If I'm completely honest, I think having my non-poker friends invest in me affected me slightly. With poker mates they know what they are getting in to, these guys don't. I mean they do to a certain degree, but they don't have such a knowledge of the game that I do. As a result, I felt pre-tournament nerves that I don't normally feel. Nothing major, just a little apprehensive. I knew they would go as soon as I sat at the table.
After buying in for the afternoon start (it was split into two flights) we got under at 2pm. With 10,000 starting stack, a 40 minute clock and the blinds starting at 25/50 I knew there was absolutely no rush to get involved in big pots.
Things started slowly for me, but there was one or two players getting involved in 5K pots within the first few hands. It was good to sit back and watch them, and I learnt a lot about those three players. It wasn't long before one of them busted out, I had identified him as a weak player but fortunately there was still one more weak player at the table.
I saw him involved in a pot where in position in a three-bet pot he called down with AT on a T-3-4-7-8 board after it being fired three times from the preflop raiser and called by the player in the middle all three times. The three bettor had QQ to win the pot, but it was an interesting hand. Identifying the calling station allowed me to pick up a nice 5K pot from him shortly after.
Key Hand #1
Pocket Jacks vs Calling Station
With the blinds at 75/150 I am sitting with a stack of 11.5K where I have picked up the odd pot here and there. I haven't actually shown down any hands yet. There has been one limper in mid position, it's Mr Calling-Station. I raise it up to 725, the button and the blinds get out of the way, but as expected, Mr C-Station calls.
My Hand:
The two of us see the flop.
The Flop:
Mr C-Station checks to me, I bet out 1,250 into the 1,675 pot and he calls me. Now I'm not too sure what he could be calling me with, but judging from how passively he played the previous hand there is definitely a King in his range. Depending on the turn, I think I'm going to slow down a little.
The Turn:
My opponent checks to me again, deciding to exercise a bit of pot control and not to get into a tricky situation I check back.
The River:
Once again, my opponent checks to me. As far as I'm concerned three checks on the bounce is all the information I need to know that I should bet this and bet a decent amount. There is currently 4,175 in the pot, so I decide to bet out 3,175.
He dwells for a moment and calls, I show my hand and it's good enough to take down the pot. My opponent mucks and I don't get to see his hand. I find it disrespectful to ask to see an opponents hand when they muck so I didn't exercise that right. Either way, I'm glad I won the pot.
After that hand, I went through a dry spell, not quite connecting with the flop, not getting cards, unable to find any good spots in order make a move. Then the following hand happened.
Key Hand #2
The Bullets on a King High Flop
We were approaching the end of the 100/200/25 level, my stack had slipped down to about 12K when I found myself on the button with an absolute monster. With the antes now in play (they come in early in this structure) I have decided to start getting more aggressive and have already three-bet about four hands previously and got a fold. Importantly, the three-bet was also to the same opponent. The first time he raised with AJ, I three-bet with AK, he folded (and showed), I mucked.
My Hand:
The big stack at the table (just doubled up with a dubious turn call to river a flush) has been getting more active. It's folded to him and he raises it up to 800 from mid position. He had been varying his raises between 600 and 1100, I hadn't seen any hands to pick up any reads on what the sizes meant. It's folded to me and I find the bullets, I elect to raise. I make it 1,850 and everyone gets out of our way, this time my opponent makes the call.
The Flop:
The all black flop made me a bit uncomfortable because I didn't want to have to face some crazy check-raise and can't decide if my opponent was on a draw or not. However, having the Ace of spades eases that a bit. My opponent checks to me, and I decide to keep up the story. With 4,225 in the pot, I decide to bet out 2,800.
The villain quickly makes the call.
The Turn:
There is now 9,825 in the pot, I have roughly 7.3K left of my stack. My opponent eyes me up before asking how much I have behind, I move my hand from my stack so he can see for himself but I don't speak. He then annouces that he'll put me all-in.
I dwelled. And I dwelled. And I dwelled some more. I studied my opponent as he counted out the chips required to put me all-in. He seemed confident, I tried to decide what hands he could have in his range. Given that he folded AJ to me, I can assume that whatever he's called me with is at least a somewhat reasonable holding.
I think I can eliminate KK, QQ from his range. JJ, 55, 77 are all very possible, as is AK. I don't think he makes this move with TT, 99 or 88. If he folds hands like AJ, then I think he most likely folds hands like KQ, KJ. Overall, I just couldn't see how I could be ahead added to the fact I felt I was one of the better players at the table I begrudgingly folded.
I decided to show my fold to try and induce my opponent to show his cards. It worked.
My Opponent's Hand:
I made the right fold and I had lost the minimum in the hand.
Key Hand #3: My Final Hand
Straight Flush Draw Against a New Opponent
By now my stack and been diminished to just 6K and the blinds were now at 150/300/25. The ante was eating away at my stack, slowly but surely. Two big stacks had joined my table and they were active, plus two smaller stacks (10BB range) kept pushing all-in and I just couldn't find any spots to three-bet late position raisers or generally get involved to try and gain chips.
I decided it was time to take some risks, and try to see some flops so that I can either hit something or try to outplay my opponents. With several limpers in the pot, and I was on the button, I decided this was a good time to try and see a cheap pot.
My Hand:
Two limpers already and on the button I put 300 in so I can get involved in the fun as well, the small blind completes and the big blind checks.
The Flop:
This is what is popularly known as a Dream Flop.
My up and down straight flush draw was huge for me, and I had every intention of getting in as many chips on the flop as I possible could. The small blind checks, the big blind leads out with a bet of 1,500 into a 1,750 pot. The two mid position limpers quickly get out of the way and the action is on me, with 3,250 in the pot and I just have a 6,000 stack, there was more than enough in there for me.
I moved all-in!
The small blind folded like a cheap hooker who got punched in the stomach. The big blind however didn't. He dwelled for a moment and before declaring that he thought I was making a move, I thought he must have a weak Jack and isn't sure whether to get involved. How wrong I was! After about two minutes the big blind makes the call.
My Opponent's Hand:
I couldn't believe it! That was perfect, I'm not sure what he put me on but whatever happens I'm glad he came to the decision. With any 2, 5, 6, 7 or club as outs I had 23 cards to give me the winning hand, close to half the deck. Twice!
The Turn:
Not great, but still I have 2, 7 or clubs!
The River:
Fuck. My. Life.
I ran the numbers on the hand, and I was a 68.89% favourite when all the money went in. My 23 outs to hit on the turn or the river made me a decent favourite, unfortunately, my hand wasn't made and I did still need to hit. This time I didn't and I went home as a result.
I didn't feel overly disappointed, I felt I played well the whole tournament, albeit briefly. Even the hand that eliminated my I couldn't feel too bad about because I didn't do a single thing wrong, I got the money in when I had close to half the deck to hit and my opponent made a hero call with a marginal hand that held.
As long as I get into spots like this everytime I'm in a tournament it won't be long before I get a big score and that's good enough for me!!
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