€20 tournament (might not be the best spot to post this, but I prefer the input here since it's about a live hand)

middle stages 30/60 players left
starting stack 7500
average stack 11000
blinds 200/400 ante 50
effective stacks 11000
9 players

had been sitting at the table for about two hours and wasn't getting any cards, I played a few hands but not many
my image should have been really tight, average opponent at the table has some basic knowledge but wouldn't call any of them good

two new guys just sat down at my table, had not seen either of them before
I folded like 2-3 hands after they sat down

Hero is MP
UTG (loose player) limps
UTG+1 raises to 800
1 call
2 folds
Hero raises to 4000 with KTo (total bluff, was expecting everyone to fold)
folded to UTG+1 who calls
everyone else folds

Flop: 57T with two spades
UTG+1 checks
Hero bets 3000
UTG+1 raises all in to 7000

Hero folds
Villain shows AKo

I completely tilted after this hand and just shoved my remaining 7 blinds in blind the next hand.

This guy had seen me play 3 hands so there's no way he has a tell on me?

Did I just play horribly trying to bluff against an unknown? (I'm going for this one.)
How does this guy ever raise my flop bet with A high??

Is this just a bad spot to try a bluff since this guy obviously isn't aware of my image and I have no idea how he plays?
Or was I just unlucky running into a hand this guy couldn't let go of?
Or was I maybe giving of a tell?

your stack size can't possibly be right.
4000+3000+5600 (7BB left)=12600.

At any rate your M is under 8 which means you're not quite into crazy shove just about anything mode, but you're also not quite into "bluff cuz it's fun" mode either. You should not be 3 betting this. You should especially not be 3 betting KTo. That's a pretty awful hand for that. You need to study some basic tourney strategy.

Your 3 bet size was OK. It left you a PSB left, but I can tell by your future actions that this never crossed your mind at the time. Once you make this play you have to 100% follow through with a shove on any flop. No matter what.

Once you hit top pair the thought of folding should be completely out the window. That you actually bet/ folded tells me that you had no plan and no idea what you were doing. That your opponent thought it would work was incredibly bad as well.


Sorry to be so harsh, but I want you to understand just how backwards this play was because I don't think you yet understand the basics of tourney play or how to handle different stack sizes and how they relate in tourney play. Harrington on Holdem my friend. It is the best thing you could ever do.

I'd just fold pre flop.

But, if you want to 3bet here, then you can make it a lot smaller.
4k is just throwing away money when you get called/shoved on.

I would 3bet here to like 2.5k or so. Maybe a touch less.
It will give you more flexibility post flop. And cost you less when you are losing. And keep their range wider so that you can win more pots post flop.

IF he's going to 3 bet it, he needs to be setting himself up for a flop shove with that stack size. There is no maneuverability post flop with any 3 bet so he might as well max his preflop FE and give himself a believable flop shove. There's no getting away on the flop anyway unless he decides to just fold.

Wrong forum. This is a cash game forum.

Locked.