Nice Win But It's A Little Late

I thought this was going to be a quick 2 hour tournament, but over 100 people registered during the late registration period. I'll have to check but I think I was only all in and behind once the entire tournament and that was after we were already in the money. I had to push KJ and the big stack called me with A5. So even that was not too big of an underdog.

It's amazing how easy the game is when you get AA and KK at the right times and you manage to double up or triple up every time you get them.

It's too bad I did not have these cards in the Main Event satellite.

Last Chance For A Free Vacation

The Full Tilt 150 seat Main Event Satellite starts at 3:00 PM today. We are an hour away from the start and they are still over $500,000 short of their guarantee. I bet there is a small overlay again this year. They need 3600 players to break even and they are at 2,512 as of 2:09 PM.



As a warm up I played 3 $12 turbo 180 man sit and gos on Stars. I busted out quickly on the first two, including one where I had AA against an underpair, all in preflop and got cracked.

The third one, I sucked out a couple of times early and built a big stack into the money. I was second in chips with 16 left and picked up AA in the sb. There was an all in, then a reraise before it got to me. I push and he calls with 99. If I win, I have twice the chips of the nearest competitor. The flop and turn look good, but the river screws me when a 9 hits and I am crippled. What could have been over $500 in prize money shrinks to $23.



The Full Tilt tournament is running and I have lost my first two hands trying to raise before the flop and getting my continuation bet bluffs called. It's ok, they start us with 3,000 in chips and the blinds are only 10-20. I am down to 2700.



Qc3h on button. alluna1 limps from middle position. I raise to 80 on button Flop is As 6h Jc. I bet 1/2 pot and he calls. I am worried about a slow play. Turn is a 3d. He checks again and I bet 1/2 pot. River is Qs. I have lucked into two pair. What would he call with? I can't imagine anything that doesn't beat me. Even though I would rather not show down this hand, I check behind. He had KJ and I am at 3,140 in chips.



I am not going to live blog every hand this time, because it saps too much mental energy. I'll just give you the highlights.



I picked up AA right after another player went broke with it in the previous hand. Mine was uneventful as I got one called preflop and he folded on the flop.



9s9c in middle position. Anthoover is big stack with 6k. He raises to 105, I call behind him. Flop is 4d 9d 7d. So I have top set but there is 3 to a flush out there. He checks and I bet 140. He check raises to 390. I call. The flop is 3c. He bets 600 and I call. The river is Tc and he bets 1,700 which will only leave me with 400 if I call and I am beat. I take my full time bank amount and eventually fold.

He played it strong the entire way so either he flopped the flush or he had AA with the Ace of diamonds. After folding I am left with 2,150 in chips. The good thing is I only lost 1,095 chips and I still have plenty left. The bad part is that I am now on tilt because I really wanted to board to pair so I could double up. It just felt too early to make the hero call.

Edit inserted 6-26-09. I ran this hand through poker stove and assigned the villain TT-AA, some pocket pairs with just a diamond, and some high cards with diamonds. I was at least a 3-1 favorite against his range. I posted the hand on 2+2 and it was unanimous that I should have raised the flop or the turn and tried to get my whole stack in the middle. Note to self: Never fold top set in a tournament, you're not good enough to lay it down.

Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Seat 1: braminc ($3,000)
Seat 2: amy6695 ($2,930)
Seat 4: alluna1 ($1,560)
Seat 5: gwashyg ($2,140)
Seat 6: VirtualDevil ($2,770) -
Seat 7: Ant3h00ver2 ($7,840) -
Seat 8: Poker_Bully1 ($2,090) -
Seat 9: BTown99 ($4,610)


PRE-FLOP:

Ant3h00ver2 posts small blind $20
Poker_Bully1 posts BIG blind $40
Dealt To: Poker_Bully1


FOLD BTown99
FOLD braminc
FOLD amy6695
FOLD alluna1
FOLD gwashyg
FOLD VirtualDevil
CALL Ant3h00ver2 ($20)
RAISE Poker_Bully1 ($150)
CALL Ant3h00ver2 ($110)

I think the raise is standard in position.

FLOP:

Pot: $300


CHECK Ant3h00ver2
BET Poker_Bully1 ($160)
CALL Ant3h00ver2 ($160)

I continuation bet here about 100% of the time so even though Ant3hoover2 does not really know my game, I can guess that he may float me here.

TURN:

Pot: $620


CHECK Ant3h00ver2
BET Poker_Bully1 ($360)
CALL Ant3h00ver2 ($360)

I pick up the inside straight draw. There might be an argument for checking back here since I could get raised off a decent hand. At the time I felt like I needed the chips in the middle and this was the only way to get them.
RIVER:

Pot: $1340


CHECK Ant3h00ver2
CHECK Poker_Bully1 I save my bullets for a different hand


SHOWDOWN:
Poker_Bully1:

Ant3h00ver2:
Did he really just call me with bottom pair and then a crappy flush draw on the turn???? Now I am really on tilt because maybe I should have got all my money in with the set of 9's earlier.

Ant3h00ver2 collected $1340 from main pot with two pair, Kings and Threes

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $1 Rake: $0

Final Board:


Seat 1: braminc didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 2: amy6695 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 4: alluna1 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 5: gwashyg didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 6: VirtualDevil button didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 7: Ant3h00ver2 small blind showed [2s 3s] and won 1,340 with two pair, Kings and Threes - Net Gain/Loss: ($670)

Seat 8: Poker_Bully1 big blind showed [7d Ah] and lost with a pair of Kings - Net Gain/Loss: ($-670)
Seat 9: BTown99 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)

Here is a nice comeback hand:

Seat 1: braminc ($3,075) -
Seat 2: amy6695 ($2,930)
Seat 4: alluna1 ($1,560)
Seat 5: gwashyg ($2,140)
Seat 6: VirtualDevil ($2,770)
Seat 7: Ant3h00ver2 ($8,510)
Seat 8: Poker_Bully1 ($1,395) -
Seat 9: BTown99 ($4,560) -


PRE-FLOP:

BTown99 posts small blind $25
braminc posts BIG blind $50
Dealt To: Poker_Bully1


RAISE amy6695 ($175)
FOLD alluna1
FOLD gwashyg
FOLD VirtualDevil
FOLD Ant3h00ver2
CALL Poker_Bully1 ($175)
FOLD BTown99
FOLD braminc


FLOP:

Pot: $425


BET amy6695 ($250)
CALL Poker_Bully1 ($250)


TURN:

Pot: $925


CHECK amy6695
CHECK Poker_Bully1


RIVER:

Pot: $925


BET amy6695 ($500)
CALL Poker_Bully1 ($500)


SHOWDOWN:
amy6695:

Poker_Bully1:


Poker_Bully1 collected $1925 from main pot with a full house, Queens full of Tens

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $1 Rake: $0

Final Board:


Seat 1: braminc big blind folded before the Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-50)
Seat 2: amy6695 showed [Ad Jh] and lost with three of a kind, Queens - Net Gain/Loss: ($-925)

Seat 4: alluna1 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 5: gwashyg didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 6: VirtualDevil didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 7: Ant3h00ver2 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 8: Poker_Bully1 button showed [Ts Td] and won 1,925 with a full house, Queens full of Tens - Net Gain/Loss: ($1000)
Seat 9: BTown99 small blind folded before the Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-25)


Playing small ball and not reraising on the button, wins me some extra chips when my opponent bluffs into me on the river. I did have to think about it a little while on the river since somebody could play KK or AA the same way as he played it.


I have 2,420 in chips and the blinds are 25-50. I pick up 77 in the small blind. It's folded to me and I raise to 150 and BTown99 calls in the BB. The flop is Jd 3d 2s. I bet 160 and he raises me to 500. I fold. Blech!

The very next hand, I call a raise from early position with Qh Jc on the button. The flop is 3h 3c Ts. The preflop raiser leads out for 200. I think about bluffing but decide to fold.


New table. 30-60 blinds and I have 2,070 in chips. Not the best of starts.


They barely broke even with 3,614 entries. At least bubble boy gets $3,500 for his troubles.

Also there is a $200 bounty if you bust a pro again this year.

I raise a couple of pots and win with c-bets on the flop. I lose a couple of pots when I get raised off my c-bets on the flop. My stack has dwindled down to 1,620. The blinds have gone up to 40-80.

First time I am all in. I have AhTh in cutoff. Salavas who has chip lead at our table raises to 280. I reraise all in to 1,620. He claims to have an Ace but he folds it. Whew! Blinds are now up to 50-100 and I have 2,020 in chips.


It is folded to me on the button and my blind steal with 84o goes terribly awry. I am left with 1,170 in chips. All in or fold mode now I guess.


Blinds are up again to 60-120. I have 1,020 chips to start. Salavas raises to 360. I come over top all in for 1,020. I have AsQs and this is the second time I have pulled this move on him. Everyone folds.

Next hand I pick up KJo. I open raise to 360 and everyone folds to me. I win the blinds again. I am up to 1,740. I have a little breathing room. The blinds go to 80-160 in 8 minutes.

Here is when disaster strikes:


Seat 1: Horus MARVI ($3,533)
Seat 2: crunchtime1 ($3,185)
Seat 3: Pascha777 ($3,277)
Seat 4: Salavas ($12,098) -
Seat 5: i hd lotsa outs ($3,200) -
Seat 6: Poker_Bully1 ($1,740) -
Seat 7: akaono ($5,436)
Seat 8: BALA51 ($4,096)
Seat 9: Bluffinger ($4,376)


PRE-FLOP:

i hd lotsa outs posts small blind $60
Poker_Bully1 posts BIG blind $120
Dealt To: Poker_Bully1


FOLD akaono
FOLD BALA51
FOLD Bluffinger
FOLD Horus MARVI
FOLD crunchtime1
FOLD Pascha777
RAISE Salavas ($420)
FOLD i hd lotsa outs
RAISE Poker_Bully1 ($1740)
CALL Salavas ($1320)

This is the third time I have reraised Salavas so I know for sure that he is calling. I am hoping for a weaker Ace. I get my wish (sort of).

FLOP:

Pot: $3540




TURN:

Pot: $3540




RIVER:

Pot: $3540




SHOWDOWN:
Poker_Bully1:

Salavas:


Salavas collected $3540 from main pot with two pair, Aces and Tens

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $3 Rake: $0

Final Board:


Seat 1: Horus MARVI didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 2: crunchtime1 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 3: Pascha777 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 4: Salavas button showed [As Th] and won 3,540 with two pair, Aces and Tens - Net Gain/Loss: ($1800)

Seat 5: i hd lotsa outs small blind folded before the Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-60)
Seat 6: Poker_Bully1 big blind showed [Kd Ah] and lost with a pair of Aces - Net Gain/Loss: ($-1740)
Seat 7: akaono didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 8: BALA51 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 9: Bluffinger didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)


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I am done in 2,295th place. Sigh!!!

I have put a big dent in the bankroll over the last month and I am still planning on going to Vegas over 4th of July. I am 90% certain that I may take a break from poker for the next week and just concentrate on my golf and tennis games. I think I need to clear my head for a while.

I also don't know if I will try to play one of the super satellites at the WSOP. May bankroll may not be able to afford it.