his insane style of play.

Anyways, he limps, the pot is around 8K including blinds and antes. The action is on me and my K10 offsuit. I decided to shove my entire stack (50k) into the pot, trying to force him to fold his rags since most likely I am only a 60 percent favorite to win the hand preflop against any two cards he holds.

I shove with K10, and he decides to call and turns over K2 suited. The flop comes 789 giving me an open ender and two overs. The turn was the devastating 2 .. giving him bottom pair and the best hand. I blanked on the river and was effectively eliminated from the tournament.

Looking back he may have thought I was trying to steal preflop and that his K2 may have been ahead. As the board played out, I regret not making a standard raise preflop, then shoving, or making a pot-sized c-bet on the flop with my open ender and two overs. I'm certain he would've folded K2 on the flop if he had the choice.

Anyways, I'm wondering how others would have played K10 offsuit in this situation? I feel I played it correctly against this maniac even though the 50K preflop all-in was a massive overbet into the 8K pot.

Thanks for all feedback.

There was already 6000 in the pot. you have 50k. less than an M of 10. your K10 is gonna be a favorite over a blind hand, so I'd either push here, or stop and go. But I favor the push. I think you just got unlucky. you got all your money in as a 70/30 favorite, and after that you just hope your hand holds up. As for the SB big stack, I don't think i would have called you with K2. I dona like doubling up SS's with weak holdings. besides it cost him a quarter of his stack. BTW, did 12th pay anything?

Anytime you only have 50k and your up against an aggressive player with 200k you are in trouble. I was in a tourney where they put me in the middle of two aggressive players at the table it didn't turn out good either. Best of luck next time.

My gosh, almost identical for me a few days ago. M of about 10 and I shoved on the guy (chip leader/aggro bully) with KJ and he called with Q8 - Q on the river sent me home instead of to the final table.
Yeah, you could have floated this to the flop BUT what would you have done when he throws a bluff raise out on you (and he would) - you wouldn't have really shoved there, would you?
So to be cliche about it - all you can do is get it in with the best hand.
We both got what we wanted - heads up, all in, against the maniac who we hoped would call us with our best hand
Yeah, others might say wait for better cards - but this was a case of playing the man, not the cards. We could have had AK and still would have been knocked out by a pair of deuces.

standard, nh

@Arcelas Yah the top 18 cashed so I took home around $600 for my efforts. It was particularly brutal because I came back from a stack of about 5K with only 40 players left and blinds at 400/800 a couple hours before only to get 3 outed by a complete fool.

@MidyMat I'm usually an aggressive player but yes it is intimidating being short stacked against maniacs who have a lot of chips. I felt polarized and as if I couldn't play my game even if I saw a spot I could execute an all-in preflop bluff.

@MediaBlitz If I had made a standard raise preflop then faced a massive bet on the flop from the maniac then I would've definitely shoved with 2 overs and an open ender because at worst I'm 50/50 against one pair, or 30/70 against 2 pair or better (correct me if I'm wrong on those percentages).

But yah it was just bad luck for both of us. The fact the Q hit the river on you for the idiot who called you with Q8 just makes me saddened especially on the edge of the final table. It's impossible to sit around and wait for incredibly good hands when your short stacked and bleeding out. Anything between the M of 5-10 puts a lot of pressure on a player to make a move. Like you said, you're playing the man not your hand, and those times we just got unlucky .

if the guy was such a maniac and was raising pre-flop evry hand then why didnt the alarm bells start ringing when he just flat calls, after watching a guy raise raise and raise pretty much every hand a flat call always stinks to me bud, just a thought

I see that kinda thing happen to me all the time. I don't think a little aggresive move would change the other guys mind from calling. Its always a donk anyway, with their cheap luck.

~17bb's.. & Maniac CL just limps in BvB after he's been raising all the time... I'm pretty sure I just check it there & see a flop in position.

I am in favor of the stop and go see flop then push with nothing you might have induced a fold when he didnt hit flop.

I think you played it well. K10 strong enough for alllin at this situation. You were unlucky this time.

I'm thinking in both our cases that could have worked.

Stop 'n go "in position"? err... umm... huh

The standard play would be to make a smaller raise (maybe 2.5x) & go from there. Shoving would be a reasonable option from the SB given the positional disadvantage. However, if he's that big of a maniac where he's going to limp/call something like K2 then by all means shove. Get all of your chips in w/ a good edge against his range.

Unlucky. You pushed hoping he would fold when you knew he had a past of calling. You got what you wanted