PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (3 handed)

Button (t1790)
Hero (t6365)
BB (t5345)

Preflop: Hero is SB with , .
Button raises to t1765, Hero calls????

Do you take the chance and call or would folding be too weak. The button has been playing very tight and haven't seen him push or raise with bad hands. Therefore, I really expext a coinflip but if he has something like A8 or 88, I have him hurting.

He has KJ and I end up losing.

At the next level, I've been stealing a lot but i've gotten some good cards for 3 handed and they like to fold but it definitely looks like I'm bullying.

Button from last hand has about 3000 and I have about 4800 and get A8 in the bb. Button (who is the sb for this hand) raises to 1800 and I go all in and he calls with KQs and wins. I go all in the next hand with A6 in the sb and double up vs big stacks KJ.

For some reason, I just go back to the 99 hand and think what would have happened if I didn't call with my 99.

At the end, I go all in on a blind steal with 36o against the big stack. I was getting blinded out but I still have enough to make it significant. He calls with KJ and I lose. The only time I all out bluff and it gets called. Of course he doesn't believe me. Does anyone else end up doing something stupid like that and end up 3rd? Do you see a problem with the basic strategy I showed in these hands.

I know this is a random kind of post but I am just looking for some feedback.

Hi briachek,

All looks very familiar.I understand your thoughts about the 99 hand but you can't fold.
If you were first to act you would have raised right. It's a coinflip ( slight advantage ) against a small stack so no immediate danger.

I like the way you took control back but I don't like the A8 reraise for all your chips.
Maybe he did try to steal but A8 is still not a hand I would call a reraise with for third place. You had some chips left ( don't know the amounts ) so this guy would not lay his hand down because he was pot commited. ( ok now I see he had 3000 ).
I would have waited for better times. A lot of people would go with the A8 and I will too sometimes but with this bet I would give him the benefit of the doubt.
It turned out you had the best hand and lost the flip again but it is still a flip and that was almost the best chance you could expect in this situation.

Don't know about the 3-6 and how significant your stack was when you went for it. If it was still big enough to survive one round I would have waited for at least one high card to pop up.

It is just how I play and some people think I play too tight in these situations but I think some people play too loose in these situations.

So I would not worrie about the 99 but the other hands I would have played slower.

tommyhawk

Agreed -- I think you played the 99 hand right.

Brian, don't sweat the 99 at all. You will win that one more often than not. I love any PP 3 handed. The 3-6 sounds like me. You're doomed to third, so call the next game.

There are such small edges in tournament poker that you have to get your money in when you're ahead. You have to play well, but you have to be more lucky. Once it gets down to short-handed, the better player usually wins, as long as luck goes both ways.

That's what makes tournaments so tough. You have to get lucky and hope they don't.

CJ