Hi,
I am new to this poker forum, but I have been playing poker for a few years now, and I think it is an awesome game. I'm totally addicted

Anyway, I was at a poker tournament yesterday at my local casino. I was doing quite well at one point on the table, I had a healthy amount of chips. However, there came one hand that knocked me out. I would just like to explain how I was knocked out, and whether I did make the right choices or not. I certainly believe that I could not have played the hand in any other way, but I would love some feedback as to whether I was right or wrong in how I payed. Anyway:

1) I was posting the big blind which was 200 (total chip stack being 1500-1700)
2) I had pocket 8's.
3) Everyone else folded on the table apart from one other guy (a 'friend' of mine hehe)
4) He had King-Jack suited.
5) Since I was posting big blind already at this point my logic was that with pocket 8's, if I make a small pre-flop raise I can't really afford for someone to call me, simply because if anything higher than 8 comes up on the flop I can't really risk calling as it increases chances of someone having a higher pair than me.
6) I did not want to fold with pocket 8's because I was posting big blind and thought folding would be a poor decision.
7) Therefore I went all in, 1500-1700 total (I can't remember exact amount) with my pocket 8's pre-flop
8) My mate called with K-J suited (which I thought was a wrong decision on his behalf considering someone just went all in, aka. myself)
9) On the turn card, he had fluked a flush
10) I left the table pretty disgusted with my mates play. I just thought I was very unlucky and that I had made the right decision considering the position I was in and the hand I was given.

...So, I would just like feedback on that. Given all the info above, did I make the right decision do you think? I think I did, but if I have made any mistakes in that hand I would like some feedback as I want to become a better player.

Thanks for your time guys
theepw

My first though is, if your stack is healthy, then why put it all at risk with a pair of 8s?

By all means try to defend your blind but pushing all in seems a crazy move to me.

BB was approx 1/8th of his stack. He is not comfortable.

He pushed all in PREFLOP.

If they all fold he increases his stack by 500 (about 33%).
If he is called by 2 overcards he is coinflip, and he needs to win at some point.

With all information given this is a very standard push all in preflop for me.

Originally Posted by HSM

My first though is, if your stack is healthy, then why put it all at risk with a pair of 8s?

By all means try to defend your blind but pushing all in seems a crazy move to me.

The theory behind the all in, was to make a massive raise to push out any other people who just want to see a flop. Hence the reason why everyone else folded with the all in move. I could not afford for everyone to call me because if anything higher than an 8 comes on the flop im pretty much beat.

People seem to think going all in from my situation was a stupid thing to do. I respect that. However, isnt it poor poker on the oppositions half calling a 1700 all in move with King Jack?

Originally Posted by the alex

1.) Don't mention what he had before telling us what you did. The fact that you did that was a bit donkish.

Sorry, I dont understand what that means. I said that I had pocket 8's and he had KJ.

Originally Posted by the alex

2.) Push or check preflop. You don't have a fold option. He has to have a monster to call you if you push.

But that was my point. By going all in means that only monster hands will call me, hence an all in move will throw out all the trash. KJ not being a monster hand, didnt he make the wrong decision technically in calling an all in pre-flop move from myself?

Originally Posted by the alex

3.) You're telling us you pushed the flop, but not telling us what the flop was and describing the hand repeating what he had when you didn't see his cards at the time and didn't know he had King high. Donkish.

I pushed all in pre-flop with me being BB. He did not hit a King or a Jack, but it a heart flush on the turn card. Even though his hand was suited, surely it is a bad move to play for a flush before the flop comes up, which is why it amazed me that he called. If you have KJ suited, surely pre-flop betting is played purely on the value of the K and the J, and not gambling 1700 on the fact that a flush will come up on the turn. Fair enough if he moved all in after the flop and only needed one more heart for the flush, but pre-flop with KJ?