My final tournament of the summer was the Caesars Megastack Main Event. My last main event with a ridiculous structure I final tabled so I hoped to continue that momentum to this one. There were 2 day 1s (with reentry both in each of the day 1s and from day 1a to day 1b) and this tournament ended up with over 1300 runners and an absurd 268k to 1st place! This tournament we started with a massive 50000 in chips and the levels were an awesome hour long. I actually missed the 1st 25-50 level (which was completely unnecessary) so I came in at the 2nd level.
DAY 1
Level 2: 50-100. I sat down in the 2nd level thinking a really long day was ahead but not looking forward to the first couple levels as I figured I would NEVER be able to make any real headway when everyone has 500 bbs. However, I started the day on a ridiculous heater and quickly built a decent stack. Very first hand of the day, I found 55 behind a couple of limpers and decided to limp as well. The flop came 875 2 clubs, they checked to me, I bet 300 and got 3 callers. The turn came an offsuit 3, I bet 1025, and got 1 caller. The river came an offsuit 8 filling me up, he checked, I bet 3100, and he called mucking when I showed. I opened to 250 UTG with A6hh and got 6 callers (weeee. . .500 big blinds). We checked to the river on Jx3x2h3hTh where I runner-runnered the nut flush, I bet 1700, and got one caller who mucked when I showed. UTG limped and I made it 650 with KK from UTG +2. The limper called and we saw a flop of J65 2 hearts. He check/called a bet of 1200 and we saw the Kh on the turn giving me top set but putting a potential flush out there. He lead for 2400 this time and I called. The river came a beautiful 6 pairing the board, he bet 6100, I made it 25000, and he folded. This guy was the biggest donk at the table (and you will hear more about him in future hands) but even after only seeing 2 orbits of his play, I was fairly certain that he wasnt folding a flush here and made the conclusion after the hand that he was absolutely bluffing. I made it 250 with T9hh from UTG, got 2 calls, and folded on the turn on a KQT5 board. I had increased my stack to a ridiculous 67075 after less than one level of play and we went up to the next level.
Level 3: 100-200. A player UTG opened to 600 and I 3-bet to 1625 with KJo from MP. The BB flatted and the original raiser called as well. We checked down a board of AK579 and the BB took it down with his AT. I made it 525 from UTG with 77 and got 2 MP callers. The flop came A76, I bet 1200, and got 1 call. The turn came a 5, I bet 3000, and he called. The river came a 3, I checked, and he checked behind showing a no good A9 in the process. Its easy to play when you flop sets every time. I dont know why I didnt bet the river but I figured it was OK to air on the cautious side when we are playing so deep and I already had built a stack. The button opened to 600, I called from the BB with QsJx, and a UTG limper also called. The flop came AKT all spades (no big deal), I checked to trap, but everyone else checked behind me. The turn came a 7, I bet 1525, and the UTG limper called. The river came a 9, I bet 4100, and he folded. I made it 525 with 54hh from UTG +1 and got 4 calls. The flop came J87 and I folded to a bet. I limped from EP (trying new things) with QThh, the button limped, the SB (idiot who I was talking about before) made it 900, I called, and the button called as well. The flop came JT4, the SB checked, I bet 1500, the button called, the SB made it 5000, and I ended up just folding. The cutoff limped (idiot guy), the button made it 525, I called from the SB with A4dd, and the BB and cutoff both called as well. The flop came Jx3d2d flopping me a straight flush draw, I checked, and everyone else checked behind. The turn came another 3, I bet 1500, and the cutoff (idiot guy) was the only caller. The river came an offsuit Q missing all my draws, I checked and he checked behind showing a good 62o for the winner. No point in bluffing when the idiot will probably call and I will be able to get him later. There were 3 limps to me on the button and I made it 1500 when I found QQ. The idiot guy was the only caller and we saw a flop of 877. He checked, and I checked behind (value/pot control). The turn came a 9, he lead for 1500 and I decided to just call. The river came a T (4 straight on board), he checked, I bet 2200, he called and mucked when I showed. I know hes not clever enough to check a straight here so its like almost 100% straightforward that I have the best hand so a value bet was in order. There were 2 limps to me in MP and I made it 1500 with AJo. One of the limpers called and the flop came A55. He check/called my bet of 2000 but when the turn came a 7, he check folded to my bet of 3500. I limped K4ss from MP with 2 other limps and we saw a flop of 985 2 spades giving me a flush draw. It checked around and the turn came a Qc. We checked to a limper on the button, he bet 1025, the SB called, and I called as well. The river came a 3s filling my flush, the SB checked, I bet 3500, and they both folded. I was up to 81300 and we went to the next level.
Level 4: 200-400. A player UTG limped, I made it 1500 from the cutoff with AQo, and he was the only caller. We checked down JT664 and I was good. The idiot guy opened for 900 UTG and I 3-bet to 2600 from UTG +2 with 99. He called, we checked down J85AK, and he showed JTo for the winner. I opened to 1000 from the button with QTo and the SB was the only caller. The board ran A657 to the turn where he check/folded to my 1500 bet. I opened to 1000 in MP with AJo and a tight player behind me in MP 3-bet to 3500 causing me to fold and him to show QQ. I was at 78100 and we went up to the next level.
Level 5: 300-600. I made it 1500 from UTG +2 with J9o and the tight player in MP made it 4000 resulting in another fold from me. I made it 1500 from MP with 75cc and the button and BB called. The flop came J96, we checked to the button, he bet 1500, and we both called. The turn came another J, we checked to the button again, this time he bet 2500, and I ended up folding. The idiot guy opened from UTG +2 to 1500 and I called in MP with A2dd. The flop came JT8 and I folded to his bet. A player in EP opened to 1300, the idiot guy called, I 3-bet to 4000 from the cutoff with KJo, and they both called. The flop came 877 and I folded to 6000 from the idiot guy. At this point I was looking for good spots to iso that guy because he was really going off the deep end at this point (this KJ hand was an attempt to do just that even though he wasnt the original opener I thought I could iso him). The idiot guy opened to 1800 from UTG +1, I 3-bet to 4000 from MP with ATdd, the tight player behind in MP made it 14000, we both folded, and he showed QQ again. A player opened UTG to 1500 (guy on my right, not idiot guy 2 on my right), I 3-bet to 3400 from UTG +1 with 98hh, it folded to him, he 4-bet to 12000 and I folded. I made it 1500 UTG with 76dd and got 4 calls. The flop came A87 all spades and I folded to a bet. A player in MP opened to 1400 and I called from the button with 77. The blinds also called and we checked to the turn on JJT8 where I folded to a bet. The hijack (guy on my right) opened to 1600 and I 3-bet to 3800 from the cutoff with 87o. He called and check/folded to 3000 on a K64 flop. The blinds went up and after that unsuccessful level, I was down to 58800.
Level 6: 400-800. I opened to 1800 from UTG with J8dd and everyone folded. The button limped and I completed from the SB with 66. The flop came T84, I donked 1200, and everyone folded. I made it 1800 from the button with ATo and the blinds called. We checked to the turn on 9635 and I folded to a bet. I made it 1800 from UTG +2 with K3dd and the button called. The flop came 553, I bet 2200, she made it 6000, I folded, and she showed JJ. I never thought that she would bluff here so I ended up folding even when I hit the flop here. A player in MP opened to 1800, the hijack called, and I called from the SB with A8ss. The flop came AKT all hearts and I folded to a bet and a call (tighter players so I just got out of there). I was back to a near starting stack of 51200 and we went up a level.
Level 7: 500-1000. Around this time the table settled down as the idiot guy busted. I made it 2300 with A7o from the cutoff and everyone folded. A player in EP opened to 2300 and I found AKo on the button and decided to mix it up by just calling. The flop came J64, he bet 2600, and I called. The turn came a 9, he bet 6200, and I folded. I opened to 2300 from the cutoff with ATo and the button called. We checked to the turn of Q64A and I check called 2500. The river came a 2, I checked, he bet 5000, I called and he showed JTo for a bluff. I opened to 2300 from the hijack with JTo, the cutoff 3-bet to 6000, the button called, and I decided to call as well. We checked down Q85J4 and I was somehow good for a decent sized pot. I was up to 75000 or so again when I got pretty unlucky in a hand that I played super well. The tight player on my left (who had 3-bet me a couple times and showed big hands most of the time but also did try to bluff me with JTo that time) opened to 3000 from UTG and I decided to just flat AKo again, this time from the BB. We checked to the turn on 922A, I checked, he bet 4000, I made it 10500, and he called. The river came a J, I checked, and he checked behind showing AJ for a rivered 2 pair that got there on my AK. Kind of sick becuase I KNOW he was calling no matter what on the river and I said anything but a Q or a J I am going to punish him so hard. Not only did I lose the ~17k in chips but I also lost the extra 25k I was going to bet and get called on the river if that J doesnt come. As it was I was back down to 56600 and we went up to the next level.
Level 8 600-1200 100. I made it 2500 with 75cc from UTG, UTG +2 called, A player in MP 3-bet to 6600, and I folded. The button opened to 3000, I found KK in the SB and 3-bet to 9100, and he called. The flop came an ugly AQ9, I checked, and he checked behind. The turn came a nice looking Kh giving me a set and putting a flush draw on board. I bet 11k, he made it 25k, I went all in for 43k total and after tanking a really really long time he ended up calling. He showed 76hh for a flush draw (I was hoping to have him dead after how long he took!) but he missed when the river came an offsuit 8. Its amazing how incredibly face-up I played this hand and I still got action on it (I wasnt even playing loose at this time just ABC poker). I was up to around 105000 after this hand. I made it 2500 UTG with T8hh and the button and BB called. The flop came AA4 and we all checked. The turn came a Q, I bet 3600, and the button called. The river came a 3, I bet 11000 thinking that this would take this weak-tight player off a Q for sure, but she quickly called showing A6 and I was back down to 87k (I am pretty sure I was right about her folding the Q though). There was 1 limp and I made it 2600 from the button with Q9o. He called and the flop came A32, he checked, I bet 3100, and he called. The turn came a 5c putting 2 clubs on board, he lead for 5000, I made it 13500, and he called. The river came the Kc, he bet 12000, and I had to fold. Grrrr. . .whats so sick about this hand is that I was so sure that he had nothing on the flop when he called, and that when he donked the turn it is probably a flush draw so I had the hand setup so perfectly to win with Q high but the flush got there, he donked again, and I had to fold. My chip stack had quickly gone back down to 68k or so. I opened to 2500 with KJo from UTG +2, the SB 3-bet to 6500, and I folded. I made it 2500 with 66 from UTG and a player in MP called. The board ran to the turn on T73Q where I folded to 4500. I was down to 61500 and we went up a level.
Level 9: 800-1600 200. A player in EP limped, a player in MP made it 3600, I called from the BB with A9ss, and the limper called as well. The flop came KK5 and I check/folded to a bet. I made it 3500 with 74dd from MP and the weaktight lady called from the BB. The flop came KT8 and she checkfolded to 4100. I made it 3500 from UTG +2 with A2ss and got 2 calls. We checked to the turn on T765 and I folded to a bet. I then made a questionable play (possibly out of frustration of losing every pot) but it worked out nonetheless. I opened to 3500 with A5dd from UTG +1 and got called by the cutoff, button, and SB. The flop came J62 and everyone checked. The turn came a 4, the SB checked, I checked, the cutoff bet 5500, the button called, the SB called, and I just decided to jam my last 55000 or so into the pot as a squeeze and pray for folds. The cutoff folded pretty quickly, the button sat and tanked for about 90 seconds and slowly folded, and the SB sat there for forever, counting his chips, thinking, but eventually folding giving me the much needed win. Sometimes a goofy play like this is all you need to boost you to the next level as I was now up to about 80k or so and on the very next hand, my stack got a whole lot bigger. I was still ecstatic about my bluff when I found a beautiful AA UTG and casually opened to 3500. It folded to the BB and he 3-bet me to 11000 and I decided just to smooth call to trap. The flop came T84, he bet 15k, I put him all in for his ~50k effective (total) and he snap called showing KK for the massive cooler (either way if I would have 4-bet it probably would have been the same). The board ran out 53 and I dodged the bad beat and my stack skyrocketed to ~145k. The hijack made it 4000 and I called from the BB with 88. The flop came AQT and I check folded to his 4000 bet. I made it 3500 with 77 from UTG +2, a player in MP called, another player in MP 3-bet to 13400, and I folded. I made it 3500 from UTG with AQo and the BB was the only caller. The flop came Q73 and he check folded to my 4100 bet. I was at 146300 and we went up to the next level.
Level 10: 1000-2000 300. A player UTG +2 opened to 5500, I made it 13600 from MP with AsTx and he called. The flop came 853 all spades and we both checked. The turn came a 7, he checked, I bet 10500, and he folded. I wasnt very active this level and we went to the last level of the day with me having 147100.
Level 11: 1200-2400 400. I made it 5100 with AJo from UTG, UTG +2 called, a player in MP made it 20100, and I folded (he showed QQ). A player in EP limped, the SB completed, and I checked the BB with 52o. The flop came T44 2 clubs, we checked to EP, he bet 3200, the SB raised to 8000, I cold 3-bet to 20500 from the BB, and they both folded. Whew. . .thought this was a good spot as I know the limper is c-betting a paired board light here and I know the raiser will likely be slowplaying a 4 if he has one and my play looks so strong it would likely get him to fold a T. Luckily it worked perfectly. I made it 5100 with A3hh from UTG +1 and everyone folded. I made it 5100 from UTG +1 with KTcc, the hijack 3-bet to 13500, the BB moved all in for 110000, and I folded. The level ended soon thereafter with me having 150900 and that was the end of the day.
Overall the 1st day was pretty good for me. I ran really good at the start of the day, hit some rough patches in the mid levels, but thanks to a massive cooler in my favor ended up with an above average stack for day 2 (avg was around 120k and I had 150900). I had a day off in between day 1a and day 2 so I relaxed and came back the next day ready to roll for the 268k.
DAY 2
Level 12: 1500-3000 400. First hand of the day I played was pretty awesome. After going through the blinds I was at around 145k or so. There was a middle aged guy who looked semi-rereational and he had been extremely active at the start of the day, raising probably 4-5 pots in the 1st orbit. He kept saying "Man these cards are ridiculous, I cant believe this, I was planning on sitting back and playing tight but I just cant with these cards". So this hand begins with him UTG +1. He looks at his hand and laughs to himself as if to say "again. . .no way" and opens to 7500. It folds to me in the cutoff and I find KJo and figure that if he is strong he cant be that strong so I 3-bet him to 18000. It folds to him and he takes about 30 seconds before 4-betting to 40000. It gets back to me and I dont take much time before 5-bet shipping my final ~145000 and he shakes his head as if to say "theyre good but not that good" and releases his hand. Weeeee. What really really sealed this hand for me is the fact that he laughed after looking at his cards. Think about it. . .if he has been talking about how much he has been playing and he looks down at AA KK or QQ is he really going to laugh and then play? No chance. He is going to be raising focused and not draw attention (even if it is subconsciously) to the fact that he had been advertising how often he had been raising. He obviously had a decent hand but theres no way his laugh indicates a hand that can call a 5-bet jam like that. Just like that I was up to ~188k. However after this the day spiralled out of control EXTREMLY quickly and I ended up pretty sick to my stomach (which is too bad. . .even then it made me sick that the day started of soooo well with that play and had to go so poorly after that so looking back on it it makes me equally as sick at the missed opportunity). I found 77 UTG and opened to 6800 and got called by the BB. The flop came K63, he checked, I bet 8200, and he called. The turn came a T and we both checked. The river came a 2, he checked, I came really really close to putting in a value bet but decided to just check behind but was no good when he showed KQ. A couple hands later is when it really came unglued. The guy who had been raising opened to 7500 UTG, a younger kid UTG +2 3-bet to 31000, I found AKo on the button and cold 4-bet all in for everyones effective stacks (SB and BB had insignificant amounts, opening raiser had ~120k, and the 3-bettor had around 90k). Everyone folded to the 3-bettor who quickly called and showed AA and I got demolished on an all blank board. I briefly thought about folding but the thought was fleeting because he was a younger kid meaning he might have been capable of making a move (like I did previously) on the guy who had been raising alot. His range doesnt have to be huge and he doenst necessarily have to be super strong and I would gladly take AK vs his range. However, one thing I didnt really think about until after the hand is that younger kids can be terrible players as well. He hadnt played a hand all day (which really doesnt say THAT much about his skill level or ability to make a play) but that combined with his raise size could have MAYBE sent alarm bells off if I would have thought about it a little more. In retrospect he really play the hand awfully and got lucky to get action. If someone else opens and he 3-bets like that, well I probably still will be 4-betting him all in which sucks, but it is much easier to think about a fold. Anyways, after this hand I was down to about ~85k or so. 2 hands later, I found A9ss in the hijack and opened to 6800, it folded to the BB and he jammed for his last 70k or so and I decided to call. He showed AQdd and I didnt improve and I was crippled to my last 15k or so. I guess this could be a fold but whatever. . .he had already reshoved 2 times at the table today and it looked like he was trying to increase his stack but looking back on it he probably had it both of those times since people are scared to make moves. Whatever, I dont hate my call but I look like an idiot typing about it now I guess. Anyways, a couple of hands later I found 33 in MP and put my last 15k in and the guy on my left isoed by making it 50k or something. He turned over AKo, turned a K, and ended my tournament painstakingly earlier than it should have.
Day 2 was just an awful experience for me but you really have to move on from it I guess (I mean I have now but it is almost 3 months later and I have played no poker since).
Overall the summer was a pretty good success. I got deep a ton, made a major final table, and had some successes. Hopefully I will be able to play more poker in the future but with online closing and the cost of playing live I dont know how much I will be able to do so. Poker wise, this was my best summer yet. It was very enjoyable and I was able to learn a ton. Hopefully this will translate into success in the future for me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment