Dominic
08-26-2004, 06:39 PM
Okay, I went and played the $540 Super Satellite last night for the $5000 main event being held this weekend...
here's how it went...
start with T2000...blinds at 25-25...levels go up every 20 minutes...
140 people...so 14 people win a seat....sweet!
I sit down and immediately notice I have Jim McManus of "Positively Fifth Street" fame on my right and Kenna James on my left. Tobey McGuire is next to Kenna. I also recognize two others from WSOP and/or WPT broadcasts but don't remember their names...gonna be an interesting table...
Almost immediately, Kenna James busts out with AQ to somebodies JJ...he sits and watches for a few more hands, talking it up and being very funny. Seems like a nice guy.
I fold 99 pre-flop after it's raised and re-raised before it even gets to me.
Jim McManus is a cool guy and talks to me about writing (I'm a writer).
Not getting many hands here...I raise with AQ in the CO and pick up the blinds...raise a little later with AK in MP, get re-raised by a guy who was just moved to our table...I think about it a second, move all-in and the guy folds, putting me at about 3000 in chips...
I limp with 99 UTG, get two callers and an all-in...I fold.
Tobey McGuire busts out...seems a little loose...
Amir Vahedi gets moved to our table...Scotty Ngyen is playing a few tables a away, as is Men the Master...
I go card dead for the next 90 minutes...not even a picture card...one time I do get A10 UTG and for some reason I raise(!) simply because I was so excited to see a decent starting hand...I know, stupid...naturally, I get re-raised and I fold.
I'm down to T1500 and the blinds are at 100-200, ante 50...
I figure I'm pretty close to push mode if I get a decent hand...
McManus loses a sizable pot and is scrambling like me...Vahedi isn't playing many hands, for some reason...he's also short-stacked...
I get J9s in the CO, it's folded around to me, I move all in and pick up the blinds and antes...woo hoo!
A half-hour later, it's down to 7 tables...I've got about T1300 and the blinds are at 200-400, antes 100...I'm in deep doo doo.
I pick up A9s in MP, move all-in, immediately get one caller....the others fold...he turns over KK...no help on the board, and I'm out.
Oh well. Tough to do any damage when you're a TAG like me and you get no cards...after I wish everyone good luck, I realize that my last hand was the ONLY one of the tournament where I actually saw a flop! Every other hand I was in - and there were only 5 or 6 - I either picked up with no flop or I folded pre-flop to a raise or re-raise. All the other hands were straight folds...
I find this amazing. I'm curious...anyone else ever play a whole tourney without ever seeing a flop?? I'd say I must've been playing too tight, but the cards I was getting and the fact that it was almost always raised pre-flop prtty much dictated what I was going to do....the only hand I think I could've played differently is the 99 I folded to the all-in...I had about T3000, he had about 1200 and I probably had the best hand...but it was still early and didn't feel like getting involved in a coin flip for half my stack....what do you think?
Oh well. It was interesting, though...cool table, fun group of guys...all in all a great experience...
just wish I could've played a little more poker!
here's how it went...
start with T2000...blinds at 25-25...levels go up every 20 minutes...
140 people...so 14 people win a seat....sweet!
I sit down and immediately notice I have Jim McManus of "Positively Fifth Street" fame on my right and Kenna James on my left. Tobey McGuire is next to Kenna. I also recognize two others from WSOP and/or WPT broadcasts but don't remember their names...gonna be an interesting table...
Almost immediately, Kenna James busts out with AQ to somebodies JJ...he sits and watches for a few more hands, talking it up and being very funny. Seems like a nice guy.
I fold 99 pre-flop after it's raised and re-raised before it even gets to me.
Jim McManus is a cool guy and talks to me about writing (I'm a writer).
Not getting many hands here...I raise with AQ in the CO and pick up the blinds...raise a little later with AK in MP, get re-raised by a guy who was just moved to our table...I think about it a second, move all-in and the guy folds, putting me at about 3000 in chips...
I limp with 99 UTG, get two callers and an all-in...I fold.
Tobey McGuire busts out...seems a little loose...
Amir Vahedi gets moved to our table...Scotty Ngyen is playing a few tables a away, as is Men the Master...
I go card dead for the next 90 minutes...not even a picture card...one time I do get A10 UTG and for some reason I raise(!) simply because I was so excited to see a decent starting hand...I know, stupid...naturally, I get re-raised and I fold.
I'm down to T1500 and the blinds are at 100-200, ante 50...
I figure I'm pretty close to push mode if I get a decent hand...
McManus loses a sizable pot and is scrambling like me...Vahedi isn't playing many hands, for some reason...he's also short-stacked...
I get J9s in the CO, it's folded around to me, I move all in and pick up the blinds and antes...woo hoo!
A half-hour later, it's down to 7 tables...I've got about T1300 and the blinds are at 200-400, antes 100...I'm in deep doo doo.
I pick up A9s in MP, move all-in, immediately get one caller....the others fold...he turns over KK...no help on the board, and I'm out.
Oh well. Tough to do any damage when you're a TAG like me and you get no cards...after I wish everyone good luck, I realize that my last hand was the ONLY one of the tournament where I actually saw a flop! Every other hand I was in - and there were only 5 or 6 - I either picked up with no flop or I folded pre-flop to a raise or re-raise. All the other hands were straight folds...
I find this amazing. I'm curious...anyone else ever play a whole tourney without ever seeing a flop?? I'd say I must've been playing too tight, but the cards I was getting and the fact that it was almost always raised pre-flop prtty much dictated what I was going to do....the only hand I think I could've played differently is the 99 I folded to the all-in...I had about T3000, he had about 1200 and I probably had the best hand...but it was still early and didn't feel like getting involved in a coin flip for half my stack....what do you think?
Oh well. It was interesting, though...cool table, fun group of guys...all in all a great experience...
just wish I could've played a little more poker!