I was back at the Venetian for another $550 event today. This event only attracted 460 players but the field was extremely soft. We started with 15000 in chips and my opening table was as soft as any table that I had been at this summer.
Level 1: 50-100. I made it 250 from the button with 1 limper with A9o. The limper was the only caller and we saw a J75 2 diamonds flop. He checked, I bet 325, and he called. We checked to the river on Td5x where he bet 500 and I folded. The cutoff opened to 225 and I called from the BB with 96ss. The flop came 753 all diamonds, I checked, he bet 300, and I called. The turn came a 5, I checked, and he checked behind. The river came an 8, I bet 1500, and he called showing AA which was no good vs my rivered straight. A player UTG opened to 200, got 3 calls, and I called from the cutoff with 43dd. The flop came A32, he bet 350, and I was the only caller. We checked down 88 and he showed 44 for the winner. There was 1 limper in front of me and I made it 250 with KTcc which got 4 calls. The flop came KJ3, I bet 400, and 1 of the limpers called. The turn came an 8, I bet 725, and the limper called. The river came a J, I checked, he bet 1200, I called, and he showed 33 for the flopped set. I dont know what I was expecting to beat when I called on the river but whatever. I made it 250 with AKo from UTG +1 and got 1 caller. The flop came AQ4, I bet 325, and he folded. A guy UTG opeend to 250 and I called on the button with 64dd. The SB called as well, the flop came Q76, and I folded to a bet of 500. UTG +2 opened to 325, I 3-bet him right behind him to 850 with ATss, and he was the only caller. The flop came T65 2 hearts, he checked, I bet 1500, and he called. The turn came the Kh, he checked, and I checked behind. The river came a 7, he lead for 3100, I called, but was the loser when he showed AJhh for the nut flush. Another call Im not particularily proud of as I dont know what I can beat on the river. I was at 7775 and we went up to the next level.
Level 2: 75-150. There were 2 limps to the button who made it 550, I called from the SB with T9ss, and both of the limps called as well. The flop came A92 2 spades giving me the pair/flush draw combo, we checked to the button, he bet 1100, I made it 2525, one of the limpers flatted, the button went all in for 18k, I called for my last ~7500 (total), and the limper folded (what he later said was A9 for top 2). The button showed A8 and all my draw were live. The turn came the 5s giving me the winner and the irrelevant river came a T and I doubled to 19k or so. I dont particularily like getting it in with just a draw with 50 bbs left but its whatever. . .I was down to 1/2 a stack so I gambled to get it back. I made it 350 with 75ss from UTG +1 and the BB called. The flop came K72 2 diamonds, she checked, and I checked behind. The turn the 8h, she lead for 550, and I called. The river came the Ah, she lead for 1300, and I folded. I made it 350 with 87o from UTG +2 and got 2 calls from behind. The flop came QQ9 and everyone checked. The turn came an A, I took a stab with 525, but both called. The river came an 8, I checked, and folded to a bet (the guy showed down QT). I was at 17700 and we went up a level.
Level 3: 100-200. The cutoff limped, I made it 500 from the button with A9hh, and she was the only caller. We checked down KQ559 and I was good. I made it 450 with ATo from MP and the BB called. We checked to the turn on QJ44 where I bet 525 and he folded. A tight old man opened ot 1200 from UTG and i called from MP with AKo. The flop came J93, he bet 2200, and I folded. Dont really know if I could have played it much differently as I dont want to get it in pre vs a donk here. I made it 450 from MP with A4hh and got called by the button and BB. The flop came 955, the BB lead for 2200, and I folded. I was at 17100 and we went up to the next level.
Level 4: 100-200 25. I made it 450 with AJo from UTG +2, a player in MP called, the BB made it 2200, I folded, and he showed KK. The cutoff, button, and SB limped, I found AhKx in the BB and made it 800, and they all called. The flop came K86 all hearts giving me top/top with the nut flush draw, I bet out 1600, the button made it 3500, I put her all in for her 11k effective, and she folded. I made it 450 from the cutoff with A8o and everyone folded. I made it 450 with 55 from MP, the button 3-bet to 1300, and I called. The flop came 942, I checked, and he checked behind. The turn came a Q, I checked, he bet 1225, and I called. The river came a 9 and we both checked and 55 was good enough to win the pot. There were 2 limps and I made it 800 from MP with JTo and got called by the BB and both of the limpers. We checked down A42Q7 and I was no good vs 99. I was up to 25425 and we went up to the next level.
Level 5: 150-300 25. I made it 650 from UTG +1 and the BB called. The flop came QJT, she checked, and I checked behind. The turn came a 9h giving me a flush draw, she checked, I bet 800, she went all in for her last 8k, and I folded. I made it 650 with AKo from UTG, a player in MP and the BB called. The flop came 432, I bet 1100, and they folded. A player in LP opened to 650, I found AKcc in the BB and made it 1800, he made it 6k, I put him all in for his last ~11.5k (total) and he folded leaving himself with about 5k. . .haha. I completed the SB with 74o and the BB and I checked to the turn on 9547 where I bet 550 and he folded. A donk in MP opened to 900, I found 88 right behind him and called, and the guy behind me called as well. The flop came K87 2 clubs, the raiser checked, I bet 2000, the guy behind me made it 6500, the raiser went all in for about 30k, I called for my last 30k, and the guy behind called for his 15k! Whoa!!! The raiser showed AA and I was in good shape to win at least the side pot and the guy behind showed AJcc for the nut flush draw which I would have to fade for the main pot. THe board ran out an offsuit 6 and a 7 pairing the board giving me an extremely large pot pushing my stack to an epic 77k. I was at 77375 and we went up to the next level.
Level 6: 200-400 50. The cutoff limped and I made it 1225 from the SB with AKss. Both the BB and the limper called and on a flop came Q98 2 diamonds, I check folded to a bet of 2200 from the limper. A player UTG made it 900, the cutoff called, I called from the SB with KQcc, and the BB called as well. The flop came A73 2 spades, the raiser bet out 1800, and I folded. A player in EP opened to 950, I 3-bet from the hijack to 2525 wtih KTo, the BB flatted, and the player EP called as well. The flop came A53, they checked, I bet 3100, the BB called, the initial raiser made it 7900, and I folded. I was at 69125 and we went up a level.
Level 7: 300-600 50. Around this time I was moved to a new table. There was a limp in EP and I made it 1325 from the hijack with AJcc and the limper called. We checked to the turn on Q723 where he bet 2500 and I folded. I made it 1325 from MP with Q9hh, a player behind 3-bet to 3200, and I folded. I made it 1325 with 54ss from MP, the button called, the SB 3-bet to 4200, and I folded. I made it 1325 from UTG with AKo, the cutoff (who had about 60k effective as well) made it 3500, I 4-bet to 8200, and he called. The flop came AK7 2 hearts, I bet out 6600, and he called. The turn came a Q, I checked, he bet 8000, I made it 20500, and he folded. Pretty big pot for just getting to the turn. Part of me wishes I could have extracted more chips out of him but part of me was happy to just take down the pot right then and there. That guy was down to about 40k and I was up to 80k and on the very next hand, he opened to 1400 from the hijack, the SB called, and I found JJ in the BB and just called as well. The flop came QJT, we checked to the raiser, and he checked as well. The turn came a 2, the SB lead for 4000, I made it 11k, the raiser moved all in for his last 39k, the SB folded after a long tank (what he said was 22) and I decided to call after a long thought. The raiser showed AK for broadway and the river came the Q pairing the board to make me a full house and win another absolutely massive pot. I dont know I guess I could have folded. . .bah. Kind of just a crappy spot I guess it was obvious he had AK here but I dont know if I can ever fold JJ here unless he explicitly turns his cards over and shows me the straight. I was all the way up to 135675 and we went up to the next level.
Level 8: 400-800 75. A player in MP limped, I limped the cutoff with 33, and we were against the blinds. We checked to the turn on 872K where I folded to a bet from one of the blinds. I made it 1725 from the hijack and the button called. The flop came QT8, I bet 2200, and he folded. I made it 1725 from the button with T5cc and the BB called. The flop came J94, he checked, I bet 2200, and he folded. I was at 137275 and we went on our 3rd break.
Level 9: 500-1000 100. I made it 2300 with AJo from UTG +2 and everyone folded. The cutoff limped, I completed the SB with KQdd, and the BB checked. The flop came all low cards and I folded to a bet. UTG made it 2300, I called from MP with KQdd, and the button called as well. The flop came 855, the inital raiser lead for 5500, and I folded (he showed TT). I made it 2300 from UTG +2 with J7dd, a player in MP made it 4200, and I called. The flop came 864, I checked, he bet 5500, and I called. The turn came the 2d giving me a flush draw, I checked, and he checked behind. The river came a T, I bet 16500, and he folded after a long tank. I was up to 144800 and we went up another level.
Level 10: 600-1200 100. I made it 2600 from UTG +2 with J7o and the BB called. The flop came K65m he checked, I bet 3100, and he folded. I made it 2600 from UTG with A9ss and the player UTG +2 made it 6800. I called and we checked down the board of KT7K8 and his AQ was good. I was at 138700 and we went on dinner break.
Level 11: 800-1600 200. 1st hand after dinner break, a player from UTG moved all in for ~16k, I found AKo from the button and raised it to 30k to iso, and everyone else folded. He showed AT and the board ran out K98KT adding to my mountain of chips. Around this time I was moved to a new table with my roommate David sitting in the 3 seat (I had position on him in the 6 seat). I made it 3500 from UTG with ATo and everyone folded. I made it 3500 from the button with 87o and the SB called. The flop came J53, he bet 5000, I raised to 11600, he moved all in for 40k or so, and I folded. I made it 3500 with AJo from MP and the BB called. The flop came T54, he checked, I bet 4100, me made it 9000, I made it 25k, and he folded. His raise here just looked really weak so I took advantage by moving around some of my big stack. I made it 3500 with QJo from UTG and David called from the BB. The flop came QJ9, he checked, and I checked behind. The turn came another Q giving me top full, he checked, I bet 4100, and he called. The river came a 2, he checked, I bet 10600, and he folded. I was at 155500 and we went up another level.
Level 12: 1000-2000 300. 1st hand of the level, I found KK UTG and opened to 4800. It folded to the SB who moved all in for around 40k which I obviously called. He showed AQo and I held on a J544T board to get my stack to 200k or so. A player in EP opened to 5200 and I called on the button with AJhh. The BB called as well and we saw a flop of 944. The raiser lead out for 8200 and I folded. I found TdTh in the hijack and opened to 4500 and the BB called. The flop came 865 all diamonds, giving me an overpair with a flush draw. He checked, I bet 5100, and he called. The turn came another 5, he checked, I bet 10500, he made it 30k, I put him all in for his last ~65k total, and he folded despite putting about 1/2 his stack in. I was up to 239000 for a massive stack at this point and we were nearing the money. . .but as we all know sometimes things can turn south in a hurry in poker.
Level 13: 1200-2400 300. A player in EP made it 5200, I made it 12.5k from the cutoff when I found TT, the button moved all in for 50k, the player in EP moved all in for 75k, and I folded (they showed KK and AA so whew!). I made it 5100 from MP with AQcc, the button called, the SB moved all in for his last 30k, I isoed all in, and the button folded. He showed KJss and I lost on a board of J86TJ and was down to 190k. A short time later, a player in EP moved all in for his last 30k, it folded to me in the BB and I found A9dd and called. He showed TT and the board ran out T87QT and I down knocked down back to 155k. I made it 5100 from the button with Q7cc and everyone folded. I was on 163300 and we went up to the next level.
Level 14: 1500-3000 400. I moved to a new table around this point and boy did everything go wrong quickly at this table. I opened to 6500 from MP with J9ss and got called by the button and the BB. The flop came QT6 2 clubs giving me an open ended straight draw, we checked to the button, and he bet out 15k. The BB called and I decided to call as well. The turn came the 7c putting a potential flush on board, the BB checked, I bet 40500 attempting to rep the flush, the button moved all in for 160k, the BB called, and I had to fold. They both showed flushes so I guess I kind of wasted 40k in chips here. I think if neither of them has a flush this play might work so I dont know. . .kind of a waste kind of a bad spot. I was down to around 100k or so after this. I made it 6100 with 55 from UTG +1 and got called by a player in LP and the BB. The we checked to the turn on Q96A where I folded to a bet. A shortstack moved all in into my BB for only 7k so I called him with A5o. He had Q6o and the board ran out AKK8K giving me the win. I made it 6500 from the cutoff with A8o and everyone folded. I was at 102500 and we went up another level.
Level 15: 2000-4000 500. It folded to the button who made it 12k of his 35k stack. I found AJo in the BB and put him all in and he called with 88. The board ran out 96364 and I was down to 65k or so. Very next hand, the button opened to 10k, I found A2o in the SB and moved all in for my 65k, the BB moved all in for his last 50k, and the button folded. He showed AQ and I failed to smack my 3-outer crippling myself to 15k in the process. Next hand, it folded to me on the button and I moved my last 15k in with Q9o. The SB folded but the BB called showing J6. He flopped a J and I wasnt able to catch up, busting me about 10 places before the money.
Its really really disheartening to go from big stack to short stack like this without even cashing. I dont know if I played that poorly. . .I did throw away about 60k in that hand I tried to bluff but other than that I just dont know. I was dreading typing this one up becuase of how sick it would make me feel writing about how I had 240k when the average was 80k then busting before the average got to 120k. Bah. . .it was nice to have a stack for a while and hopefully I can get a nice one at the next tournament I play in.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tourney: July 3rd 2011 Day 2 of Grand Poker Series Grand Finale $1100
To do a quick recap from last time, I moved on to day 2 of the Golden Nuggets Grand Series of Poker Main Event. We had 235 starters with 51 people moving to day 2. I came in with a well above average stack of 206k. 27 of us would get paid with 55k going to 1st place. I was in seat 3 with poker star Faraz "thet0ilet0" Jaka in seat 10, and other good young players in seats 2 and 5.
Level 13: 1500-3000 300. I made it 6500 from UTG +1 with A7o, and the BB who was a tight older man moved all in for 36k total causing me to fold. Around this time, a new player who happened to be the defending champion of this event came and sat down in seat 4 on my left with a ton of chips. There was 1 limper and I completed the SB with T7o. We saw a flop of QT4, I checked, the BB (seat 4 the defending champion) bet 5500, the limp folded, and I called. The turn came another Q, I checked, he bet 7000, and I called. The river came a 5, I checked, and he checked behind showing 64 and I had the winner. The young player in seat 2 opened to 7000 from the hijack, I 3-bet to 16.6k from the cutoff with 75cc, he moved all in for his last ~90k or so, and I folded. It folded to me in the SB and I decided to just limp into the defending champions BB when I found ATo. He checked behind and we saw a flop of A92 2 hearts. I lead out for 4200 and he called. The turn came an offsuit J, I lead for 10000, and he called. The river came an offsuit 4, I lead for 16.5k, and he called but mucked when I showed my top pair giving me a nice pot. I made it 6500 from UTG +1 with 96cc, Faraz 3-bet me to 18k from the BB, and I folded. I made it 6500 from UTG with T9cc and the kid in seat 2 called from the BB. The flop came K86 2 clubs, he checked, I bet 8000, and he folded. I was up to 222000 and we went up to the next level.
Level 14: 2000-4000 500. I then picked a bad time to try to run a bluff. Faraz opened to 9000 from the cutoff and I called from the button with 77. The BB called as well and the flop came down JT4. They checked to me, I bet out 11.5k, and the BB called. The turn came a 3, he checked, and I checked behind. The river came a 9, he checked, I bet 40.5k, and he quickly called showing QJ for the winner. I figured this was a good card to get him off of a T or a hand like J9 or even Q9, T9. I kind of did the overbet bluff to make sure he would fold these marginal hands here, repping KQ for the straight. However, by checking top pair 3 times he is basically committing himself to never folding the river so I got caught. I was down to 160k or so after this. The players in seats 1 and 2 busted so when it folded to Farazs SB, I was in the BB. He made it 11k and I found A9o in the BB and called. The flop came down J32, he checked, and I checked behind. The turn came another J, he bet out 14k, and I called. The river came a T, he checked, and I checked behind but was no good when he showed T9 for the rivered 3-outer. I made it 9500 from the button with 22 and both of the blinds (seats 4 and 5) called. The flop came AAK and I folded to a lead. Around this time, another table broke and we were down to 30 players approaching the bubble. With this break, online wunderkind "assassinito" came and sat down on my right in seat 2 and another young good German kid sat down in seat 7. Faraz opened to 9000 in EP, a player in MP called, I called from MP also with 33, and the button and BB called. The flop came 976 and I folded to a bet. Faraz opened to 9500 from MP, I found TT on the button and made it 25k, and everyone folded. This was a bad level and I found myself down 100k in chips with my stack at 122000.
Level 15: 2500-5000 500. Very early on in this level, we got to 28 players and started hand for hand. This lasted about 30-40 minutes with us seeing very little action at our table. I found TT UTG +1, opened to 11.5k, and everyone folded. I found KK in the hijack, opened to 11.5k, and everyone folded. I found 66 UTG and opened to 11.5k resulting in, again, everyone folding. Eventually, the bubble bursted and we were all in the money!!! Soon after the bubble burst, I played a very interesting hand. Assassinito opened to 10.5k from UTG +2, I found QQ right behind him and 3-bet to 24k, and the defending champion right behind me cold 4-bet to 60k. Assassinito quickly folded and I agonized about my decision for a really long time before deciding to ultimately fold, leaving myself with about 115k behind. The player was quite good but even so, I really didnt think that he would cold 4-bet here without the effective nuts. QQ is a massive laydown and I dont know if I have ever laid it down in a spot like this before but I just got unusually strong vibes from him so I just decided to find a different spot. NOTE: I kept asking the guy what he had and he didnt tell me right away but when he busted out of the tournament, he told me he had AQ. . .baaaaahhh. . .bad fold. . .Im such a wuss. I was at 109000 and we went to the next level.
Level 16: 3000-6000 500. Early on in the level, I was rewarded for (what I thought at the time) making a great fold with a double up. Faraz opened from the cutoff to 12.5k (which he was doing very wide), the guy on the button reshoved for his last ~150k (which I knew he was doing wide on Farazs opens as he had done this 4-5 times in the last hour), I found AQo in the BB and called off my last 100k or so, and Faraz folded. He showed KJhh and I faded his cards on 999T5 to double to 220k or so. This was the only pot I played this level and I took 207000 to the next level.
Level 17: 4000-8000 1000. Faraz opened to 18k from UTG +2 and I 3-bet him to 41k from MP with KTdd and everyone folded. I opened to 17k from the hijack with T9o and the SB was the only caller. The flop came down J87 flopping me the nuts, he lead out for 22k, and I just called. The turn came a 3, he moved all in for his last 100k or so, and I snapcalled. He showed JT and his chop didnt come when the river came a 4 and I was up to over 400k just like that (easy when you can flop the nuts vs top pair). It folded to Faraz in the SB (seats 1 and 2 were busted again) and he opened into my BB for 22k. I found A5o and called and we checked down Q93J9 with him showing A3 for the winner. Around this time we went down to the final 18 players, giving everyone a pay jump in money for the final 2 tables. I opened to 18k from MP with 74cc and everyone folded. I was at 351000 and we went up another level.
Level 18: 5000-10000 1000. I opened to 23k from UTG +1 with J7o and Faraz called out of the BB. The flop came T97 2 spades, he donk lead for 24k, I made it 61k, and he called. The turn nice for me in the form of a 7, he checked, I went all in for my last ~260k or so, and he folded. Interesting hand here. The reason I went all in on the turn is because I didnt want to bet 100k or something like that and have another spade or straight card come on the river and have to puke call his bet. I probably didnt get max value if he had a 10 or something but whatever. Actually, a better way to have played the hand would have been to check behind on the turn with the intention of calling his probable bluff or possible value bet on the river (it seems like a likely spot for him to bet the river if I check behind the turn). Therefore, I dont have to call an all in which is what would happen if I bet like 100k, he called, and bet the river but I would still be able to call an amount that would impact my stack but not to the degree of losing it all. Additionally, this turn jam helped set up a massive hand that took place later on in the tournament. Faraz opened to 21k from MP, the button called, and I called from the BB with 98o. We checked to the turn on ATTQ where I folded to a bet. Around this time we were down to 14 players or so. The player in the cutoff moved all in for 81k and I found A8o on the button and, even though he was a tight player, I figured I was ahead of his 6-handed jamming range alot here so I called. He showed down 66 and I lost the flip on A62Qx and was back down to 300k or so. Faraz opened to 20k from UTG, I 3-bet to 51k from the button with A8o, and he put me all in for my last ~300k or so. I called and he showed A7hh and the board ran out Jh4x4xKhQh and he made a flush to bust me out. . .or did he. I slid my chips over to him and started to walk away from the table dejected and disappointed when everyone started calling back to me telling me it was a chop. I asked them how it could be a chop when he made a flush and they said "what are you talking about??? he didnt make a flush!" I rechecked Farazs cards and they were a red A7 but one was a heart and one was a diamond so while I didnt double up to 600k after getting in with the best hand, I wasnt actually eliminated from the tournament when we chopped the pot! I opened to 23k from MP with JTo, Faraz 3-bet from the BB to 63k and I folded. At this time, we went to dinner break. There were 11 players left (1 more to bust before getting to the final table) and I was back down to 245000.
Level 19: 6000-12000 2000. I opened to 26k from the button with K9hh and the SB, the young good German kid I talked about before, moved all in from the SB forcing me to fold. The cutoff opeend to 28k and I moved all in from the BB with K8dd and everyone folded. Soon after this hand happened, someone busted and we were down to the final table of 10! The final table complexion looked as follows:
Seat 1: Extremely nitty lady ~200k
Seat 2: Faraz Jaka ~1.2 million
Seat 3: Good young German kid who had been at my table for a while but I never really tangled with him ~400k
Seat 4: Poker pro/semi-poker celebrity Kenna James ~900K
Seat 5: My roommate and good friend David ~1 million
Seat 6: Pretty solid middle aged man ~500k
Seat 7: Young competent player who was playing tigher due to his shortstack ~250k
Seat 8: German middle aged man who played better than you would think by looking at him ~1 million
Seat 9: Me ~240k
Seat 10: Older man who looked alot like Jon Voight and played pretty standard old man poker but his game was a tad more creative than most old me ~300k.
On the very 2nd hand of the final table, it folded to the kid in seat 7 and he opened to 30k from the button. I found 87dd in the BB and decided to ship it on him and he quickly called showing AKo. The board ran AT9J5 and I sucked out to get a double up in the most crucial pot of the summer so far!! So exciting. I was up to 450k or so and the kid was crippled to 20k or so and busted the next hand and we were down to the final 9. A couple of hands later, the nitty woman in seat 1 busted to the older man in seat 10 with JJ losing to KK and we were down to 8. I made it 26k from the hijack with KQo and everyone folded. I had 459000 and we went up to the next level.
Level 20: 8000-16000 2000. I opened to 35k from the hijack with A3ss and everyone folded. Around this time the player in seat 6 busted in a race vs the German man in seat 7 (QQ beating AK) and we were down to 7 players. The older man in seat 10 opened to 32k UTG (he meant to raise more but thought we were still on the previous level) and I called from the BB with KJss. The flop came down KQT all hearts, I checked, and he checked behind. The turn came the 8d, I lead for 36k, he raised it to 72k, and I called. The river came 4h putting a 4th heart on board, I checked, he fired 80k, I called, and he showed AQ no heart and I won a nice pot to push my stack up to over 600k. This call was all about physical tells. Alot of times I will just fold when I get raised on the turn but his betting size was weak and did not dictate how he had been playing stronger hands in previous situations so I figured I would call and reevalute on the river. When the river came the 4th heart and he bet, everything about him said that he was weak. From the way he put his chips in the middle to the way he was sitting, it was nearly transparent to me that he was bluffing so I called and it worked out well to get my stack to peak as high as it had been all tournament. I made it 35k from UTG with K2ss, Faraz called from MP, and the German man called in the BB. The flop came QJT, and everyone checked. The turn came an 8, the German guy lead out for 55k, and we both folded. Kind of weak to flop a draw and just go check/fold but I know I can find better spots. The German guy opened to 39k from UTG and I found 88 UTG +1 and 3-bet to 85k. He put me all in for my last ~550k total and I elected to fold even though I had a strong incling that his hand was AK. Faraz opened to 41k from UTG and I found 99 in the SB and 3-bet to 110k eliciting a fold from everyone. I had 608000 and we went up to the next level.
Level 21: 10000-20000 3000. I opened to 45k from UTG with 97o and everyone foled. The German guy opened to 46k from UTG +1 and I 3-bet him to 110k right behind with J9o causing everyone to fold. I then played a pretty ridiculously fun hand that ended up being a massive pot. I found JTss in the cutoff and opened to 45k, Faraz 3-bet from the SB to 101k, and I called. The flop came T55, he checked, I bet 115k, and he called. The turn came a K, he checked, I jammed all in for my last 360k, and after tanking for a good 5 minutes he decided to call showing AJ! The river came a 4 and I was able to double to 1.15 million in chips in a pretty sick hand. I rarely call in these spot preflop, either choosing to fold or 4-bet jam and if he would have raised a larger amount I probably would have just jammed but the 3-bet size was so small compared to my raise I figured I could profitably call him with position and a hand that flops well. The highlight of the hand was his decision to hero call me with AJ high. When he was tanking for forever, I figured he had a hand like 99-77 and I wasnt ever really worried that I was beat with 2nd pair no kicker. As is patented Jaka, he decided to make the hero call but this time it was no good. Like I had said before, all of the time that I had jammed the turn on him previously paid off in this pot allowed me to win a massive pot to put me right up with the chip leaders. Faraz busted the very next hand and we went 6-handed with me having as good of shot as anyone to win this thing. I was at 1150000 and we went up to the next level.
Level 22: 15000-30000 5000. One of the 1st hands of the level, I found QQ on the button and opened to 65000, the old man called from the SB in seat 10, and the young German kid shoved for 575k from the BB. I snap reshoved and he showed A9dd and I was on the verge of becoming massive chip leader of the tournament. The flop ran out T32 but the A on the turn flipped the situation and the 9 on the river didnt give me my miracle adn I was shot back down to under 600k. Bah. . .what sucks even more about not winning this is that the whole final table dynamic would have changed. I would have had just under 2m, David had 1.2m, Kenna James and seat 10 would have been short stacks with around 400k each, and the German guy would have had 1.5m. It is extremely likely that David and I get to 3 handed with the German guy if this holds up giving one of us a great shot at winning but that just was not the case. I opened to 65k from UTG +1 with A9o and David called from the BB. The flop came KQ6, he checked, I bet 80k, and he folded. My stack dwindled to around 460k or so after not getting involved and watching the short stacks double up around me. I made it 65k UTG with J8dd and the German guy called in the BB. The flop came A32 2 diamonds, he checked, I moved all in for 400k or so, and he folded. I was at 540000 and we went up to the next level.
Level 23: 20000-40000 5000. After folding through the blinds, I found A7o on the button and moved all in causing everyone to fold. I was at 540k when I played an extremely odd hand with the German that basically cost me my tournament. It folded to him in the SB and he decided to limp my BB. I thought this was particularily odd as I am likely to shove here so I gave him credit for a big hand and just checked when I found J4o. The flop came T55, he checked, and I checked behind. The turn came a 4 pairing me, he checked, I bet 55k, and he caled. The river came a 3, he checked, I value bet 100k, he instantly put me all in, I folded, and he showed QJo for the stone cold bluff. Ugh. . .I sooooooo wish I would have just checked behind on the river or just shoved the flop. He did limp pretty strong but he is probably folding to a push (plus I get there if he calls). I figured him for an A high hand when he went limp/check/check/check with his line so I tried to extract an extra 100k on the river with my pair. I definently did not think he was capable of making a play such as a check/raise river bluff with little fold equity. Damn. . .Oh well. This hand left me crippled with just 320k or so. A couple of hands later I moved all in from MP with 87o and Kenna James isoed all in from the SB showing AQo. I could not suckout on a big ace with 87 again and I unfortunately busted in 6th.
It is frustrating to go deep and not finish the job but I cant be too mad with my performance. . .especially considering that I got lucky to not get out 10th at the final table. It was a great experience to be able to get through such a tough field, play with some great players, and make a final table with a good friend. I took home around 10.2k for my 6th place (5.1k of which was mine). David ended up busting out in 5th place which was equally as disappointing because he had a ton of chips at one point but sometimes things just dont go your way and only one person can truly be happy at the end of a tournament. I just know we were a QQ holding vs A9 from one of us likely winning. Hopefully I have one more deep run left in me this summer and I will be able to improve on my 6th place finish of this tournament.
Level 13: 1500-3000 300. I made it 6500 from UTG +1 with A7o, and the BB who was a tight older man moved all in for 36k total causing me to fold. Around this time, a new player who happened to be the defending champion of this event came and sat down in seat 4 on my left with a ton of chips. There was 1 limper and I completed the SB with T7o. We saw a flop of QT4, I checked, the BB (seat 4 the defending champion) bet 5500, the limp folded, and I called. The turn came another Q, I checked, he bet 7000, and I called. The river came a 5, I checked, and he checked behind showing 64 and I had the winner. The young player in seat 2 opened to 7000 from the hijack, I 3-bet to 16.6k from the cutoff with 75cc, he moved all in for his last ~90k or so, and I folded. It folded to me in the SB and I decided to just limp into the defending champions BB when I found ATo. He checked behind and we saw a flop of A92 2 hearts. I lead out for 4200 and he called. The turn came an offsuit J, I lead for 10000, and he called. The river came an offsuit 4, I lead for 16.5k, and he called but mucked when I showed my top pair giving me a nice pot. I made it 6500 from UTG +1 with 96cc, Faraz 3-bet me to 18k from the BB, and I folded. I made it 6500 from UTG with T9cc and the kid in seat 2 called from the BB. The flop came K86 2 clubs, he checked, I bet 8000, and he folded. I was up to 222000 and we went up to the next level.
Level 14: 2000-4000 500. I then picked a bad time to try to run a bluff. Faraz opened to 9000 from the cutoff and I called from the button with 77. The BB called as well and the flop came down JT4. They checked to me, I bet out 11.5k, and the BB called. The turn came a 3, he checked, and I checked behind. The river came a 9, he checked, I bet 40.5k, and he quickly called showing QJ for the winner. I figured this was a good card to get him off of a T or a hand like J9 or even Q9, T9. I kind of did the overbet bluff to make sure he would fold these marginal hands here, repping KQ for the straight. However, by checking top pair 3 times he is basically committing himself to never folding the river so I got caught. I was down to 160k or so after this. The players in seats 1 and 2 busted so when it folded to Farazs SB, I was in the BB. He made it 11k and I found A9o in the BB and called. The flop came down J32, he checked, and I checked behind. The turn came another J, he bet out 14k, and I called. The river came a T, he checked, and I checked behind but was no good when he showed T9 for the rivered 3-outer. I made it 9500 from the button with 22 and both of the blinds (seats 4 and 5) called. The flop came AAK and I folded to a lead. Around this time, another table broke and we were down to 30 players approaching the bubble. With this break, online wunderkind "assassinito" came and sat down on my right in seat 2 and another young good German kid sat down in seat 7. Faraz opened to 9000 in EP, a player in MP called, I called from MP also with 33, and the button and BB called. The flop came 976 and I folded to a bet. Faraz opened to 9500 from MP, I found TT on the button and made it 25k, and everyone folded. This was a bad level and I found myself down 100k in chips with my stack at 122000.
Level 15: 2500-5000 500. Very early on in this level, we got to 28 players and started hand for hand. This lasted about 30-40 minutes with us seeing very little action at our table. I found TT UTG +1, opened to 11.5k, and everyone folded. I found KK in the hijack, opened to 11.5k, and everyone folded. I found 66 UTG and opened to 11.5k resulting in, again, everyone folding. Eventually, the bubble bursted and we were all in the money!!! Soon after the bubble burst, I played a very interesting hand. Assassinito opened to 10.5k from UTG +2, I found QQ right behind him and 3-bet to 24k, and the defending champion right behind me cold 4-bet to 60k. Assassinito quickly folded and I agonized about my decision for a really long time before deciding to ultimately fold, leaving myself with about 115k behind. The player was quite good but even so, I really didnt think that he would cold 4-bet here without the effective nuts. QQ is a massive laydown and I dont know if I have ever laid it down in a spot like this before but I just got unusually strong vibes from him so I just decided to find a different spot. NOTE: I kept asking the guy what he had and he didnt tell me right away but when he busted out of the tournament, he told me he had AQ. . .baaaaahhh. . .bad fold. . .Im such a wuss. I was at 109000 and we went to the next level.
Level 16: 3000-6000 500. Early on in the level, I was rewarded for (what I thought at the time) making a great fold with a double up. Faraz opened from the cutoff to 12.5k (which he was doing very wide), the guy on the button reshoved for his last ~150k (which I knew he was doing wide on Farazs opens as he had done this 4-5 times in the last hour), I found AQo in the BB and called off my last 100k or so, and Faraz folded. He showed KJhh and I faded his cards on 999T5 to double to 220k or so. This was the only pot I played this level and I took 207000 to the next level.
Level 17: 4000-8000 1000. Faraz opened to 18k from UTG +2 and I 3-bet him to 41k from MP with KTdd and everyone folded. I opened to 17k from the hijack with T9o and the SB was the only caller. The flop came down J87 flopping me the nuts, he lead out for 22k, and I just called. The turn came a 3, he moved all in for his last 100k or so, and I snapcalled. He showed JT and his chop didnt come when the river came a 4 and I was up to over 400k just like that (easy when you can flop the nuts vs top pair). It folded to Faraz in the SB (seats 1 and 2 were busted again) and he opened into my BB for 22k. I found A5o and called and we checked down Q93J9 with him showing A3 for the winner. Around this time we went down to the final 18 players, giving everyone a pay jump in money for the final 2 tables. I opened to 18k from MP with 74cc and everyone folded. I was at 351000 and we went up another level.
Level 18: 5000-10000 1000. I opened to 23k from UTG +1 with J7o and Faraz called out of the BB. The flop came T97 2 spades, he donk lead for 24k, I made it 61k, and he called. The turn nice for me in the form of a 7, he checked, I went all in for my last ~260k or so, and he folded. Interesting hand here. The reason I went all in on the turn is because I didnt want to bet 100k or something like that and have another spade or straight card come on the river and have to puke call his bet. I probably didnt get max value if he had a 10 or something but whatever. Actually, a better way to have played the hand would have been to check behind on the turn with the intention of calling his probable bluff or possible value bet on the river (it seems like a likely spot for him to bet the river if I check behind the turn). Therefore, I dont have to call an all in which is what would happen if I bet like 100k, he called, and bet the river but I would still be able to call an amount that would impact my stack but not to the degree of losing it all. Additionally, this turn jam helped set up a massive hand that took place later on in the tournament. Faraz opened to 21k from MP, the button called, and I called from the BB with 98o. We checked to the turn on ATTQ where I folded to a bet. Around this time we were down to 14 players or so. The player in the cutoff moved all in for 81k and I found A8o on the button and, even though he was a tight player, I figured I was ahead of his 6-handed jamming range alot here so I called. He showed down 66 and I lost the flip on A62Qx and was back down to 300k or so. Faraz opened to 20k from UTG, I 3-bet to 51k from the button with A8o, and he put me all in for my last ~300k or so. I called and he showed A7hh and the board ran out Jh4x4xKhQh and he made a flush to bust me out. . .or did he. I slid my chips over to him and started to walk away from the table dejected and disappointed when everyone started calling back to me telling me it was a chop. I asked them how it could be a chop when he made a flush and they said "what are you talking about??? he didnt make a flush!" I rechecked Farazs cards and they were a red A7 but one was a heart and one was a diamond so while I didnt double up to 600k after getting in with the best hand, I wasnt actually eliminated from the tournament when we chopped the pot! I opened to 23k from MP with JTo, Faraz 3-bet from the BB to 63k and I folded. At this time, we went to dinner break. There were 11 players left (1 more to bust before getting to the final table) and I was back down to 245000.
Level 19: 6000-12000 2000. I opened to 26k from the button with K9hh and the SB, the young good German kid I talked about before, moved all in from the SB forcing me to fold. The cutoff opeend to 28k and I moved all in from the BB with K8dd and everyone folded. Soon after this hand happened, someone busted and we were down to the final table of 10! The final table complexion looked as follows:
Seat 1: Extremely nitty lady ~200k
Seat 2: Faraz Jaka ~1.2 million
Seat 3: Good young German kid who had been at my table for a while but I never really tangled with him ~400k
Seat 4: Poker pro/semi-poker celebrity Kenna James ~900K
Seat 5: My roommate and good friend David ~1 million
Seat 6: Pretty solid middle aged man ~500k
Seat 7: Young competent player who was playing tigher due to his shortstack ~250k
Seat 8: German middle aged man who played better than you would think by looking at him ~1 million
Seat 9: Me ~240k
Seat 10: Older man who looked alot like Jon Voight and played pretty standard old man poker but his game was a tad more creative than most old me ~300k.
On the very 2nd hand of the final table, it folded to the kid in seat 7 and he opened to 30k from the button. I found 87dd in the BB and decided to ship it on him and he quickly called showing AKo. The board ran AT9J5 and I sucked out to get a double up in the most crucial pot of the summer so far!! So exciting. I was up to 450k or so and the kid was crippled to 20k or so and busted the next hand and we were down to the final 9. A couple of hands later, the nitty woman in seat 1 busted to the older man in seat 10 with JJ losing to KK and we were down to 8. I made it 26k from the hijack with KQo and everyone folded. I had 459000 and we went up to the next level.
Level 20: 8000-16000 2000. I opened to 35k from the hijack with A3ss and everyone folded. Around this time the player in seat 6 busted in a race vs the German man in seat 7 (QQ beating AK) and we were down to 7 players. The older man in seat 10 opened to 32k UTG (he meant to raise more but thought we were still on the previous level) and I called from the BB with KJss. The flop came down KQT all hearts, I checked, and he checked behind. The turn came the 8d, I lead for 36k, he raised it to 72k, and I called. The river came 4h putting a 4th heart on board, I checked, he fired 80k, I called, and he showed AQ no heart and I won a nice pot to push my stack up to over 600k. This call was all about physical tells. Alot of times I will just fold when I get raised on the turn but his betting size was weak and did not dictate how he had been playing stronger hands in previous situations so I figured I would call and reevalute on the river. When the river came the 4th heart and he bet, everything about him said that he was weak. From the way he put his chips in the middle to the way he was sitting, it was nearly transparent to me that he was bluffing so I called and it worked out well to get my stack to peak as high as it had been all tournament. I made it 35k from UTG with K2ss, Faraz called from MP, and the German man called in the BB. The flop came QJT, and everyone checked. The turn came an 8, the German guy lead out for 55k, and we both folded. Kind of weak to flop a draw and just go check/fold but I know I can find better spots. The German guy opened to 39k from UTG and I found 88 UTG +1 and 3-bet to 85k. He put me all in for my last ~550k total and I elected to fold even though I had a strong incling that his hand was AK. Faraz opened to 41k from UTG and I found 99 in the SB and 3-bet to 110k eliciting a fold from everyone. I had 608000 and we went up to the next level.
Level 21: 10000-20000 3000. I opened to 45k from UTG with 97o and everyone foled. The German guy opened to 46k from UTG +1 and I 3-bet him to 110k right behind with J9o causing everyone to fold. I then played a pretty ridiculously fun hand that ended up being a massive pot. I found JTss in the cutoff and opened to 45k, Faraz 3-bet from the SB to 101k, and I called. The flop came T55, he checked, I bet 115k, and he called. The turn came a K, he checked, I jammed all in for my last 360k, and after tanking for a good 5 minutes he decided to call showing AJ! The river came a 4 and I was able to double to 1.15 million in chips in a pretty sick hand. I rarely call in these spot preflop, either choosing to fold or 4-bet jam and if he would have raised a larger amount I probably would have just jammed but the 3-bet size was so small compared to my raise I figured I could profitably call him with position and a hand that flops well. The highlight of the hand was his decision to hero call me with AJ high. When he was tanking for forever, I figured he had a hand like 99-77 and I wasnt ever really worried that I was beat with 2nd pair no kicker. As is patented Jaka, he decided to make the hero call but this time it was no good. Like I had said before, all of the time that I had jammed the turn on him previously paid off in this pot allowed me to win a massive pot to put me right up with the chip leaders. Faraz busted the very next hand and we went 6-handed with me having as good of shot as anyone to win this thing. I was at 1150000 and we went up to the next level.
Level 22: 15000-30000 5000. One of the 1st hands of the level, I found QQ on the button and opened to 65000, the old man called from the SB in seat 10, and the young German kid shoved for 575k from the BB. I snap reshoved and he showed A9dd and I was on the verge of becoming massive chip leader of the tournament. The flop ran out T32 but the A on the turn flipped the situation and the 9 on the river didnt give me my miracle adn I was shot back down to under 600k. Bah. . .what sucks even more about not winning this is that the whole final table dynamic would have changed. I would have had just under 2m, David had 1.2m, Kenna James and seat 10 would have been short stacks with around 400k each, and the German guy would have had 1.5m. It is extremely likely that David and I get to 3 handed with the German guy if this holds up giving one of us a great shot at winning but that just was not the case. I opened to 65k from UTG +1 with A9o and David called from the BB. The flop came KQ6, he checked, I bet 80k, and he folded. My stack dwindled to around 460k or so after not getting involved and watching the short stacks double up around me. I made it 65k UTG with J8dd and the German guy called in the BB. The flop came A32 2 diamonds, he checked, I moved all in for 400k or so, and he folded. I was at 540000 and we went up to the next level.
Level 23: 20000-40000 5000. After folding through the blinds, I found A7o on the button and moved all in causing everyone to fold. I was at 540k when I played an extremely odd hand with the German that basically cost me my tournament. It folded to him in the SB and he decided to limp my BB. I thought this was particularily odd as I am likely to shove here so I gave him credit for a big hand and just checked when I found J4o. The flop came T55, he checked, and I checked behind. The turn came a 4 pairing me, he checked, I bet 55k, and he caled. The river came a 3, he checked, I value bet 100k, he instantly put me all in, I folded, and he showed QJo for the stone cold bluff. Ugh. . .I sooooooo wish I would have just checked behind on the river or just shoved the flop. He did limp pretty strong but he is probably folding to a push (plus I get there if he calls). I figured him for an A high hand when he went limp/check/check/check with his line so I tried to extract an extra 100k on the river with my pair. I definently did not think he was capable of making a play such as a check/raise river bluff with little fold equity. Damn. . .Oh well. This hand left me crippled with just 320k or so. A couple of hands later I moved all in from MP with 87o and Kenna James isoed all in from the SB showing AQo. I could not suckout on a big ace with 87 again and I unfortunately busted in 6th.
It is frustrating to go deep and not finish the job but I cant be too mad with my performance. . .especially considering that I got lucky to not get out 10th at the final table. It was a great experience to be able to get through such a tough field, play with some great players, and make a final table with a good friend. I took home around 10.2k for my 6th place (5.1k of which was mine). David ended up busting out in 5th place which was equally as disappointing because he had a ton of chips at one point but sometimes things just dont go your way and only one person can truly be happy at the end of a tournament. I just know we were a QQ holding vs A9 from one of us likely winning. Hopefully I have one more deep run left in me this summer and I will be able to improve on my 6th place finish of this tournament.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Tourney: July 2nd 2011 Grand Poker Series Grand Finale $1100
I wasnt really planning on playing in this tournament as $1100 is a little out of my bankroll but my roommate David wanted to play so he found various people to buy percentages of me. I had 50% of my action and various other people including David had the other half. While I initially didnt really want to play this tournament, once I actually looked at the structure sheet I was pretty excited. It was an absolutely amazing structure with us starting with an amazing 25000 in chips and the levels lasting an hour each. Overall the field was ridiculously tough which was surprising for a tournament at the Golden Nugget especially since the WSOP and Venetian had 1k events also. My opening table was a mix of tough internet players and some easy marks. I was in seat 3 with poker pro/former chess prodigy Jeff Sarwer in seat 1 and online pro "watsurbench" in seat 7.
Level 1: 25-50. Amazingly, throughout the first hour long level I did not play a single hand. The table was playing some crazy hands and alot of pots were 3 or 4 bet with multiple callers so I decided to sit back and take wait for better spots than just guessing and trying to hit flops. I was at 24750 and we went to the next level.
Level 2: 50-100. I folded for the 1st 20 minutes of this level as well before I finally decided play a pot. It folded to me in the cutoff where I found the monster 62ss and opened to 250. The button called and the flop came 842. I lead out for 325, he made it 800, and I called. The turn came the 8s giving me a flush draw with my pair, I checked, he bet 1100, and I called. The river came the As giving me the flush, I checked, he bet 2000, I made it 6600, and he snap folded. I made it 250 with AQo from UTG +1 and got called from the SB and Jeff Sarwer in the BB. The flop came A54 2 hearts, they checked, and I checked behind. The turn came a K, the SB lead out for 400, Jeff called in the BB, and I called behind. The river came an offsuit 8, they checked to me, I bet 1050, and they both folded. Watsurbench opened to 250 UTG and I 3-bet from the cutoff with ATo. The button and watsurbench both called, the flop came J52, and I check/folded when the button bet 1000. I made it 250 from UTG +1 with 88, got called in MP and LP, the button 3-bet to 2050, and I folded to the massive reraise. I was up to 29025 and we went up a level.
Level 3: 75-150. I made it 350 with T9o from the hijack and the button called. The flop came A54, I bet 325, and he called. We checked down the turn/river of 2A and my T high was somehow good. I made it 350 with 98ss from UTG +2 and everyone folded. Around this time Jeff busted out and my roommate David came and sat down in his seat. I made it 350 from UTG +1 with 66 and David called from the BB. The flop came KJ5, he checked, I bet 425, and he folded. A player UTG opened to 325, got 2 calls, and I called from the BB with A6hh. We checked to the turn on T75K where I folded to a bet. I was up to 29950 and we went up to the next level.
Level 4: 100-200 25. Watsurbench opened to 450 from MP, the cutoff called, David called from the button, I found QQ in the BB and made it 2025, and everyone folded. I overraised because watsurbench hadnt folded to a 3-bet all day and if I 3-bet smaller, I know he calls which leads to everyone else behind him calling as well and Im playing a large pot OOP with competent players. I figured if I raised larger I would only potentially get 1 caller and be able to play a much more controlled pot. I opened to 450 from the button with 42o and the BB called. The flop came 773, he checked, I bet 600, he made it 1800, and I folded. A player in EP opened to 550, I 3-bet from the hijack to 1300 with J8cc, and he called. The flop came 854, he checked, I bet 1225, and he folded. A player UTG +1 opened to 650 and I called in the BB with AdJx. The flop came KQT 2 diamonds flopping me broadway with a backdoor nut flush draw. I checked, but he decided to check behind. The turn came the 8d getting me closer to my nut flush, I bet 1100, and he called. The river came a J counterfitting my straight, I checked, he bet 2500, I called and he showed AxJd for the same flopped straight with a lower flush draw and we chopped the pot. I was up to 32050 and we went up to the next level.
Level 5: 150-300 25. I made it 650 from the cutoff with 86dd and everyone folded. A player UTG limped and I limped UTG +1 with K4dd. We saw a J64 flop with the blinds and I folded when the UTG player bet 1125. A player UTG made it 700, got 5 callers, and I called from the BB with A4dd. The flop came QQ9 and I folded to a bet. Around this time, I got moved to a new table. Again, this table had quite a few internet sickos. I moved to seat 3, seat 1 was an amateurish but competent player who had somehow amassed over 150k in chips already, and seat 10 was none other than last years WPT player of the year Faraz "thet0ilet0" Jaka. Faraz has a reputation for being a super sicko, playing a ton of hands and making ridiculous hero calls. The rest of the table was a mix of other characters that changed throughout the day. I made it 650 from MP with KQo, the hijack called, the button 3-bet to 2475, and I folded. I made it 650 with Q9dd from UTG, a young good foreign player who I recognized but dont know who he is in seat 7 3-bet to 1475, and I called. The flop came K75 2 spades, I checked, he bet 1825, and I folded. The button, an older spewy type player in seat 2, opened to 750, I 3-bet from the SB to 1800 with 96ss, and he called. The flop came a nice 6x5s2s giving me top pair with a flush draw, I lead for 1500, he raised to 3500, I 3-bet to 9000, and he folded. I think that this is a pretty standard spot to 3-bet/get it in on the flop. I think he is folding his midpairs to this 3-bet but may not be folding 2 overs/flush draw combos so it is kind of a range merge type play. As you have deduced from my entries over the last few weeks I dont really like bloating the pot that much with combo draw in general but this was a spot where it was the right play as I had 3-bet pre and would likely be able to get him to fold the best hand alot of the time because of how strong I look. I was up to 35225 and we went ot the next level.
Level 6: 200-400 50. A player in EP limped, the older spewy player in seat 2 made it 800 from the hijack, I found JJ in the cutoff and 3-bet to 1800, and both the EP limper and seat 2 called. The flop came KJ4 2 diamonds, they checked to me, I bet 3000, and they both snap folded. I made it 925 from MP with 98dd and a older foriegn player behind me was the only caller. The flop came A63, I checked, and he checked behind. The turn came an 8, I bet 1325, he raised to 4000, and I folded. A player UTG opened to 950, I called from the button with 75dd, and the SB called as well. The flop came Q93, the raiser bet 2600, and I folded. The chip leader in seat 1 opened to 1100 in MP, I iso 3-bet to 2500 with 54o from the hijack, and called. The flop came 943, he checked, I bet 2500, and he folded. Since he had alot of chips and played pretty straight forward my plan was to 3-bet him alot to get heads up with position and go from there. My stack was at 37425 and we went on dinner break.
Level 7: 300-600 50. The spewy old man in seat 2 opened to 1600 from the hijack, I found QQ in the cutoff and 3-bet to 3825, and everyone folded. A stupid young player in seat 8 opened to 1500 in EP and I found 55 in the hijack and called. The flop came T74 2 spades, he checked, I bet 2050, he put me all in for my effective ~40k, and I folded. I made it 1325 from UTG +2 with 33, the stupid kid called from the button, and the SB (who was the guy from my AJ vs AJ hand before. . .he was in seat 9) called also. The flop came KJ4, I c-bet 2000, and they both folded. I made it 1325 with 99 from UTG +1 and everyone folded. After this played an interesting hand vs the guy from the AJ vs AJ hand. He was a middle aged man who played pretty straightforward but he looked experienced enough to have some creativity to his game. He opened to 1800 in the hijack and I called from the BB with KQo. The flopo came T73, I checked, he bet 1800, I made it 5025, and he called. The turn came a 6, I bet 7650, he put me all in for my last 26k or so, and I folded. Boo. . .I finally tried to make a bluff play but it failed. My thought process was as follows: The only real pot we had played so far saw me flopping the nuts and playing a pretty small pot. I figured if I check/raised the flop it would look really strong. Additionally, when he flopped the nuts in the hand before he checked behind on the flop so I figured that when he c-bet he wasnt as strong as the nuts. Plus, every other time he c-bet he bet an amount that was greater than his initial raise. I figured when he bet 1800 this was just a standard c-bet to try to take it down so I raised him. When he just called me I didnt know for sure what he had but its hard to put him on a big hand because he seemed the type that would just rip over my reraise if he had a big hand. My bet on the flop was probably bad but like I said I still didnt put him on too big of a hand so I decided to fire another barrel. He came over the top so I had to fold. Weird hand have no idea what he had but I know it was a failed bluff. I was down to 26k or so after this but luckily I was able to get alot of it back pretty quickly. I made it 1325 from the cutoff with A9o and got called by both of the blinds. The flop came A82, the SB donked all in for 5700, the BB folded, and I called. The SB showed A6 and the board ran out 7Q and I won the pot to get back to 35k or so. The spewy old man in seat 2 opened to 1600 from UTG +2, I called in MP with KQo, and player in LP and the BB called as well. The flop came AQ4, the raiser moved all in for 18k, and I folded. The young foreign player in seat 7 opened to 1325 in EP and I called in the SB with 53hh. The flop came KT7 and I check folded to a bet. The player in seat 9 who I tried to bluff previously opened to 1800 in EP and I 3-bet to 3825 with AQdd from the button, and he called. The flop came A97 all clubs, he checked, I bet 5100, and he folded. I was at 36100 and we went to the next level.
Level 8: 400-800 100. The player in seat 7 (young good foreign player from before) opened to 1800 from EP, I called in the SB with QTcc, and the BB called as well. The flop came QQ4, giving me trips, I checked to trap, and everyone else checked behind. The turn came a 4 giving me top full, I lead for 2500, the BB raised to 5100, and I called. The river came another 4, I checked, and he checked behind mucking when I showed. I guess I should have played a little more aggressive to get more value but I went into super trappy mode after he raised the turn just flatting and checking behind. . .oh well. I made it 1800 from UTG +2 with KQo and the guy in seat 9 (from before) called from the BB. The flop came T42, he checked, I c-bet 2100, and he called. The turn came an A, he checked, and I checked behind. The river came a Q giving me 2nd pair top kicker, he checked, I value bet 5500, and he called pretty quickly and mucked when I showed. I didnt think I was beat with how he was playing and how he checked so I made a nice almost pot sized value bet that got called. Alot of times I just instacheck behind when I hit the river here but I thought about it and I really did think I was good so I bet it. I made it 1800 from UTG with AJo and got 3 calls (2 from MP, 2 from LP). The flop came 653 and I folded to a bet. A new, younger good player sat down on my right in seat 2 and he had a ton of chips at this point as well. He completed his SB into my BB and I checked 76hh. The flop came K72, he bet 900, and I called. We checked down 5Q and I was good. I made it 1800 with A7o from UTG +2 and everyone folded. I was up to 54800 and we went to the next level.
Level 9: 500-1000 100. Early on in this level, I played my first crucial big pot of the tournament. I made it 2300 from the button with AJdd, the BB 3-bet to 6400, and I put him all in for his ~30k effective. He snap called which initially made me nervous but I was in fine shape when he showed TT. The board and round A742A and I won the big flip to get up to 87k or so. Soon after this hand, I played another big pot and it was the first pot I played with Faraz. He had been opening a ton but I hadnt really found a good spot to play with him. I was semi-trying to stay out of his way but mostly it was because they werent the right spots. He opened UTG to 2400 and I found KQdd in MP and decided to 3-bet him for the first time today to 5500. He called and the flop came J62 2 diamonds giving me a flush draw with 2 overs. He checked, I bet 6100, he made it 13500, I 3-bet to 27000, and he called. The turn came an offsuit 7, he checked, I went all in for my last 50k or so, and he folded. Wow. . .pretty fun hand. I am never folding the flop I guess even though we are about 100 bbs deep each. Sick spot when he reraises me on the flop. . .I thought about just flatting but that leaves me with limited moves on the turn and river. I basically am 3-betting the flop to set up a turn jam (which worked perfectly). I dont know what he had but it seemed like he had a lower flush draw. . .if he had the nut flush draw he probably slams the flop and I am obviously calling which would have resulted in me being screwed royally. Maybe he had a J or an 86 65 type hand but I was able to get him to fold the turn which worked well (and set up an even better spot in the future for me). I took about 40k off of him this hand and was up to around 120k or so after this. I made it 2300 from UTG with 55 and got called by both the blinds (chip leader guy in seat 1 and young guy with chips in seat 2). The flop came AK8, they checked, I bet 3100, and they both folded. I was up to 123300 and we went to the next level.
Level 10: 600-1200 200. I made it 2600 from UTG with 44, a player in MP made it 8000, and I folded. I then played another big pot with the player to my right (he was the younger kid with a lot of chips in seat 2 that I was talking about before). He opened from the hijack to 2700, I found AKo in the cutoff and made it 6100, he 4-bet to 14500, and I just flatted. The flop came A94, he checked, and I checked behind. The turn came a T, he checked, I bet 20500, and he called. The river came a 4, he checked, I moved all in for my last 70k or so, and he folded after a long time in the tank. This was an interesting hand. I was almost positive that he had QQ and was trying to get value in the least obvious way by moving all in on the river. Maybe I should have went for a less obvious value bet with 35000 or so. Maybe I should have just bet the flop because as it is, on day 2 he told me he had AQ in this hand and put me on tens full so he folded. I guess it would have worked better for me if I would have bet the flop and I would have won a much larger pot. Oh well. Faraz opened to 2700 from MP and I 3-bet to 6100 from the cutoff with KJcc. He called and we checked to the river on K76A5 where I bet 6500 and he folded. I made it 2600 from the hijack with A3dd, the button called, the SB 3-bet to 7600, and I folded. I was on 162000 and we went to the next level.
Level 11: 800-1600 200. A player in EP opened to 4200, the SB (seat 2 from previous hands) called, I found AKo in the BB and 3-bet to 16000, the player in EP moved all in for 41k or so, the SB folded, and I called. He showed 99 and the board ran out A547A allowing me to win another improtant flip and letting me chip up even more. Next hand, the player in seat 2 raised to 3500 from the button and I found KK in the SB and 3-bet to 8200. Unfortunately he ended up folding. Faraz opened to 3200 from MP adn I flatted the button with A8dd. The SB and BB also called and I ended up folding on a T72 flop. Faraz opened to 4000 from UTG +2 and I called from the cutoff with KQo. The flop came Q97 2 spades, he lead for 5200, and I called. The turn came an 8, he checked, and I checked behind. The river came a 3, he lead for 18500, and I called. He showed AQo to take the pot in a pretty big cooler for me. Kind of sick that I basically lost the minimum in this hand as I decided not to raise the flop or bet the turn. While I have a strong hand I dont want to go crazy with it so that is why I ended up playing a smaller pot here. Given his reputation I am pretty stoked that I lost so little here. I made it 3500 UTG +2 with 76hh, a plater in MP made it 8100, and I called. The flop came Q44, I checked, he bet 7700, and I folded. I was at 162000 and we went to the last level of the day.
Level 12: 1000-2000 300. Oddly enough, there were 4 limps to me in the SB and I found AsQx and decided to just complete. The flop came KJ7 2 spades and everyone checked around. The turn came the 4s giving me the nut flush draw, it checked to Faraz (who had limped), he bet 7500, and I was the only caller. The river came a blank 2, and we both checked with him showing AJ for the winner. Interestingly enough, this hand played a massive role in in the very next hand. There were 5 limps to my button and I found 96hh and I attempted to win the limps by raising it to 15k. Everyone folded to Faraz, who limped in MP, and he made it 40k. I decided to call and we checked down the board of 84358 and he showed K7dd for the winner. This is an incredibly interesting hand to me. The metagame that goes into the pot is super deep. He knew that last hand: 1) I showed AQ and I did not raise with it in a limped pot there and 2)he showed he limped with AJ and did not raise there. The decision to make the big raise and he the decision to raise me is based on this. He didnt think I would raise a large (but not massive) hand and he thought I might give him credit for a bigger hand. I thought about just jamming on him preflop but I didnt want to be the idiot who jammed 80 bigs with 9 high only to get called by 88 or 77 (both of which are very likely to be in his range and as I said before, he loves to make hero type calls). In addition, I had seen him limp behind with AK and AJ earlier on in the day and go to showdown so that was in the back of my head, and Im sure that he knew that that was in the back of my head when he made the play. I dont hate the just call that much as we are still 60 bbs deep after the call and I have more potential with position. My decision not to bet the flop when checked to me is kind of weak. When the turn gives me an open ended straight draw, I really cant bet because it gave me a nice draw and I know that he doesnt want to give up on this pot so its likely he will try a check raise on the turn and I will get blown off my draw. By the time the river came it became very difficult for me to try to rep any hand and at this point, I think he has a hand like A high which, with his propensity to not fold, is likely a call so I just did the give up check. Usually calling off 20 bbs with 9 high and checking down is a pretty terrible play but in this case, it isnt quite as bad as it seems. I was down to 120k or so after this but was quickly able to get alot of it back. I found AA in MP and opened ot 4800 and a new player in the hijack (who had just seen me put 40k in with nothing, check down, and lose to K high) moved all in for ~50k or so from the hijack. I called, he showed AQo, and I was able to hold on the board of J7479. I was back to ~170k or so after this. There were 3 limps to me on the button and I decided to just limp this time with J8cc (because massive raising got me in trouble last time. . .haha). The flop came out J97 2 spades, they all checked to me, and I decided to check behind. the turn came the Ts, giving me a straight but also completing a flush, they checked to me again, and I again decided to check behind. The river came an offsuit 5, they checked to me a 3rd time, I bet 8700, and one of the limpers called but mucked when I showed. I guess I played this hand kind of weak but I really didnt want to turn a limped pot into a big pot when I had top pair on a draw heavy board then a straight with a potential flush on board so I waited until I was certian I had the best on the river to get value. Faraz made it 4500 from the cutoff, I found AKo in the BB and not wanting to play a bigger pot against him OOP, I just called (knowing he would call any 3-bet from me in position as I had position owned him all day). The flop came out J83 2 diamonds, I checked, and he checked behind. Turn turn came another J, I lead out for 5600, and he called. The river came the 5d, I checked, he bet 10500, I called, and he snapmucked. Pretty standard, once I flat AK pre Im rarely folding to a player like him especially when the board pairs on the turn. If he made a better hand than me than it was just an NH situation but I feel like I played this hand really well. Soon after this hand, the day ended with me having 206100 in chips.
Today was a ton of fun to play as we played massively deep the whole day and there was extremely high level poker being played all around me and even when I was not in a hand I got to observe some amazing poker. I finished with 206100 with the average being around 120k, so I was in pretty good shape going on to day 2. Of the 235 starters, 51 survived to day 2 with 27 of us being paid and 55k going to the eventual winner. In addition to me, my buddy David also survived but only took 69k into day 2. On day 2, we did not do a table redraw so I would find myself at the same table as Faraz, the kid in seat 2, and the rest of the characters (no one else I have mentioned made day 2) at the start of the next day.
Level 1: 25-50. Amazingly, throughout the first hour long level I did not play a single hand. The table was playing some crazy hands and alot of pots were 3 or 4 bet with multiple callers so I decided to sit back and take wait for better spots than just guessing and trying to hit flops. I was at 24750 and we went to the next level.
Level 2: 50-100. I folded for the 1st 20 minutes of this level as well before I finally decided play a pot. It folded to me in the cutoff where I found the monster 62ss and opened to 250. The button called and the flop came 842. I lead out for 325, he made it 800, and I called. The turn came the 8s giving me a flush draw with my pair, I checked, he bet 1100, and I called. The river came the As giving me the flush, I checked, he bet 2000, I made it 6600, and he snap folded. I made it 250 with AQo from UTG +1 and got called from the SB and Jeff Sarwer in the BB. The flop came A54 2 hearts, they checked, and I checked behind. The turn came a K, the SB lead out for 400, Jeff called in the BB, and I called behind. The river came an offsuit 8, they checked to me, I bet 1050, and they both folded. Watsurbench opened to 250 UTG and I 3-bet from the cutoff with ATo. The button and watsurbench both called, the flop came J52, and I check/folded when the button bet 1000. I made it 250 from UTG +1 with 88, got called in MP and LP, the button 3-bet to 2050, and I folded to the massive reraise. I was up to 29025 and we went up a level.
Level 3: 75-150. I made it 350 with T9o from the hijack and the button called. The flop came A54, I bet 325, and he called. We checked down the turn/river of 2A and my T high was somehow good. I made it 350 with 98ss from UTG +2 and everyone folded. Around this time Jeff busted out and my roommate David came and sat down in his seat. I made it 350 from UTG +1 with 66 and David called from the BB. The flop came KJ5, he checked, I bet 425, and he folded. A player UTG opened to 325, got 2 calls, and I called from the BB with A6hh. We checked to the turn on T75K where I folded to a bet. I was up to 29950 and we went up to the next level.
Level 4: 100-200 25. Watsurbench opened to 450 from MP, the cutoff called, David called from the button, I found QQ in the BB and made it 2025, and everyone folded. I overraised because watsurbench hadnt folded to a 3-bet all day and if I 3-bet smaller, I know he calls which leads to everyone else behind him calling as well and Im playing a large pot OOP with competent players. I figured if I raised larger I would only potentially get 1 caller and be able to play a much more controlled pot. I opened to 450 from the button with 42o and the BB called. The flop came 773, he checked, I bet 600, he made it 1800, and I folded. A player in EP opened to 550, I 3-bet from the hijack to 1300 with J8cc, and he called. The flop came 854, he checked, I bet 1225, and he folded. A player UTG +1 opened to 650 and I called in the BB with AdJx. The flop came KQT 2 diamonds flopping me broadway with a backdoor nut flush draw. I checked, but he decided to check behind. The turn came the 8d getting me closer to my nut flush, I bet 1100, and he called. The river came a J counterfitting my straight, I checked, he bet 2500, I called and he showed AxJd for the same flopped straight with a lower flush draw and we chopped the pot. I was up to 32050 and we went up to the next level.
Level 5: 150-300 25. I made it 650 from the cutoff with 86dd and everyone folded. A player UTG limped and I limped UTG +1 with K4dd. We saw a J64 flop with the blinds and I folded when the UTG player bet 1125. A player UTG made it 700, got 5 callers, and I called from the BB with A4dd. The flop came QQ9 and I folded to a bet. Around this time, I got moved to a new table. Again, this table had quite a few internet sickos. I moved to seat 3, seat 1 was an amateurish but competent player who had somehow amassed over 150k in chips already, and seat 10 was none other than last years WPT player of the year Faraz "thet0ilet0" Jaka. Faraz has a reputation for being a super sicko, playing a ton of hands and making ridiculous hero calls. The rest of the table was a mix of other characters that changed throughout the day. I made it 650 from MP with KQo, the hijack called, the button 3-bet to 2475, and I folded. I made it 650 with Q9dd from UTG, a young good foreign player who I recognized but dont know who he is in seat 7 3-bet to 1475, and I called. The flop came K75 2 spades, I checked, he bet 1825, and I folded. The button, an older spewy type player in seat 2, opened to 750, I 3-bet from the SB to 1800 with 96ss, and he called. The flop came a nice 6x5s2s giving me top pair with a flush draw, I lead for 1500, he raised to 3500, I 3-bet to 9000, and he folded. I think that this is a pretty standard spot to 3-bet/get it in on the flop. I think he is folding his midpairs to this 3-bet but may not be folding 2 overs/flush draw combos so it is kind of a range merge type play. As you have deduced from my entries over the last few weeks I dont really like bloating the pot that much with combo draw in general but this was a spot where it was the right play as I had 3-bet pre and would likely be able to get him to fold the best hand alot of the time because of how strong I look. I was up to 35225 and we went ot the next level.
Level 6: 200-400 50. A player in EP limped, the older spewy player in seat 2 made it 800 from the hijack, I found JJ in the cutoff and 3-bet to 1800, and both the EP limper and seat 2 called. The flop came KJ4 2 diamonds, they checked to me, I bet 3000, and they both snap folded. I made it 925 from MP with 98dd and a older foriegn player behind me was the only caller. The flop came A63, I checked, and he checked behind. The turn came an 8, I bet 1325, he raised to 4000, and I folded. A player UTG opened to 950, I called from the button with 75dd, and the SB called as well. The flop came Q93, the raiser bet 2600, and I folded. The chip leader in seat 1 opened to 1100 in MP, I iso 3-bet to 2500 with 54o from the hijack, and called. The flop came 943, he checked, I bet 2500, and he folded. Since he had alot of chips and played pretty straight forward my plan was to 3-bet him alot to get heads up with position and go from there. My stack was at 37425 and we went on dinner break.
Level 7: 300-600 50. The spewy old man in seat 2 opened to 1600 from the hijack, I found QQ in the cutoff and 3-bet to 3825, and everyone folded. A stupid young player in seat 8 opened to 1500 in EP and I found 55 in the hijack and called. The flop came T74 2 spades, he checked, I bet 2050, he put me all in for my effective ~40k, and I folded. I made it 1325 from UTG +2 with 33, the stupid kid called from the button, and the SB (who was the guy from my AJ vs AJ hand before. . .he was in seat 9) called also. The flop came KJ4, I c-bet 2000, and they both folded. I made it 1325 with 99 from UTG +1 and everyone folded. After this played an interesting hand vs the guy from the AJ vs AJ hand. He was a middle aged man who played pretty straightforward but he looked experienced enough to have some creativity to his game. He opened to 1800 in the hijack and I called from the BB with KQo. The flopo came T73, I checked, he bet 1800, I made it 5025, and he called. The turn came a 6, I bet 7650, he put me all in for my last 26k or so, and I folded. Boo. . .I finally tried to make a bluff play but it failed. My thought process was as follows: The only real pot we had played so far saw me flopping the nuts and playing a pretty small pot. I figured if I check/raised the flop it would look really strong. Additionally, when he flopped the nuts in the hand before he checked behind on the flop so I figured that when he c-bet he wasnt as strong as the nuts. Plus, every other time he c-bet he bet an amount that was greater than his initial raise. I figured when he bet 1800 this was just a standard c-bet to try to take it down so I raised him. When he just called me I didnt know for sure what he had but its hard to put him on a big hand because he seemed the type that would just rip over my reraise if he had a big hand. My bet on the flop was probably bad but like I said I still didnt put him on too big of a hand so I decided to fire another barrel. He came over the top so I had to fold. Weird hand have no idea what he had but I know it was a failed bluff. I was down to 26k or so after this but luckily I was able to get alot of it back pretty quickly. I made it 1325 from the cutoff with A9o and got called by both of the blinds. The flop came A82, the SB donked all in for 5700, the BB folded, and I called. The SB showed A6 and the board ran out 7Q and I won the pot to get back to 35k or so. The spewy old man in seat 2 opened to 1600 from UTG +2, I called in MP with KQo, and player in LP and the BB called as well. The flop came AQ4, the raiser moved all in for 18k, and I folded. The young foreign player in seat 7 opened to 1325 in EP and I called in the SB with 53hh. The flop came KT7 and I check folded to a bet. The player in seat 9 who I tried to bluff previously opened to 1800 in EP and I 3-bet to 3825 with AQdd from the button, and he called. The flop came A97 all clubs, he checked, I bet 5100, and he folded. I was at 36100 and we went to the next level.
Level 8: 400-800 100. The player in seat 7 (young good foreign player from before) opened to 1800 from EP, I called in the SB with QTcc, and the BB called as well. The flop came QQ4, giving me trips, I checked to trap, and everyone else checked behind. The turn came a 4 giving me top full, I lead for 2500, the BB raised to 5100, and I called. The river came another 4, I checked, and he checked behind mucking when I showed. I guess I should have played a little more aggressive to get more value but I went into super trappy mode after he raised the turn just flatting and checking behind. . .oh well. I made it 1800 from UTG +2 with KQo and the guy in seat 9 (from before) called from the BB. The flop came T42, he checked, I c-bet 2100, and he called. The turn came an A, he checked, and I checked behind. The river came a Q giving me 2nd pair top kicker, he checked, I value bet 5500, and he called pretty quickly and mucked when I showed. I didnt think I was beat with how he was playing and how he checked so I made a nice almost pot sized value bet that got called. Alot of times I just instacheck behind when I hit the river here but I thought about it and I really did think I was good so I bet it. I made it 1800 from UTG with AJo and got 3 calls (2 from MP, 2 from LP). The flop came 653 and I folded to a bet. A new, younger good player sat down on my right in seat 2 and he had a ton of chips at this point as well. He completed his SB into my BB and I checked 76hh. The flop came K72, he bet 900, and I called. We checked down 5Q and I was good. I made it 1800 with A7o from UTG +2 and everyone folded. I was up to 54800 and we went to the next level.
Level 9: 500-1000 100. Early on in this level, I played my first crucial big pot of the tournament. I made it 2300 from the button with AJdd, the BB 3-bet to 6400, and I put him all in for his ~30k effective. He snap called which initially made me nervous but I was in fine shape when he showed TT. The board and round A742A and I won the big flip to get up to 87k or so. Soon after this hand, I played another big pot and it was the first pot I played with Faraz. He had been opening a ton but I hadnt really found a good spot to play with him. I was semi-trying to stay out of his way but mostly it was because they werent the right spots. He opened UTG to 2400 and I found KQdd in MP and decided to 3-bet him for the first time today to 5500. He called and the flop came J62 2 diamonds giving me a flush draw with 2 overs. He checked, I bet 6100, he made it 13500, I 3-bet to 27000, and he called. The turn came an offsuit 7, he checked, I went all in for my last 50k or so, and he folded. Wow. . .pretty fun hand. I am never folding the flop I guess even though we are about 100 bbs deep each. Sick spot when he reraises me on the flop. . .I thought about just flatting but that leaves me with limited moves on the turn and river. I basically am 3-betting the flop to set up a turn jam (which worked perfectly). I dont know what he had but it seemed like he had a lower flush draw. . .if he had the nut flush draw he probably slams the flop and I am obviously calling which would have resulted in me being screwed royally. Maybe he had a J or an 86 65 type hand but I was able to get him to fold the turn which worked well (and set up an even better spot in the future for me). I took about 40k off of him this hand and was up to around 120k or so after this. I made it 2300 from UTG with 55 and got called by both the blinds (chip leader guy in seat 1 and young guy with chips in seat 2). The flop came AK8, they checked, I bet 3100, and they both folded. I was up to 123300 and we went to the next level.
Level 10: 600-1200 200. I made it 2600 from UTG with 44, a player in MP made it 8000, and I folded. I then played another big pot with the player to my right (he was the younger kid with a lot of chips in seat 2 that I was talking about before). He opened from the hijack to 2700, I found AKo in the cutoff and made it 6100, he 4-bet to 14500, and I just flatted. The flop came A94, he checked, and I checked behind. The turn came a T, he checked, I bet 20500, and he called. The river came a 4, he checked, I moved all in for my last 70k or so, and he folded after a long time in the tank. This was an interesting hand. I was almost positive that he had QQ and was trying to get value in the least obvious way by moving all in on the river. Maybe I should have went for a less obvious value bet with 35000 or so. Maybe I should have just bet the flop because as it is, on day 2 he told me he had AQ in this hand and put me on tens full so he folded. I guess it would have worked better for me if I would have bet the flop and I would have won a much larger pot. Oh well. Faraz opened to 2700 from MP and I 3-bet to 6100 from the cutoff with KJcc. He called and we checked to the river on K76A5 where I bet 6500 and he folded. I made it 2600 from the hijack with A3dd, the button called, the SB 3-bet to 7600, and I folded. I was on 162000 and we went to the next level.
Level 11: 800-1600 200. A player in EP opened to 4200, the SB (seat 2 from previous hands) called, I found AKo in the BB and 3-bet to 16000, the player in EP moved all in for 41k or so, the SB folded, and I called. He showed 99 and the board ran out A547A allowing me to win another improtant flip and letting me chip up even more. Next hand, the player in seat 2 raised to 3500 from the button and I found KK in the SB and 3-bet to 8200. Unfortunately he ended up folding. Faraz opened to 3200 from MP adn I flatted the button with A8dd. The SB and BB also called and I ended up folding on a T72 flop. Faraz opened to 4000 from UTG +2 and I called from the cutoff with KQo. The flop came Q97 2 spades, he lead for 5200, and I called. The turn came an 8, he checked, and I checked behind. The river came a 3, he lead for 18500, and I called. He showed AQo to take the pot in a pretty big cooler for me. Kind of sick that I basically lost the minimum in this hand as I decided not to raise the flop or bet the turn. While I have a strong hand I dont want to go crazy with it so that is why I ended up playing a smaller pot here. Given his reputation I am pretty stoked that I lost so little here. I made it 3500 UTG +2 with 76hh, a plater in MP made it 8100, and I called. The flop came Q44, I checked, he bet 7700, and I folded. I was at 162000 and we went to the last level of the day.
Level 12: 1000-2000 300. Oddly enough, there were 4 limps to me in the SB and I found AsQx and decided to just complete. The flop came KJ7 2 spades and everyone checked around. The turn came the 4s giving me the nut flush draw, it checked to Faraz (who had limped), he bet 7500, and I was the only caller. The river came a blank 2, and we both checked with him showing AJ for the winner. Interestingly enough, this hand played a massive role in in the very next hand. There were 5 limps to my button and I found 96hh and I attempted to win the limps by raising it to 15k. Everyone folded to Faraz, who limped in MP, and he made it 40k. I decided to call and we checked down the board of 84358 and he showed K7dd for the winner. This is an incredibly interesting hand to me. The metagame that goes into the pot is super deep. He knew that last hand: 1) I showed AQ and I did not raise with it in a limped pot there and 2)he showed he limped with AJ and did not raise there. The decision to make the big raise and he the decision to raise me is based on this. He didnt think I would raise a large (but not massive) hand and he thought I might give him credit for a bigger hand. I thought about just jamming on him preflop but I didnt want to be the idiot who jammed 80 bigs with 9 high only to get called by 88 or 77 (both of which are very likely to be in his range and as I said before, he loves to make hero type calls). In addition, I had seen him limp behind with AK and AJ earlier on in the day and go to showdown so that was in the back of my head, and Im sure that he knew that that was in the back of my head when he made the play. I dont hate the just call that much as we are still 60 bbs deep after the call and I have more potential with position. My decision not to bet the flop when checked to me is kind of weak. When the turn gives me an open ended straight draw, I really cant bet because it gave me a nice draw and I know that he doesnt want to give up on this pot so its likely he will try a check raise on the turn and I will get blown off my draw. By the time the river came it became very difficult for me to try to rep any hand and at this point, I think he has a hand like A high which, with his propensity to not fold, is likely a call so I just did the give up check. Usually calling off 20 bbs with 9 high and checking down is a pretty terrible play but in this case, it isnt quite as bad as it seems. I was down to 120k or so after this but was quickly able to get alot of it back. I found AA in MP and opened ot 4800 and a new player in the hijack (who had just seen me put 40k in with nothing, check down, and lose to K high) moved all in for ~50k or so from the hijack. I called, he showed AQo, and I was able to hold on the board of J7479. I was back to ~170k or so after this. There were 3 limps to me on the button and I decided to just limp this time with J8cc (because massive raising got me in trouble last time. . .haha). The flop came out J97 2 spades, they all checked to me, and I decided to check behind. the turn came the Ts, giving me a straight but also completing a flush, they checked to me again, and I again decided to check behind. The river came an offsuit 5, they checked to me a 3rd time, I bet 8700, and one of the limpers called but mucked when I showed. I guess I played this hand kind of weak but I really didnt want to turn a limped pot into a big pot when I had top pair on a draw heavy board then a straight with a potential flush on board so I waited until I was certian I had the best on the river to get value. Faraz made it 4500 from the cutoff, I found AKo in the BB and not wanting to play a bigger pot against him OOP, I just called (knowing he would call any 3-bet from me in position as I had position owned him all day). The flop came out J83 2 diamonds, I checked, and he checked behind. Turn turn came another J, I lead out for 5600, and he called. The river came the 5d, I checked, he bet 10500, I called, and he snapmucked. Pretty standard, once I flat AK pre Im rarely folding to a player like him especially when the board pairs on the turn. If he made a better hand than me than it was just an NH situation but I feel like I played this hand really well. Soon after this hand, the day ended with me having 206100 in chips.
Today was a ton of fun to play as we played massively deep the whole day and there was extremely high level poker being played all around me and even when I was not in a hand I got to observe some amazing poker. I finished with 206100 with the average being around 120k, so I was in pretty good shape going on to day 2. Of the 235 starters, 51 survived to day 2 with 27 of us being paid and 55k going to the eventual winner. In addition to me, my buddy David also survived but only took 69k into day 2. On day 2, we did not do a table redraw so I would find myself at the same table as Faraz, the kid in seat 2, and the rest of the characters (no one else I have mentioned made day 2) at the start of the next day.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Tourney: July 1st 2011 Venetian Deepstack Event #36 $550
Today was one of my last chances at the Venetian to make a big impact. I was feeling good and had been playing good so I liked my chances. We had a massive field today with over 900 players in a $560! Wow. . .it was over 90k to 1st. My opening table had me in seat 1, and good young kids in seat 4, 9, and 10 (10 was the same really good kid from the previous days $340). We started with 15000 in chips.
Level 1: 50-100. I made it 250 from the button with 33 and the SB (an old, tight asian man in seat 3) called. The flop came K43, he checked, I bet 325, and he called. The turn came a T, he checked, I bet 700, and he folded. I found AA in the SB when it folded to me, I made it 250, and the tight asian man called from the BB. The flop came Q93 2 diamonds, I lead for 325, and he called. The turn came the 8d completing both an open ended straight draw and a flush draw, I checked, he bet 600, and I called. The river came an offsuit 4, I checked, he bet 1000, I called, and he showed QQ for flopped top set. I guess I could have maybe folded the river but its whatever. I made it 250 from the button with A2dd and the blinds called. The flop came JJ8, they checked, I bet 325, and they both folded. The good player in seat 9 opened to 250 from UTG, the other good player in seat 10 called UTG +1, I found KQo UTG +2 and 3-bet to 800, and they both called. The flop came KJT, they checked to me, and I checked behind. The turn came a 7, they checked, I bet 1125, and the initial raiser UTG called. The river came a 6, he checked, I bet 2000, he made it 4800, and I folded. Ugh. . .interesting hand here the checkraise on the river by him is killer. I check behind on the flop after 3-betting for pot control plus I have a draw at the nuts. I dont really know if he would check the nuts or a great hand 3 times but the manner in which he checkraised the river really looked like he has something. I was down to 9725 after this level.
Level 2: 75-150. The player in seat 9 made it 400 UTG, I 3-bet to 1100 UTG +2 with QThh, and he called. We checked to the turn on A92Q where I bet 1325 and he folded. I then found an important double where I finally had an easy hand to play. I found AA in the hijack and opened to 350. The button called, the SB called, the BB 3-bet to 1500, I 4-bet to 3500, the other players folded, and the BB 5-bet me all in for my last ~10k. I called, he showed KK, and the board ran out T74A3 and I doubled up. These days it is rare to find a spot like this to double up so I really wanted to make the most out of it. The good player in seat 10 opened to 400 UTG +1, I called UTG +2 with 33, the SB called, the BB 3-bet to 1500, and I folded. A player in MP opened to 400 and I called from the BB with KJhh. The flop came AhTh3x, giving me a royal flush draw, I checked, he bet 550, and I called. We checked down a board of T7 and my K high was good at showdown. After my double, I was up to 23200 and we went to the next level.
Level 3: 100-200. I made it 450 from the hijack with K3ss and the tight asian man called me on the button. The flop came Q72, I c-bet 525, he raised it to 1125, I 3-bet back to 2525, and he folded. His raise on the flop was against his MO throughout the day so it looked pretty weak so I just decided to 3-bet it and he folded quickly. I made it 450 from MP with Q8hh and the button and BB called. The flop came Q75 and we all checked. The turn came a T, the BB lead for 650, and I called. The river came a 3, he checked, I bet 1200, and he called and mucked when I showed my top pair. I was up to 27250 and we went on the 1st break.
Level 4: 100-200 25. A player UTG +2 made it 500, I found 66 in MP and called, and the BB called as well. The flop came QJ7 and I folded to a bet. I made it 450 from UTG +1 with AJo and got called by the button and both blinds. We checked down KK8TT and I chopped with 1 guy who held A9o. I made it 450 from UTG with 76cc, got 4 calls, and check/folded a J72 flop (he showed AJ). The good player in seat 4 made it 500 UTG, I 3-bet from the button with AJhh to 1350, and everyone folded. There was a guy at my table who was dead-straddling (minraising blind UTG) every opportunity he got. He wasnt very good and would always defent his straddle. He straddled to 400, I made it 1525 with A5o from the hijack to iso, and he was the only caller. We checked down KT6Q6 where he bet 4000, I folded, and he showed AJo. I made it 450 from MP with KJo, the hijack called, the button went all in for 5k or so, got a call, and I folded (he had AQ). I was down to 24675 and we went up a level.
Level 5: 150-300 25. The straddler made it 600 from UTG, I made it 1500 from the hijack with KQcc, and he called. The flop came K84, he checked, and I checked behind. The turn came a T, he checked, I bet 2500, and he called. The river came a J, he checked, I bet 6000, and he folded. I should have bet the flop here as he would have gotten stubborn with any pair on the flop. Even though last time I isoed his straddle I checked down when I missed the flop a player like him wouldnt have thought about this. I made it 650 from the cutoff with J4cc and got called by the button and the BB. The flop came QJ3, we checked to the button who went all in for 5k, and I folded. The good player in seat 10 opened to 800 from MP, I 3-bet immediately behind to 1750 when I found AJo, the straddler donk flatted out of the BB, and the inital raiser folded. The flop came JJT, he checked, I bet 3000, and he folded. I was up to 30575 and we went to the next level.
Level 6: 200-400 50. I only played one pot this level and it cost me quite a bit as i made a pretty bad call. The good player in seat 9 opened to 800 UTG and I 3-bet him (as I had been doing quite often today when he opened UTG) UTG +2 with A3ss to 1750. He called and we saw a flop of 965. He checked and I checked behind. The turn came a 4, he bet out 2250, and I called with my open ended straight draw. The river came a 3, he bet out 5600, and I ended up calling with my bottom pair/top kicker which was no good when he showed TT. This was an interesting hand. . .the bottom pair seems like an easy fold but during my thought process I guess I convinced myself that I was somehow good. I guess I thought that he wouldnt be betting anything but a straight because he doesnt have a hand as big as an overpair here as he didnt 4-bet me preflop. I thought his range was polarized to a straight or nothing so I went for a call which ended up being not a good play. I was down to 19950 and we went on the 2nd break.
Level 7: 300-600 50. The good player in seat 10 opened to 1350 from UTG +2, I 3-bet to 2525 in MP immediately behind with KQo, he 4-bet to 6200, and I folded. I made it 1325 from UTG +2 with 85hh and everyone folded. The good player in seat 10 opened to 1350 from UTG, I 3-bet to 2800 from UTG +1 with 63cc, and he called. We checked down AA3K6 and I was good when he showed 98dd (I made 3 pair and just decided to check it down. . .kind of played like a wuss but whatever). A player in MP opened to 1500, it folded to me in the BB, I found AQo and put him all in for his last 10k or so, and he folded. A player in EP opened to 1300, a player in MP called, I called from the cutoff with KQo, and the blinds called also. The flop came 997 and I folded to a bet. I made it 1325 from the hijack with KQo and everyone folded. I was at 23475 and we went up a level.
Level 8: 400-800 75. The good player in seat 9 opened to 1600 UTG, I 3-bet to 3825 from UTG +2 with KQss, the BB flatted my 3-bet, and the raiser folded. The flop came 853, the BB donked all in for 12k, and I folded. I made it 1725 from the button with ATcc and the SB called. The flop came 644, he checked, I bet 2025, and he folded. I opened to 1725 from UTG +1 with 55, the tight asian guy in seat 3 moved all in for 10700 and I called. He showed 99 and hte board came out QJ8K4. Bummer. . .dont really think im folding here I guess even though I got it in bad I dont particuarily hate the call overall. I was down to 10k or so after this and after letting the blinds pass through, I took 8375 to the 3rd break.
Level 9: 500-1000 100. I was extremely shortstacked and had to get something going fast. 1st hand after break, a player moved all in from EP for 14k and I called all in for my 8k or so from the cutoff with 66. He showed 55 and the board ran out A723T giving me a double to about 18k or so. I moved all in for ~16k with QJdd from MP and everyone folded. I was at 18300 and we went up a level.
Level 10: 600-1200 100. After letting the blinds pass through, I was at 16k or so. I found Q8cc UTG +2 and moved all in and got called by the BB. He showed AT and I was drawing dead by the turn on A447 and was eliminated fairly deep.
Today I played super taggy today and I did pretty well. I made the one questionable call with the bottom pair and was wrong but other than that I think I played pretty well today. I clearly didnt get too many big hands after my AA vs KK situation but I still put myself in spots where I could win pots (despite getting it in bad with 55 vs 99 for most of my chips but thats probably a call anyways). I feel like I am playing top notch poker overall. . .I am running out of time to hit a big score and it will suck if I am not able to hit one because I am definetly probably playing the best live poker I have ever played. Hopefully I will do so in the next week or so as that is the time I have.
Level 1: 50-100. I made it 250 from the button with 33 and the SB (an old, tight asian man in seat 3) called. The flop came K43, he checked, I bet 325, and he called. The turn came a T, he checked, I bet 700, and he folded. I found AA in the SB when it folded to me, I made it 250, and the tight asian man called from the BB. The flop came Q93 2 diamonds, I lead for 325, and he called. The turn came the 8d completing both an open ended straight draw and a flush draw, I checked, he bet 600, and I called. The river came an offsuit 4, I checked, he bet 1000, I called, and he showed QQ for flopped top set. I guess I could have maybe folded the river but its whatever. I made it 250 from the button with A2dd and the blinds called. The flop came JJ8, they checked, I bet 325, and they both folded. The good player in seat 9 opened to 250 from UTG, the other good player in seat 10 called UTG +1, I found KQo UTG +2 and 3-bet to 800, and they both called. The flop came KJT, they checked to me, and I checked behind. The turn came a 7, they checked, I bet 1125, and the initial raiser UTG called. The river came a 6, he checked, I bet 2000, he made it 4800, and I folded. Ugh. . .interesting hand here the checkraise on the river by him is killer. I check behind on the flop after 3-betting for pot control plus I have a draw at the nuts. I dont really know if he would check the nuts or a great hand 3 times but the manner in which he checkraised the river really looked like he has something. I was down to 9725 after this level.
Level 2: 75-150. The player in seat 9 made it 400 UTG, I 3-bet to 1100 UTG +2 with QThh, and he called. We checked to the turn on A92Q where I bet 1325 and he folded. I then found an important double where I finally had an easy hand to play. I found AA in the hijack and opened to 350. The button called, the SB called, the BB 3-bet to 1500, I 4-bet to 3500, the other players folded, and the BB 5-bet me all in for my last ~10k. I called, he showed KK, and the board ran out T74A3 and I doubled up. These days it is rare to find a spot like this to double up so I really wanted to make the most out of it. The good player in seat 10 opened to 400 UTG +1, I called UTG +2 with 33, the SB called, the BB 3-bet to 1500, and I folded. A player in MP opened to 400 and I called from the BB with KJhh. The flop came AhTh3x, giving me a royal flush draw, I checked, he bet 550, and I called. We checked down a board of T7 and my K high was good at showdown. After my double, I was up to 23200 and we went to the next level.
Level 3: 100-200. I made it 450 from the hijack with K3ss and the tight asian man called me on the button. The flop came Q72, I c-bet 525, he raised it to 1125, I 3-bet back to 2525, and he folded. His raise on the flop was against his MO throughout the day so it looked pretty weak so I just decided to 3-bet it and he folded quickly. I made it 450 from MP with Q8hh and the button and BB called. The flop came Q75 and we all checked. The turn came a T, the BB lead for 650, and I called. The river came a 3, he checked, I bet 1200, and he called and mucked when I showed my top pair. I was up to 27250 and we went on the 1st break.
Level 4: 100-200 25. A player UTG +2 made it 500, I found 66 in MP and called, and the BB called as well. The flop came QJ7 and I folded to a bet. I made it 450 from UTG +1 with AJo and got called by the button and both blinds. We checked down KK8TT and I chopped with 1 guy who held A9o. I made it 450 from UTG with 76cc, got 4 calls, and check/folded a J72 flop (he showed AJ). The good player in seat 4 made it 500 UTG, I 3-bet from the button with AJhh to 1350, and everyone folded. There was a guy at my table who was dead-straddling (minraising blind UTG) every opportunity he got. He wasnt very good and would always defent his straddle. He straddled to 400, I made it 1525 with A5o from the hijack to iso, and he was the only caller. We checked down KT6Q6 where he bet 4000, I folded, and he showed AJo. I made it 450 from MP with KJo, the hijack called, the button went all in for 5k or so, got a call, and I folded (he had AQ). I was down to 24675 and we went up a level.
Level 5: 150-300 25. The straddler made it 600 from UTG, I made it 1500 from the hijack with KQcc, and he called. The flop came K84, he checked, and I checked behind. The turn came a T, he checked, I bet 2500, and he called. The river came a J, he checked, I bet 6000, and he folded. I should have bet the flop here as he would have gotten stubborn with any pair on the flop. Even though last time I isoed his straddle I checked down when I missed the flop a player like him wouldnt have thought about this. I made it 650 from the cutoff with J4cc and got called by the button and the BB. The flop came QJ3, we checked to the button who went all in for 5k, and I folded. The good player in seat 10 opened to 800 from MP, I 3-bet immediately behind to 1750 when I found AJo, the straddler donk flatted out of the BB, and the inital raiser folded. The flop came JJT, he checked, I bet 3000, and he folded. I was up to 30575 and we went to the next level.
Level 6: 200-400 50. I only played one pot this level and it cost me quite a bit as i made a pretty bad call. The good player in seat 9 opened to 800 UTG and I 3-bet him (as I had been doing quite often today when he opened UTG) UTG +2 with A3ss to 1750. He called and we saw a flop of 965. He checked and I checked behind. The turn came a 4, he bet out 2250, and I called with my open ended straight draw. The river came a 3, he bet out 5600, and I ended up calling with my bottom pair/top kicker which was no good when he showed TT. This was an interesting hand. . .the bottom pair seems like an easy fold but during my thought process I guess I convinced myself that I was somehow good. I guess I thought that he wouldnt be betting anything but a straight because he doesnt have a hand as big as an overpair here as he didnt 4-bet me preflop. I thought his range was polarized to a straight or nothing so I went for a call which ended up being not a good play. I was down to 19950 and we went on the 2nd break.
Level 7: 300-600 50. The good player in seat 10 opened to 1350 from UTG +2, I 3-bet to 2525 in MP immediately behind with KQo, he 4-bet to 6200, and I folded. I made it 1325 from UTG +2 with 85hh and everyone folded. The good player in seat 10 opened to 1350 from UTG, I 3-bet to 2800 from UTG +1 with 63cc, and he called. We checked down AA3K6 and I was good when he showed 98dd (I made 3 pair and just decided to check it down. . .kind of played like a wuss but whatever). A player in MP opened to 1500, it folded to me in the BB, I found AQo and put him all in for his last 10k or so, and he folded. A player in EP opened to 1300, a player in MP called, I called from the cutoff with KQo, and the blinds called also. The flop came 997 and I folded to a bet. I made it 1325 from the hijack with KQo and everyone folded. I was at 23475 and we went up a level.
Level 8: 400-800 75. The good player in seat 9 opened to 1600 UTG, I 3-bet to 3825 from UTG +2 with KQss, the BB flatted my 3-bet, and the raiser folded. The flop came 853, the BB donked all in for 12k, and I folded. I made it 1725 from the button with ATcc and the SB called. The flop came 644, he checked, I bet 2025, and he folded. I opened to 1725 from UTG +1 with 55, the tight asian guy in seat 3 moved all in for 10700 and I called. He showed 99 and hte board came out QJ8K4. Bummer. . .dont really think im folding here I guess even though I got it in bad I dont particuarily hate the call overall. I was down to 10k or so after this and after letting the blinds pass through, I took 8375 to the 3rd break.
Level 9: 500-1000 100. I was extremely shortstacked and had to get something going fast. 1st hand after break, a player moved all in from EP for 14k and I called all in for my 8k or so from the cutoff with 66. He showed 55 and the board ran out A723T giving me a double to about 18k or so. I moved all in for ~16k with QJdd from MP and everyone folded. I was at 18300 and we went up a level.
Level 10: 600-1200 100. After letting the blinds pass through, I was at 16k or so. I found Q8cc UTG +2 and moved all in and got called by the BB. He showed AT and I was drawing dead by the turn on A447 and was eliminated fairly deep.
Today I played super taggy today and I did pretty well. I made the one questionable call with the bottom pair and was wrong but other than that I think I played pretty well today. I clearly didnt get too many big hands after my AA vs KK situation but I still put myself in spots where I could win pots (despite getting it in bad with 55 vs 99 for most of my chips but thats probably a call anyways). I feel like I am playing top notch poker overall. . .I am running out of time to hit a big score and it will suck if I am not able to hit one because I am definetly probably playing the best live poker I have ever played. Hopefully I will do so in the next week or so as that is the time I have.
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