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i get an a-k here and a j-j there (early positions always) so i raise 4 times the bb...3 or 4 callers each time, so it is loose...nothing comes from the flop so i´m out...

my stack diminishes little by little...

then comes my moment to attack: the blinds are 30 and 60 and i have 120 points left (i´m sitting in the cut-off seat)...i go all-in with a pair of 8´s (the other time i got 6´s)...i figured that this is my chance to build my stack both times...both times i got 1 caller who had 2 overcards and i lost...

do you think i played my cards right ???

thank you,

simeoni, espoo, finland

Answer: I'm going to break this question into two parts. The first part I'm going to give some advice for the middle pairs in tournaments. Then I'm going to address your specific situation.

What is a middle pair? In this case, we are referring to middle pairs preflop, not on the flop -- hands like 66-99. These are some of the hardest hands to play in holdem, so you need to be very careful. They are fairly strong hands in no limit, but with some exceptions/qualifications. In a tourney, you don't have many tries to nail a set on the flop, so each hand you play is usually done just for its own value -- meaning that if you play 66, you are trying to win with it unimproved.

Because of this, you don't want to be a caller with these types of hands. Most of the time the flop is going to miss you and have two overcards, at which point you'll have to do a guessing game as to whether your opponent has you beat or not. (You can still play them with some success like this, but it isn't ideal.) It is much better to be the raiser and have someone else call and do the guessing game on the flop than you. (There are of course a million exceptions to this: stack sizes, multi-way pots, etc.) Next, if you are going to play the hand for value only, it is better to be heads up.

The breaking point for trying to hit a set is 4 callers. So either you want 4 or more callers to try and hit a set, or you want just one opponent. Again, if the guy has a big stack you could take the whole thing if you hit a set, but that doesn't happen often. In addition to this, in a heads up pot, having position on your opponent is very important, especially with marginal hands like this. What you can do with position is call the flop bet, then see what he does on the turn, or you could even raise the flop if you think he is weak.

This is very important for little pairs like these because free cards can be deadly. If you don't have position, he can bet the flop, you call, then he checks the turn behind you and sees the turn and river for free. With the position you can make sure to put in a bet if he checks to prevent him from getting to see his overcards to the river. Now, to play these hands into preflop raisers is hard for anyone. If I were going to play them, I would try to play them against players that I had a good read on. These hands are actually harder to play against loose players than tighter players because the loose players can connect with any flop.

Say the flop comes back 9-5-4 and you have 88. I would feel much more comfortable against a tight player in this spot than a loose player, because the loose player could have connected with the 9. What you'll want to do with these hands most of the time is to open raise (meaning you are the one putting out the first raise), getting one opponent, then firing at the flop once. If you have position on the player, all the better. Your flop bet will work most of the time. If it doesn't you can slow down and take a free card.

Your question was something to the effect of, "did I play my middle pairs badly?" No, I don't think you did. If I had only 120 chips left and had 88, I'd go all-in too. This is just a guess, but I think what is happening with your games is that you are waiting too long before you start making moves. The worst thing you can do in a tournament is blind your money off and not ever make a move because you aren't getting cards. A tournament has a set amount of time in which you must play if you expect to win.

I repeat, you MUST play. Sometimes you won't get any cards. The best way to handle that isn't to just tighten up completely and limp along, but to make some moves -- measured moves. Make some steal raises preflop with some ok hands after no one has shown interest in the hand yet. Bluff at a pot now and then. Do something to stay active. Even if you don't have any card value, in no limit you still have some options because a bet has power. You can still be aggressive and try to take down some pots.

Remember, no one at the table knows what you have and if you haven't raised once yet, they will expect to see a good hand. What this does is prevent you from ending up with 120 chips when the blinds are 30/60. Even if you win that pot and the next three, you are still screwed. Never wait until even winning pots becomes insignificant. Make your moves earlier on and hope for the best. That's the way to win.

I can't think of an apt analogy, but one that kind of works is this: It's better to die facing the enemy, blasting away, then it is to wait until all your regiment is dead and you are hiding in a bunker. You're going to probably die either way but the only option that provides any glimmer of hope is to fight back, even if you are out-gunned/out-carded. This isn't to say that you aren't fighting; I just want to focus your attention a little more on the time factor in tournaments.

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