My calculator is broken...

[zenbitz]

Not a real one, the one in my head. 3 out of the last 4 tournies I have busted out in (be they SNGs, Guantlet, MTT) have been on over valued baby pairs - usually with 2 pair.

E.g, (although also tilted here), in the 5/1 MTT on Party I am not short, but feeling the pressure, maybe 8-10BB. I get 55 in the BB, 2 limpers, I check.

Flop is like T96r, I bet pot (which is maybe 1/4th of my stack, and = to small stack in the hand). There is another guy in who has a slightly larger stack.... and it turns out I blinked and MISSED the big giant stack limping as well!

So, big stack calls (since it's peanuts to him), everyone else folds.

Turn is another T, giving me somekinda poppycock 2-pair that looks way better than it is. I figure vs. the big stack, I have to push or fold...

I push, he flips over K6o for the dominating two pair, and I'm out.

So, there is a moderate error of not paying attention and missing big stacks call - but pushing with a baby pair here is a huge error, even trying to protect 1/3rd of my stack in the pot.

How do you break yourself of a bad habit of overvaluing some hands? (typically people do this with AA/KK on a scary board with many people in)

[whileone]

I hate to say it, but loosing again and again and again have really been the only thing to teach me the error of my ways. I'm making much much better calls now a days.

I think getting burned like this, then realizing that it wasn't a good call will make you much more sensitive to this kind of thing.

[Sed]

I think you played it fine up to the point where the big stack came out of hiding.

Same thing happened to me once. I thought I was last to act and tried to buy the pot, then the big stack comes over the top...

Here's my MTT strategy on small pairs:
With a reasonable stack I'll limp from late position if possible. I'll also raise with them as a blind steal attempt. If I get (re-)raised preflop I'll usually drop them unless there are at least 2 other callers giving me good odds. With these I am usually looking to catch trips/quad or fold. If the opportunity presents itself (I raised pre-flop, checked to me, only smaller scared stacks in the hand, can easily push the table around etc..) I'll bet them post-flop unimproved in position. A large percentage of the time I end up folding them post flop. I realize playing this way can leak chips so you have to minimize what you have to pay to see a flop, only try to play them in middle position if you have a good stack, and make the table pay when you do hit. These are great hands to double up on when you hit trips, as close to undetectable as you can get. I'll also fold them if I get below 10xBB unless the blinds will eat me in the next couple hands, then its all-in.

Any comments?

-sed