Critique my MTT play (long)

[ImMrFish]

Had a nice win in a PokerStars MTT last night, but I don't think my play was as good as it should have been. My basic strategy for the night was "make it exspensive to play with me". I've deleted all the hands I didn't play in, and left the rest. If you've got a few minutes, I'd appreciate some players who are better than me (that's most of you) taking a look at it and critiquing a few hands.

Offsite since it's a large file: http://www.thingsthatmoved.com/?q=poker (not a referer link, that's just my personal content management thingee)

[chardrian]

With three callers to your big, early raise with AJo, your push on the flop is only going to be called by a hand that beats you - and there will be a hand that beats you more often than you would think.

Why did you fold the 3h9h hand with such great odds? Your 5h9h on the other hand was folded correctly.

QsKs - bad push. Just make a standard raise to set up a side-pot.

Your 3s4s hand - you need to learn when to let a hand go. Your turn bet was horrendous your river fold was worse.

QhJd - bad push. Stop pushing whenever you get Top Pair.

QsJc - you are right this hand really should only be played with multiway action or if you are desperate.

ThTd - what the hell are you doing? A 12x BB raise?? I would bet most anything you couldn't have folded to an over the top push there, but any hand that did push there had u beat.

7h6d - you are betting WAY too strong. In general it will take down pots - but you are also setting yourself up for the takedown that everyone at the table is just waiting and hoping will be for them.

4c8c - WTF??!! If you are going to call the preflop raise, why the hell would you fold the min bet on the flop when it had 2 clubs??

JdQh - You shoulda folded preflop. I'm totally lost why u think an oesd is better than a flush draw. You've had two opportunities previously to pay cheap prices to hit a flush and folded. Now when the price is high you call for the str8 draw even though the flush draw is also out there.

3d3s - while the call from the Ac7c was dumb, your push was not much better.

QdAs - Read my post for the TT hand above. You are way overbetting this hand.

KhKs - I doubt he was calling 10xBB raises with nothing. He played it poorly by calling that bet on that flop.

Ok - I don't have time to go through the rest. But you were very lucky that your huge preflop raises on bluffs and on good hands did not run into monsters. Make consistent raises preflop. Make your raises smaller. Stop pushing as your only move with top pair.

[ImMrFish]

Thanks! Thats exactly what I needed to hear. I don't mind being told I suck (because I know it's true ) so long as I am getting great feedback like that.

I'm going to look over the hands you mentioned in poker tracker and try to figure out exactly what the hell it was that I was thinking most of the time, see how the hands could have played out if I played them right.

[STIdrivr]

I agree with most of what chardian said. When you had QJ and the flop was Q 10 5, you pushed all in first to act, there is not one hand that you can beat (maybe a flush draw) But you are only going to get called by Q 10, 10 10,QQ,55,KQ,AQ,KK,AA. It would of been better to make a stupid all in when you have a really good draw, so if u do get called you will not be drawing dead like you would with the hands you would of got called with. Try to make a feeler bet about 2/3 or the size ofthe pot to see where you stand, they will still fold if you have the best hand, and will raise with a better hand so you wont lose all your chips. This is just my opinion i am no pro

[STIdrivr]

and yes you were right to fold the Q J to a raise and re raise, it isnt that good of a hand and is very likely dominated, unless you are lucky enought they have a lower pair, but you did not need to gamble in your spot, most people over play QJ, good fold

[chardrian]

Thanks! Thats exactly what I needed to hear. I don't mind being told I suck (because I know it's true ) so long as I am getting great feedback like that.

I'm going to look over the hands you mentioned in poker tracker and try to figure out exactly what the hell it was that I was thinking most of the time, see how the hands could have played out if I played them right.

One of my biggest problems with criticism is that it can come off as so harsh online. While luck is involved, you aren't going to get second place on just luck alone. You had quite a few hands that I thought you played very well. You also had the table very afraid of you. Although I think your raises were too big, they were consistently big, and that's a good thing - it led you to double up on your huge hands. You definitely abided by your strategy - and it worked. Just some finetuning and I think you can avoid the pitfalls of running into a monster hand when you have good/great hands.

[ImMrFish]

Thanks again. I really didn't take the criticism as being too harsh. It's exactly what I was looking for and I really appreciate you taking the time to give it.