Tourney: October 1st 2011 Fall Poker Classic Event #1 $340

Today was the opening event of the Fall Poker Classic at Canterbury Park and I was raring to go. The event was a $340 no limit event and it got about 250 players paying 30 spots with 17k going to 1st. The structures you see in Minnesota are not nearly as good as the structures you see in Vegas over the summer. We started with 12000 in chips and the levels were 40 minutes long. Several levels were skipped and this lead to the avg stack to be pretty small compared to the blinds. However the worse structure is made up for by the general terrible play you see in Minnesota. I literally did not see one player who actually played above average throughout the tournament.

Level 1: 25-50. The guy on the button opened to 150 into my SB and a dead BB. I found A5o and 3-bet him to 400 and he folded. There were 4 limps to my button and I made it 450 with J9dd getting 1 call. The flop came 932 and he check folded to my 550 bet. I then played a pretty big pot in an interesting spot. A player in EP opened to 150 getting 3 calls to me in the hijack. I found 77 and called, the button called, the BB then 3-bet to 1025, the initial raiser and the 3 other callers folded, I decided to call the 1025, and the button called as well. We took the flop 3 handed and it came Qx7h6h giving me a set. The 3-bettor lead for 1500, I decided to just smooth call, and the button called as well. The turn came the 4h putting a potential flush on board. The BB checked, I checked, and the button bet out 3525. The button folded and I decided to call. The river came an offsuit 6, pairing the board and giving me a full house. I went all in for my last 6000 or so and the guy on the button tanked for a while and then folded. He later told me he had Th9h for the flush so I guess I ended up getting pretty lucky on the river. ..bah. I dont know if I like how I played this hand. I maybe should have raised the flop but the preflop 3-bettor was super spazy so I dont know if he has it for sure. I was obviously trapping and it didnt work when the flush came but worked when I paired the river. I guess I dont hate smooth calling the flop it just didnt necessarily work the way I wanted it to this time. Anyways, this hand won me some chips and I was at 21500 when we went up to the next level.

Level 2: 50-100. A player in MP raised to 225, I called from the hijack with 88, and the button and SB called. The flop came A92 and I folded to a bet. I was then able to get pretttty lucky in a hand to win some more chips. There was 1 limp to me in MP and I found AA and made it 425. The cutoff, button (spazy 3-bettor from the 77 hand), and the limper called and the flop came down 553 2 clubs. The limp/caller checked, I decided to just check here, the cutoff bet out 1000, the button called, the limper folded, and I put the cutoff and button all in for their effective stacks of 5k and 8k (total including the 1k bet). The cutoff tanked for a while and folded and the spaz on the button called showing 85o. Ugh. Anyways, the turn came my saving ace and the river blanked and I was able to suckout with AA to win another substantial pot. Damn kind of sucks. My plan to get one of those guys to bet and me to put them all in worked perfectly. When the guy flats the 1000 on the button I am giving him credit for a hand but it doesnt necessarily need to be a 5. Especially when 1)he is a generally spazy player (any overpair/underpair or even a 3 he is likely calling here) and 2)the board is 2-tone so a flush draw is also likely. Dont hate the way I played the hand just got outflopped and got lucky to get there. I was up to 32k or so after this hand. The cutoff limped and I made it 250 on the button with 22. He was the only caller and the flop came 442 2 spades. He checked and I checked behind. The turn came the 3h, putting 2 hearts on board now, he lead for 200, I made it 850, and he called. The river came the Qs, he checked, I bet 2500, and he folded. I bet he had a heart flush draw that missed so I probably wasnt making much more money on this hand. Next hand, there were 2 limps to my hijack and I made it 250 with A3ss. The BB and the limpers called and the flop came a nice looking 542 making me the straight. They all checked to me, I bet 625, the BB raised to 1525, the other callers folded, and I just flatted his raise. The turn came an ugly A making my straight less disguised, but he still lead for 2500 which I flatted again. The river came a 7, he lead 2500 again, I put him all in for about 3500 more (6000 total) and he called but mucked when I showed my straight. Somehow I had rocketed my stack all the way up to 44k or so less than an hour into the tournament. The player UTG+2 raised to 200, I found AA (again) in MP immediately behind him and 3-bet to 700. He was the only caller. The flop came Q97, he checked, I bet 1050, and he folded. I opened to 250 from UTG +2 with J7ss and everyone folded. I opened to 250 UTG with A8ss, the button 3-bet to 700, and I folded. The button opened to 250 into my SB and a dead BB, I found A7o, almost 3-bet him again but decided to just flat. We checked down K4293 where he bet 500 and I called but mucked when he showed AA. I opened to 250 on the button with KQcc and the SB was the only caller. The flop came J53 2 clubs and he check/folded to my 325 bet. I opened to 250 from the cutoff with 77 and the BB was the only caller. We checked to the turn on KJ35 where he folded to my 325 bet. I was all the way up to a massive stack of 44825 as we went up to the next level.

Level 3: 100-200. I opened to 450 with 54dd from UTG, the cutoff 3-bet to 1400, and I folded. The player UTG +1 opened to 500, I found 77 in MP and called, and the BB called as well. The flop came 654 giving me an open ended straight draw. The BB checked, the raiser bet out 1200, I called, and the BB called as well. The turn came an A, the BB checked, the raiser checked, and I thought it was a good card for me to bet so I fired 3100 and they both folded. I opened to 450 from UTG +2 with TT and got calls from MP and the blinds. The flop came KQ6 all hearts and I ended up folding to a bet. There was 1 limp and I checked the BB with T3o. The board ran out AATQ6 where I bet 200 and the limper called showing QJ for the winner. I was up to 46675 and we on the 1st break.

Level 4: 200-400. I opened to 850 from UTG +1 with 86ss and everyone folded. The SB completed into my BB and I checked 44 behind. The flop came AJT and he check folded to my 525 bet. I made it 850 with 88 from UTG +1 and the button was the only caller. The flop came 987, I bet out 1125, and he folded. Grrr. A player in MP limped, the cutoff raised to 800, I found QJhh in the SB and called, the limp 3-bet to 3300, and the raiser and I both folded. I made it 850 with A4ss in the cutoff, the button 3-bet to 2500, and I folded. I still finished this livel slightly up and I took 46875 to the next level.

Level 5: 200-400 25. For some reason at this point, I decided to go away from my somewhat solid play and tried to play a hand a little fancy which cost me some chips. A really ABC tight player (as alot of them are) opened to 1200 UTG and I was telling myself if I found a spot where I could get HU with a tight player with position then I was (as they are easy to take pots from and play so ABC its obvious when they have it) so I called from the button with K7o. The flop came J42, he lead 1600, I decided to see where he was at by making it 4125, and he called. This immediately made me want to shut it down. The turn came a 9, he checked, and I checked behind. The river came a T, he checked, and I knew I couldnt win with A high and since he checked the river after I checked behind the turn, I didnt think he was THAT strong so I fired out a pretty large bet of 7525 which he instantly called showing AA. I sometimes forget how passive these people play. I should have just shut it down after the flop like I planned on doing, or even better would have been to just stick to my plan and not play this hand in the 1st place. I lost some chips and was down to around 33k or so after this hand. A player in EP opened to 1200, a player in MP called, I found AJss on the button and flatted, and the BB called as well. The flop came 766 and I folded to an all in. I opened to 850 with K6dd from MP, the player in the hijack moved all in for 5500, and I folded. The player on my right opened to 1100 UTG +1, I found AJss UTG +2 and 3-bet to 2525, and he called. We checked to the turn on 8438 where he folded to my bet of 3250. The player on my right opened in MP to 1100 again and I found AQdd right behind and 3-bet again to 2525. He called and we checked to the turn on an eerily similar board or 8436 where he check/called my bet of 3250 this time. The river came an 8, he checked, and I checked behind but had the loser when he had A8hh. I was down to 27125 and we went up to the next level.

Level 6: 300-600 50. I opened to 1350 with AKo UTG +2 and the BB called. The flop came 732, he checked, I bet 1525, and he folded. I opened to 1350 from UTG with KTo and the BB (guy on my left) called. The flop came Q54 and he check/folded to my 1600 bet. I was back up to 32k or so but then disaster struck in back to back hands. A cally/aggressive type player opened to 1800 UTG, the player on my right called from MP, I found AKss right behind him in MP and 3-bet to 6100, it folded to the tight player (from the K7 vs AA hand) on the button and he decided to cold 4-bet all in! He had about 50k or so so he had my 31k-32k covered pretty handily. The raiser and caller folded and I tanked for a while before deciding to fold this massive hand. One thing thats weird about this hand is my 3-betting size. Usually I would 3-bet a little smaller here to prevent plays like this but why I did this is because both the inital raiser and the guy on my right are super cally and I didnt want them both flatting my 3-bet then me having to check fold. I liked 6100 because 1)its likely I wouldnt get them both to call and 2)I really want them to think about committing their stacks here (they both had ~20k) and a smaller raise wont get cally types thinking about their stack so I kind of wanted to hit them harder. As for the fold, I dont know how weak it is but the guy is so tight and ABC it has to be a huge hand so I think I can live with letting it go here. Anyways, the very next hand the guy on my right opened to 1800 from UTG +2, I found QQ behind him in MP and just flatted, and the cally guy from the last hand called in the BB. The flop came down 876, they checked to me, I bet 3025, the caller in the BB went all in for ~18k, the raiser folded, and I called pretty quickly. He showed 99 and the board ran out 65 giving him a straight on the river and cracking my queens. I was down to 5500 or so after this hand. A couple hands later, I found TT UTG +1 and moved all in for my 5500. The cally guy called my all in from the button and showed AKo and the board ran out QQKTA (I run good) giving me a double up to around 12k. I opened to 1350 from the cutoff with A8ss into the tight guys BB and he was the only caller. The flop came down 974, he checked, I bet 1600, he put me all in, and I folded. I was at 8200 and we went on the 2nd break and onto the next level.

Level 7: 400-800 75. I moved to a new table with a different set of players (mostly younger aggressive guys but bad, stupid aggressive. . .like honestly terrible and they all thought they were awesome. . .Id say the "bad young players" I played with in Vegas were levels ahead of these guys). I found JTo in MP and moved about 6k in (effectively all in) and everyone folded. A player UTG +1 opened to 2200, I made it 6500 (of my ~10k) from UTG +2 with KK, and everyone folded. I found J8ss from the hijack and effectively moved all in (~8k) and everyone folded. A player opened to 1800 from UTG +1 and I reshoved my ~11k from the SB with J8o and he folded. I was at 14900 and we went up to the next level.

Level 8: 600-1200 100. First hand of the level, the player on my right moved all in for 4400 from MP, I found AQss in MP behind and reshoved, and everyone else folded. He showed 98cc and the board ran out 53552 getting me up to 22k or so. The button opened to 2800 and i moved about 18k (of my 22k) in from the BB with AQss and he folded. A donk limped UTG +1, I found A9o in the hijack and opened to 2700, and the BB and limper both called. The flop came Q65, they checked to me, I bet 4100, and they both folded. I was around 30k after this. I opened to 2700 from UTG with A7o and everyone folded. I was at 29700 and we went up another level.

Level 9: 800-1600 100 (odd 100 ante IMO). I was again moved to a new table this one consisting of tighter old men. One of these older men opened to 4000 from the cutoff and I just flatted from the button when I found the monsterous KK. He only had 15000 to start the hand so I didnt want to scare him into folding (like older people like to do when they get put all in). The flop came K82, he bet 4000 again, and I just called again. The turn came a 7, he went all in for 7000, I called, and he showed AQhh and was drawing dead and I was up to 45k or so. I was moved tables again after this and had a mix of new players at my table. I opened to 3500 from the hijack with 98o into the blinds of 2 older men (who I snap assume are tight ABC). The BB called and the flop came T62. He checked, I bet 4100, and he put me all in resulting in a fold by me. A player UTG opened to 3600, a player in MP called, the button called, I found AJo in the BB and moved my last 35k all in, and they all folded after about 30 seconds-1 minute tank each. I opened ot 3500 from the cutoff with KJo and the BB called. We checked to the river on 9993A where he bet 2500 and I called but mucked when he showed 77 (odd way to play it). I was at 41700 and we went up to the next level.

Level 10: 1000-2000 200. The button moved all in for 11k and I called in the BB with KJo after a little tank. He showed AKo and the board ran out 97649 giving him the pot. He was middle aged but I should have noted that he folded out his stack to 11k so he obviously always has it even when hes moving in on the button. I was down to 28k or so after this. I found 97cc in MP and moved about 15k all in (effectively all in) into 2 tight players blinds and everyone folded. I found 22 UTG +2 and moved my ~30k in and everyone folded. I was at around 32k after the blinds passed and I moved ~20k in from MP into the same tight players BBs with J9ss. However, this time another guy in MP went all in behind with a stack that covered me and I had to call. He showed AA and the board ran out KsJxTs9x2s giving me a great flop, better turn, and awesome river to crack AA (I run good) and double me to ~68k. A couple hands later, we went up to the next level and I had 68400.

Level 11: 1500-3000 300. I had 68400 but the average was only about 54k so there really wasnt much wiggle room for anyone in the tournament as the average stack was only 19 bbs and many of the tight old men had stacks that were much less than that. I found A9o from MP in the 2 tight guys blinds and raised to 6600 and everyone folded. I made it 6600 from A8o from UTG +2 and the guy behind me called in MP. The flop came K87, I checked, he bet 6000, and I called. We checked down a turn and river of 29 and I was no good when he showed JJ. I think I missed a good bluff opportunity here because I knew I was beat but that guy plays sooooo weaktight I can probably get him to fold if I put any pressure on him (especially since there were about 50 players left and 30 got paid). I opened to 6600 from UTG +1 with ATo and everyone folded. I was on 55k or so and I opened to 6600 from UTG +2 into the tight guys BBs with 95o. A player in MP moved all in for 18000 or so and I called. He showed KQss and the board ran out 5TJ49 rivering him a straight and knocking me down to 35k. I moved all in from UTG with KQo and everyone folded. I was at 40k or so and one of the tight guys whos blind I had been raising opened to 10k UTG. I found AQcc UTG +2 and moved all in. It folded to him and he called for his last 32k or so showing JJ and the board ran out 854J4 and I was crippled. This might be a mistake because he was really tight but he was still opening once a round or so and it seemed to me the pressure of the bubble was kind of getting to him and his shorter stack so I thought he might be raising lighter than what he usually would or what most old men would be raising with here. Even if this is the case it still might be a mistake because with the table I was at, I would probably have more success just stealing my stack up rather than taking a race or a 70-30 at this point. Maybe im over thinking it but I think its probably a mistake. I was crippled down to 5400 <2bbs and next hand I found 44 and moved all in UTG +1. A player behind isoed to 8000 and a player behind him went all in. The isoer called showing 88 and the all in had AJss and I wasnt able to hit a 4 and even if I did the AJ made a flush so I would have busted anyways.

I was eliminated in about 40th place with 30 people cashing so pretty disappointing especially considering I dogged AA with J9ss in a pretty large pot at that point of the tournament. All I can do is focus on playing better and come back the next day at the peak of my game.