Two Dallas-area poker players ask about busting out of tournaments — one because back-to-back good hands were cracked and the other because of a super-short chip stack. Let's take a look.

Q: I made the final table of an online tournament second in chips but lost two-thirds of my stack on the third hand with A-Q (despite pairing the queen on the flop). I lost the rest on the next hand with pocket tens, even though I pushed all-in pre-flop. What should I have done differently? — Cecil O. in Kaufman, Texas.

A: Ouch, Cecil. It really stings to bust out so quickly with a lot of chips!

Raising pre-flop with A-Q was fine; it's the raise amount that was troublesome. You doubled the bet, but that wasn't enough to push out the big blind, who was able to see the flop relatively cheaply with his marginal 8-3, suited in hearts.

In no-limit hold 'em, a minimum raise invites players to stay in with weak cards, hoping to get lucky. A raise of about four times the big blind amount would have put much more pressure on your opponents to fold.

The Q-9-3 flop, with two hearts, looked pretty safe. However, despite having top pair/top kicker, you were only a 62 percent favorite. After the flop, I doubt your opponent would have folded his flush draw no matter how much you bet. Unfortunately, another heart came.

Now, about those pocket tens. You asked: Did my opponent feel I was on tilt after the A-Q hand? Should I have waited until the flop to go all-in against his A-9 offsuit? Did I actually want him to call there?

Yes, the player probably thought you were steaming. But A-9 is good enough for many people to play under any circumstances.

You were correct to move all-in pre-flop. You're a favorite against all hands except four bigger pocket pairs. Against A-9 offsuit specifically, you're a 72 percent favorite.

My guess is he still would have called if you had waited until the flop to push. The biggest problem with waiting, however, is that it invites other players into the pot with hands such as K-Q and J-10 suited. This hurts your hand, because then any A, K, Q or J on the flop can beat you.

You only want one caller with pocket tens and have to take your chances all-in. You just were unlucky, partner.

You wrote: "Maybe I'm thinking too much. I just feel like I did my best, and I continue to enjoy playing the game." With that positive attitude, Cecil, plus lessons learned from playing tough hands, I have a feeling you'll do just fine.

Q: I recently saw your article in The Dallas Morning News about Charles Moore. Good column! I've posed this question to several veteran players and gotten different answers: If a player is eliminated because he or she cannot make the next hand's blinds or ante, what happens to his/her remaining chips? — Jerry M. in Palestine, Texas (God's Country!)

A: Thanks for the kind words, Jerry.

The quick answer is that the player is NOT automatically eliminated before the deal because of a super-short stack. Mostly this comes up in tournaments with no re-buy option available.

The player keeps his starting cards and must commit his final chips to the pot before the deal, even if he can't cover the blind and ante. His cards are live, and he remains in the hand until the end.

His chips go into the "main pot" along with a similar amount from everyone who plays the hand. Remaining players must post or bet the full required amount, but the portion from each additional player that exceeds the all-in player's amount goes into a "side pot," along with subsequent bets made during the hand.

Most of the time, when you see this situation developing you should "pick a hand and take a stand" with an all-in bet before the blinds reach you.

Here's how the showdown works: All remaining active players expose their hands, and the best one takes the side pot. The others are mucked. Then the all-in player shows his hand. If it beats the side-pot winner's hand, then he wins the main pot and stays alive. If not, he's out.

Side pots can get confusing when there are multiple all-in players for varying amounts, but the principle remains the same. At showdown, you're only eligible to win those pots you contributed to, if your hand beats all other eligible players' hands.

E-mail your poker questions and comments to russ@luckydogpoker.com for use in future columns. To find out more about Russ Scott and read previous LuckyDog Poker columns, visit www.creators.com or www.luckydogpoker.com.

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