Failure to recognize you are second best!

This is one of the mistakes beginners to not so experienced players make. Beginners most of the time are curious to see what the other player has and players who are not really good yet, just can't lay some hands down because they fail to read the actions throughout the play.

I am writing about this topic because I just finished reading Dan Harrington's Volume I and he talks a lot about reading your oponents style and also their actions. In addition, I made these mistakes last night which cost me 2 tournements (one $5 3-table in ps and another $10 - 1980 players in pp).

Players who make this type of mistake are rarely playing strong poker. Poker cannot be played only with the hands that you are dealt. Especially tournement poker where there will be a lot of scenarios where you will have to make moves due to the increase of the blinds. In any case, you should always be aware of the oponents in your table and also the actions ocurring in the current hand.

First I will go over the hand in the Party Poker tourney. We are down to 560 players, I think 260 pays. I have an average stack of around 4400 (average at this point is 3900), and I just got moved to this new table where I was sitted to the left of a big stack with 9k and on my left someone with 4800k in chips. I have no real read before this play happened since I had been in this table less than 1 full orbit. Most stacks are average like mine but there are 3 players with stacks below 5bb. Blinds are 100/200 no antes (pp doesn't have antes). I am in the BB and I have 9s 9c. UTG raises to 550 (2.5bb) and everyone folds up to the small blinds who calls. I thought about putting a raise here, but I decided I would see the texture of the flop and make my decision there. I call another $350 and we see the flop. The flop is 8 7 x rainbow. I liked the flop a lot, but I failed to think through the hand and that's where I made the mistake.

SB checks. I decided I was going to get some information and I also thought about taking the pot right there. I made a bet of 1k into a 1650 pot. I thought it was a good bet because it would give me a lot of information about the hand or it could take the pot right away. UTG player goes all in for his remaining chips, sb folds. Last week when I won a few tourneys I made good decisions, but for some reason last night I was feeling "invincible". The right play was to fold. Most players UTG are playing Pocket Pairs or AK, AQ, hmm AJ. If I put them on those hands I was certainly beat most of the time. Since I had no read on him, I had to give him the benefit of the doubt that he had a hand. He had to be a very good player to make that move with AK, AQ and AJ and if he did, you let him take the pot right there. In any other case you are beat!

Let's think it through:
AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT - BEAT
99 unlikely
88, 77 - sets beat

AK, AQ, AJ and other Ax hands I am a favorite, but since I had no read on my oponents, and he made that play, I am a big 4-1 underdog about 80% of the times from the range of cards that I place him on. Again he is also making a play that suggest he has those cards. I called and he showed AA and I was out of the tourney in 554th place. Making a lay down would still give a good chance to win. I would have had 15x the bb which would get me close to the money. Anyways, I hope I learn from this mistake.

Now let's talk about another hand where I should not have been involved in, but my invincible mentality cost me. I failed again to think the whole hand through, and Harrington's talks a lot about some plays and getting information about your oponents and what the bets are suggesting.

This is the $5 tourney, it's early but I have managed to grow my chips to 2800. There are a few loose canons on the table, but many passive players. Someone limps UTG, MP who has me covered by about 300 chips calls, MP+1 calls, CO calls, Button calls, SB folds (why) and I check. Blinds are $25/$50. Pot now has $325. I have 5c 3c. I liked seeing the flop cheap in this situation, and because there were some loose players I didn't think it would work to put out a big bluff.

Flop comes 9h 4c 2c. Yippiee I really like this flop. I think that I am probably 50% with any other hand mostly because i have the flush draw. So i put a nice $250 bet out there also trying to push some people away. UTG folds, MP and MP+1 calls everyone else folds. Interesting. I should definetely be concerned now. I think I could possibly be beat by another flush draw or over cards. The turn is Js. I decided to check and see what my oponents do. They both check behind me. River is Jc. For some reason I fell in love with the fact that I saw the club, and I completely forgot to think what hands my oponents could have. I told myself I would "trap", so I check. MP bets 300 (should be suspicious). MP+1 goes all in. Shouldn't this have been enough for me to fold??? Yes. I should have folded, but got caught in trying to make my play. The all-in by the way was of about 1.3k. So it was just about less than the pot size. I should have believed the information the oponents were giving me and folded the hand. Instead I made an even more stupid play. I reraised all-in. Only to have MP call me. He was glad I made the play.

MP show Ac 9c and MP+1 show 2s 2h. He takes the main pot with a full house and I lose the tourney in 21st place to MP who had me covered. He took the side pot.

You have to be aware of your oponents and why they are making the plays that they are making. I failded to recognize their strength and it cost me 2 tourneys.