Live Blogging $650 PokerStars Main Event Qualifier

The tournament starts at 3:00 PM. At least 25 seats to the Main Event of the World Series of Poker will be awarded.

I am warming up by playing 2 tables of 1-2 No Limit and getting cold decked. I hope I get the bad beats out of my system before the big one starts.

Start of Tournament:

No problem making the guarantees. It looks like there will be around 45 seats up for grabs.

Blinds 10-20 and start with 3k in chips.

66 in small blind. I call with 2 other players. I lead at small flop and win small pot.

AJo on button. I call a middle pos raise from slimshaggy. Flop has a Js-5s-3c. He checks and I bet 100 to take it down. 3,120 in chips now.

I just checked Poker Tracker and I am down $185 in the cash game. I cut back to one table while I play the tournament and blog. I think I am playing well, I just need to have a little luck on my side to make it back.

9s7s in small blind. I call with 5 others. Flop is A-T-3. I check fold.

6d6c in cutoff. Broomcorn09 limps in early position. I raise to $80. Everyone folds and Broomcorn09 calls. 190 in the pot. Flop is Qh-8c-3h. Broom donk bets 80. I raise to 220 and win the pot. I have found when the play is deep, that these donk bets tend to be weak and I can play position to win these pots. Chips to 3,240. Blinds now up to 15-30.

7hTd in cutoff. michellefox limps from early position and it folds to me. I have already seen her limp with crap. I raise to isolate, but Tight Mind in the button calls behind me. Flop is 5d-Js-3c. I take a stab at it and get raised. Down to 2,925.

I pick up 44 in middle position. I open raise to 90. Two players call behind me and the BB comes along as well. The flop is T-2-2. I check and there is a bet and call behind me. I hate my hand so I let it go.

98o on button. I call a raise from slimshaggy and the BB comes along as well. Flop is 3s-Tc-Kc. Checked to slim and he cbets 150. I decide to float it and call. Turn is an Ace and slimshaggy bets again. That is not a good card for me because if he was bluffing before, he just hit the Ace. If he's not bluffing, I'm pretty sure he's ready to go with the hand. I fold.

I call another raise with KQs in a multi way pot. The flop misses me entirely and I let it go. Down to 2,335 in chips. Blinds are 20-40.

Blinds up to 25-50. I am at 2,355. slimshaggy looks to be a good player. I saw him play position and make a good bluff.

Total prize pool looks to be $581,175. That equals 48 seats. I hope I pick up a hand soon.

5h4d on button. It's folded to me and the small blind is sitting out. I raise to 150. superowl99 calls. Flop is 8c-7h-3s. He checks and I check. Turn is 2d. He checks and I semibluff my double gutter at bet 200. He calls. The river is 6s. I make my straight but it's far from the nuts. superowl99 leads into me for 300. I call and he shows Jc9c for a busted straight draw. I climb back up to 2,955.

We are at the first break. 953 players and 809 are still alive. There will be 48 prize packages, 49th-63rd get their money back, and 64th gets $345. So I need to make the final 9 tables out of the 90 tables that are currently running.

I gotta say I am not too pleased with my table draw. There is only one soft seat that I have picked out. I have a guy who likes to call my raises directly to my left. Blinds when we get back will be 30-60.

JcTc in BB. superowl99 limps utg + 1and mikeschmike raises in early position to 240. I reluctantly call and superowl comes along. Flop is Jh-Th-6d. I check to go for check raise. My plan is foiled as it gets checked through. The turn is a 2 and I lead for 500. They both fold. Stack back up to 3,435.

Just got moved to a new table. I pick up A8o in the cutoff. I raise and take the blinds.

4:25 PM - Blinds up to 40-80. 757 players left. Average stack is 3,776 and I have 3,465.

AKo and I raise and win blinds.

QJs in sb. It's folded to me and I raise to 240. BB calls. Flop is A-7-7. I make a bet of 320 and he folds.

JdJc on button. There is a min raise and a call before it gets to me. I screw up and just call. Flop is Qs-2d-3d. Cutoff who called initial raise makes it 540 and I fold like a girl. I should have reraised big since neither stack could eliminate me.

Blinds up to 50-100 with 10 ante.

5d7d. I limp after two others and more come for the ride. Flop is 8d Jc Kc. Short stack goes broke when he flops top two against demonseed14's set of 8's. I fold and miss all the fun.

7d8d in middle position. I open raise and win the blinds.

AcAh under the gun. I raise to 300. It's folded around to DikHurtz in BB who calls. Flop is all low cards. I bet 520 and he folds. Up to 3,915 in chips now.

Blinds 60-120 ante 15. I pick up TT on button. I open raise to 360 and win the blinds.

89o in middle late position. I open raise and win the blinds. 4,180 in chips. My personal high but still 500 below chip average.

5s4d on button. I open raise and Scoobysmurf reraises to 800 in the small blind. I am priced in to call so I do. Flop misses and I fold to his c-bet. Down to 3,120 in chips.

QJo in middle position. I raise and win the blinds.

QcJc in early position. I open raise and get called by Scooby right behind me. Flop is As-7s-3h. I make a c-bet of 635 and take it down. Back up to 4050 in chips.

I made it to the second break. 3,915 in chips. 541 players left with average stack at 5,284.

Blinds are 75-150 with 20 ante. 4h4d in cutoff. stpauli111 raises to 445 under the gun. demonseed14 calls and I call. The BB comes as well. Flop is 9c-4s-6c. stpauli leads out for 715 into a 2035 pot. My first instinct is to raise buy I will have to go all in with my stack size. I decide to call. Everyone else folds. The turn is the case 4 of clubs!!!!. stpauli pushes all in and I snap call for all my chips. He rolls over KcQh and I win a $8705 pot!!

CASH GAME ALERT
I have crawled back to up $20 after stacking a bad player with a set of 5's. I am suddenly running well.

Back to the tournament....

7s9c in cutoff. I open raise and get called by button and and Big Blind. Flop is a whiff and I decide to save my chips. Button bets and takes it down.

4h4c in middle position. I call an early raise to 450. I get squeezed by KingKnig on button and have to fold. So much for my rush.

Sitting on 7,340 in chips. Blinds up to 100-200 with 25 ante.

As8h on BB. It's folded around to the button elipse who raises to 600. I defend and reraise to 2000. He calls. Ugh! Flop is Ac 5c 4s. I ponder for a bit. I decide to bet 2,200 and fold to an all in raise. He thinks for a long time and finally folds. I am up to 9,570.

AcKc on button. elipse open raises to 600 again from late position. I don't feel like flipping with AK so I just call. The blinds fold. The flop is 3c 9h 3h and it goes check-check. Turn is a 6s. elipse bets a small and I call hoping for a free showdown. The river is the 5c and he bets 800 and I decide he is trying to slow play something and I fold.

KsQd in cutoff. Blinds are up to 125-250 with 30 ante. I open raise to 750 and Scoobysmurf calls behind me on the button. I have him covered in chips. Flop is 6s 4s 4d. I make a c-bet of 1,200 and he folds. Chips at 9,625.

QhJh in small blind. yell4UT limps in middle position. It's folded to me and I decide to raise to 1k. He reraises me to 2,500. I decide to play it safe and fold. He shows AA.

A little while later, he raises to 1000 under the gun. I pick up AKo in late position and move all in. He folds.

KTo I open raise and win the blinds. Chips at 10,335 now.

I am having ribs while I play. They are delicious. Thanks wifey.

Ah9d in BB. The small stack demonseed moves all in from the cutoff for 740. I call and he rolls over QQ. I don't hit the Ace and give him some chips.

Blinds are 150-300 with 40 ante. I have 9,305 in chips.

4d3s on button. I open raise and get shoved on buy sb, then the BB shoves over him. I fold. SB had 55 and BB had 88.

Very next hand, the bigstack DikHurtz limps for 300 and I raise to 1200 with AJo. yell4UT then pushes all in for 3,591. DikHurtz folds and I have to call 2300 innto a 5671 pot. I have the odds but I don't want to be that low in chips. I fold. Down to 6,315 in chips.

261 players left. Average stack is 10,954.

AhTh under the gun. I raise to 900. Folded to DikHurtz who pushes all in on me. I fold again. Dammit!!!!
Good thing we just hit the break. Next level is 200-400 with 50 ante. It might be push/fold time.

I am at 4,525 in chips with the blinds at 200-400 with 50 ante.

KcJc in middle position. All in. No callers. Stack to 5,425.

I've been moved to a new table.

5s7s in cutoff. All in. No callers. Stack at 5,575. In 9 minutes we lost 43 players! Down to 217.

Blinds up again to 250-500 with 60 ante. I got to give it to PokerStars. Their structure is great. Now if the random number generator would just give me some cards.

AJo under the gun. All in and I win the blinds. Stack is 6085 after paying the BB.

Ks7h on button. I open raise all in and win the blinds. $6,945 in chips.

Very next hand I pick up Aces. A big stack makes it 1200 to go. I min raise to 2500. He shoves all in and I call. He shows pocket Kings. C'mon baby! Flop is Ks Th 5s. FUCK!!!! Turn is 8c and River is 8 of spades and I am out in 194th place. That hand would have put me at 15,180 and in decent shape.

;KASDNF;QO'EFHQE;OEWHFQOE';HE AAAHHHHHHH

I'll have to try again next week.