I’ve been playing the $10 Sit & Gos on Party Poker recently as a break from the ring games, so today I was looking around for some advice. I came across one of the greatest pieces of no-limit advice I’ve ever heard.

AK is good for an all-in bet, but not to call an all-in.

Brilliant! Fucking brilliant! Now, do you think I could follow through with this? Hell no! We’re down to 5 players and I should have a tight table image, having only been in a few pots. I’m on the button with the blinds at 25/50 and an average stack of chips. I get dealt AcKs, so with one limper I raise to 200. Everyone folds around to the limper who then goes all-in. Should be an easy fold.

What could the player have to go all-in against a raise? He has a pair of some kind and most likely a high pair, possibly even AA or KK and was trying to set a trap by limping with them. If he has either of the top two pairs, I’m almost dead in the hand. If he has any other pair, I’m still an underdog in the hand. Why risk almost all of my chips in a situation that I’m not even favored to win? Take the 200 loss and move on. There is plenty of time to get a few good hands and still make it into the money.

I called of course, was up against QcQh, didn’t get any help from the board, and lost the hand. Several hands later I was out in 5th place. After a great streak in the Sit & Gos I’ve hit a brick wall. In the last 6, I’ve had five 5ths and a 4th. Pathetic, especially when I made one stupid call almost every time. I think I’m playing well in the early rounds and after making it into the money, but my bubble play is killing me. I forget to think. After all, it only takes one bad play to become the short stack.

Part of my problem is that while debating a call, the wrong thoughts are entering my head. I’m thinking, “Man, I don’t want to let someone put a move on me here.” I call and the majority of the time, there was no “move.” They have the cards and I lose a large pot. Losing large pots is not a good habit to get into, especially in tournaments.