[DeafParrot]

You'd be surprised. I find on most sites the standard doesn't really improve until $30 or over. I'd say $35 to $50 would be my optimum sng, only my bankrolls nowhere near big enough atm.

[GeorgeMcD]

Have a look at this hand guys:

The tournament was a £10 NL freezeout (live game), we started with 10000 chips. The blinds were still at level 1 at 100/200.

I was on the button and dealt JJ. Three players limped in so there was 900 in the pot when it came to me ( I had about 8500 chips at this point ). I decided to make it 1200 to go. I still believe that was the correct raise. Big blind called as did Under the Gun player who had limped everyone else folded.

Flop came 2 5 6 rainbow. UTG made it 500 to play which I thought was a strange raise. I then raised to 3000 chips, the big blind folded and the UTG player thought for a while before calling. I didn't see what he could be calling with unless I was beat. I forgot to say he had played quite tight up till then and seemed a solid player. The turn was an 8 and he checked, I checked as well and the river came a 4. He thought for ages then raised me all in (4000ish). I folded as I was sure he had me beat.

1) What do you think he had?
2) Do you think i played this wrong?

[san]

He bet minimum on a rag board vs a preflop raiser, calls one raise and you give him credit for a strong hand> mmmkay. I think nothing of his initial weak bet...he knows you've missed the flop and is hoping to take the pot down. When he calls I put him on something like A6 and fire another bullet on the turn, and would take some serious convincing to laydown. The all-in after your show of weakness on the turn qas probably, imho, a stone cold bluff.

Course, being a mainly cash game player, I'm nowhere near as conservative as I used to be.

[GeorgeMcD]

Yes but bear in mind I was all in on the turn if I fired a bullet..

[GeorgeMcD]

And San the raise of 3000 chips represented a third of his chips. Surely you would be confused by a call like this? Also would you really put a decent tightish player on A6 UTG when he called the initial blind and then 1000 more on a raise??

[san]

It's a $10 buy-in tournament and the blinds are still at level 1. I can't believe you can have a decent read on him. You're giving your opponents way too much credit for sensible plays.

[GeorgeMcD]

I suppose I might be giving too much credit to opponents but the structure of the event meant that people generally made solid play throughout (there was team points available etc.) What did you put him on then San? I was beat after the river.

[san]

on the flop:
A6/A5/A2/76s/TT-22

With a possiblility of a ridiculously played AK/AQ.

If I'm beat with JJ on a 652 flop then I'm just beat on this flop....the board is a whole lot scarier by the river and it wouldn't surprise if you were behind.

if you were beat by the river then 77 would be my first guess, followed by 33, 44, 88 and 76s.

[drainedvitality]

Did anyone ever have a problem concentrating on a game when they first started? I play well for just over an hour but then my mind starts wondering and I make stupid decisions. I blame the boob tube.

[GeorgeMcD]

i actually don't think the turn was an 8, it was an innocous (sp?) low card that didn't throw up any straight draws or anything.

The hand he had was 44, one of the ones you mentioned. I've gone over it in my head and don't see how he could have called the flop with 44. I made it pretty clear that I had an over-pair. He claimed that he called because of the straight draw??