Sometimes, how you play a single hand says a lot about your ability to follow through on a plan.

Such a hand came recently for Bob R. of Davenport, Iowa, during a local tournament with 44 players. Losing the hand knocked him out in eighth place, three spots shy of the money, continuing a frustrating trend for 2012.

"I could have sat back and hoped to make the money, but I wanted to go for the win. I would have been in great shape if I won this pot," Bob wrote. "Do you think I played it right?"

Here's how Bob described the action:

I held about 15,000 chips, the fourth or fifth best stack. Two players were short-stacked, and one guy with a huge stack was busy bullying the table. Blinds were 1,000-2,000.

I held 6-4 offsuit in the big blind, and nobody raised, so about five of us saw the flop of 9-9-6. I bet out 3,500, figuring no one had a nine. Only the chip leader called.

The turn card was a four. I bet about 5,500, and the guy called again.

The river was an ace. I checked, and he bet enough to put me all-in. I really thought he was trying to bully me here and steal the pot, so I called. The ace had paired him, and I was busted.

Here's my response:

With 10,000 in the pot, the flop was good for your hand. Yes, someone behind you could have a nine or a six, but you need to find out. So, I like your lead-out 3,500 bet with a two-pair (but vulnerable) hand.

The bully just called. That meant he could have a nine and was stringing you along, or perhaps he held overcards or a straight draw and called because he could afford it.

With you betting into four players, he gave you credit for the six, not the nine. He probably thought he could win if he hit either of his hole cards (six outs).

The four on the turn changed nothing. A great card for you, really.

There's 17,000 in the pot with just one card to go. You've got about 11,500 left, he's got about 27,000. Your bet of 5,500 was too enticing for him to refuse. He still believed he had six outs to win and was ready to gamble.

This was the key moment in the hand! With a true go-for-the-win mentality, this was when you should have pushed!

If he doesn't have a nine or six in his hand, he probably doesn't want to risk being knocked down to about 16,000 chips with perhaps just three outs (the remaining aces) to win on the river.

Toss in the possibility that YOU have a nine in the hole, and he's drawing dead, the only way he can call your all-in move is if he also was truly in go-for-the-win mode.

You got unlucky on the river. You didn't think the ace hit his hand, so I understand your call on the belief he could be bluffing.

The big lesson here is that you entered the final table with a fine game plan to "go for the win," but when the perfect spot came to take your shot, you didn't.

Next time, go get 'em!

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