Costly Errors

Generally I would say I've been playing quite well lately. Some notable highlights have been final tables in a William Hill HH (4th), Full Tilt 90 man SNG (5th) and a Stars 180 (9th).

However, I've crashed out in two tournaments when in strong positions due to bad mistakes by myself. Both of them are almost identical situations, and both happened within 2 days of each other.

On Sunday, I played in a Will Hill £10 HH tournament. Only 186 people started with only top 20 getting paid. We were approaching the bubble and I was lying in around 4th place in chips. I get dealt AA in the cutoff. On the button there was a medium stack who had a tendancy to call raises from the blinds. In the SB, there was a short stack on life support (he was my intended target). In the BB was another medium stack. Mistake #1. Blinds were only 150/300, and my stack was about 14,000. I wanted callers, so I only min raised to 600, instead of the usual 3x (900). The button called and the others folded. Damm! Flop was QTx. A scarey flop indeed. Mistake #2. I bet around 1000 (too low) and the button called. Turn was a J. I bet 2000 (I think), he called. River was another J. I bet 3000 and he called and showed KJ for trip jacks. I really should have bet more on the flop and check-folded the turn if he called. (There may also have been a case for pushing the flop, but as I said, it was a scarey board).

This lost me over half my stack. The next hand I was dealt 77 and pushed immediately. I got called by AK. I was looking good for an immediate double-up until he hit his King on the river. I went from 4th to busting out in 21st - just one short of making the money!

Then, determined not to make the same mistake again, I played a 90 man SNG at Full Tilt (btw, I really love these - double stacks and lots of room to play real poker). Similar position, I was lying in 5th place. Top 18 got paid and we were down to about 20 players. There were a couple of short stacks clinging on for dear life, but I had one of the chip leaders to my immediate left. Anyway, I was on the button with A7 and it's folded round to me. I decided to make a semi-blind steal (I say semi, because with only 3 players to act, it's probably the best hand right now). I make my usual 3x BB raise (blinds are 200/400, I have about $22k). SB calls, BB (short stack folds). Flop is a harmless K8J. SB checks. I was tempted to bet to take pot away, but a few hands earlier, he had come over the top of me when I tried that. I checked behind. Turn was a 7. I was sure I was ahead. He bet a meagre 1600, and I just called. River was another 7. Great! I've hit trips. He bets another 1600. If he did have a K or J, he's well beaten. I make a min-raise to 3200 to get a call. He pushes! (What the......!!). I check the board. There are no straight or flush possibilities. Maybe he was slow-playing KJ. I call, and he shows 88 for the full house. I'm out in 19th, again 1 off the money.

I sat stunned in front of the pc for a good 5 minutes. Why did I even get involved in the hand? I only had to wait for the bubble to burst, and all the short stacks would have been pushing like mad. I had a fantastic chance to get to the final table, and instead end up with zilch!

People always say you should be more aggressive on the bubble as people naturally tighten up. In the first hand I bet too passively and allowed my opponent to catch up. In the second, I just got involved with the one player at my table I should have been avoiding.

These are costly errors which have been playing on my mind, but hopefully I can learn from these and not make the same mistakes again.