Asking for help

ALright. I'm going to come right out and say it, I have yet to finish ITM in a tourney. I've played a bunch of full tournaments and now started playing the 45 tourney's on stars. 1 table or 2 table SNG's I do fine, but I am getting tired of being unable to get going. I am asking that someone help me out and give me some lessons on tournament play. I've read all the tournament guides on this site. I've read Tournament Poker for Advanced Players by Sklansky. I once won a 900 person freeroll, but that is the only time I've finished ITM in a tourney. What I find I really struggle with is getting through the fish. I play alright in the Gauntlet cause it's players who really understand the game, but I can't think on 1st and 2nd level thinking. I've struggled with people my whole life because I don't think on their level. I read into everything, I think outside the box, I'm metacognitive (thinking about thinking) and I just don't relate to a lot of people on their level. This hurts my poker game cause I can't think like an idiot. I've lost so many hands to rivered flushes cause the idiot played any 2 sooted cards. So one I'm asking for tournament advice, and two I'm asking to learn how to beat fish. I'm tired of dumpin money to their moronic play which makes me look like the idiot.

Hands like these, I misplayed it a bit, but still....
PokerStars Game #3369048979: Tournament #16694145, Hold'em No Limit -
Level V (75/150) - 2005/12/18 - 15:57:01 (ET)
Table '16694145 3' Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: passionata (1960 in chips)
Seat 2: Action l (1810 in chips)
Seat 4: akshonePon (2370 in chips)
Seat 5: Wrappa (2045 in chips)
Seat 6: Deeright (2395 in chips)
Seat 7: ARJIM (2230 in chips)
Seat 8: d333grumpy (2865 in chips)
Seat 9: c5member (3989 in chips)
Deeright: posts small blind 75
ARJIM: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Wrappa [2s Ad]
d333grumpy: folds
c5member: folds
passionata: folds
Action l: folds
akshonePon: folds
Wrappa: raises 200 to 350
Deeright: folds
ARJIM: calls 200
*** FLOP *** [Ah 7h 2c]
ARJIM: checks
Wrappa: checks
*** TURN *** [Ah 7h 2c] [Ts]
ARJIM: bets 300
Wrappa: raises 450 to 750
ARJIM: calls 450
*** RIVER *** [Ah 7h 2c Ts] [Kh]
ARJIM: bets 1130 and is all-in
Wrappa: calls 945 and is all-in
*** SHOW DOWN ***
ARJIM: shows [Th 4h] (a flush, Ace high)
Wrappa: shows [2s Ad] (two pair, Aces and Deuces)
ARJIM collected 4165 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 4165 | Rake 0
Board [Ah 7h 2c Ts Kh]
Seat 1: passionata folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: Action l folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: akshonePon folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Wrappa (button) showed [2s Ad] and lost with two pair, Aces and
Deuces
Seat 6: Deeright (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: ARJIM (big blind) showed [Th 4h] and won (4165) with a flush,
Ace high
Seat 8: d333grumpy folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: c5member folded before Flop (didn't bet)

I don't feel i'm a bad player. I'm not a great player, but I'm in here every day trying to learn. I'm really hoping someone can really help me with this, maybe take me under their wing. Thanks guys....

I'm sure the more expereinced will chime in. I'm still learning but for starters here's how I would look at it.

You're really trying to steal here, so you need to raise a little more. I would do at least 400. If he's gonna call you want him to make a big mistake. You're not doing this because of the A, you're doing it because of the position and because everyone folded to you.

With 2 cards to a flush on the flop you need to bet here so they don't get a free card. I would bet a little over 1/2 the pot.

On the turn he catches a pair, since you showed weekness before he thinks you're trying to push him out of the pot, plus he still has outs for a flush. With pot odds you'd need to raise more than 2 1/2.

Then he jams all-in with the flush on the board and you call. That makes you look like a bad player, you gotta know when you're beat.

If anyone disagrees with my thought process I would be happy to hear it.

ur thought process is just fine, i messed that hand up like crazy. You hit it right on the ball. And i've been having a c-bet leak lately, especially in position and getting its making me timid and make mistakes....

When in position for a steal I would raise it 3x. On the flop raise it half to 2/3 the pot. Don't get discouraged. You will money it.

I won a 3 table tourney today. This gives me some confidence, i'ma win the 45 man tourney next... i simplified my play, and i didn't pull any bluffs for most the tourney, just played tight aggressive poker with some steals and came to the final table with the chip lead and then worked the magic. My only real bluff was betting half the pot on a 4 flush board with nothing. The guy had bet the flop and turn and couldn't do anything but fold.

At the lower buy-ins bluffs won't necessarily work especially in the begginning due to all the bad players. Work on play'n tight against bad opp. Congrats!

2 (semi) quick comments:

1) fish help the game. If you are complaining about fish (which I have also done) it probably means you are letting them tilt you.

2) you played that hand like crap. Your preflop raise was weak, whether it was a steal or not I call that hand from the BB there too. On the flop you gave him a free card. The turn and he bet cuz he thought he was best and then when you raised he had so many outs he had to call, and then on the river you got to learn how to fold every once in a while.

You gotta push on the turn.

You make your play at the pot, and hit your hand as well as you could hope for. You slowplay your two pair and get what you want, opp. to put chips in the pot. with such a wide range of hands that can be drawing to beat two pair, you have to get all of your chips in when you are most likely ahead, instead of calling when one of the draws hits.

For the last time, i know i played the hand all wrong...
That hand was entirely my fault....

I think you just summed up why i beat low level tourneys well : i think like an idiot !

Seriosuly though, against fish, just don't get too cute and you should be fine.

Hey Guys just wanted to inform anyone who's read this thread that today I finished 10th out of 245 in a 10+1 tourney on Full Tilt today, and I was chip leader most of the night. I had KK to someones JJ all in, and they flopped quad jacks, not much I can do. Later....