Percula
02-27-2005, 05:20 PM
Since people have been enjoying the tournament reports, granted this is not a named event with a big buy-in it was a fun time and the biggest (buy-in and size) live MTT I have played to date.
Casino Arizona (CA) monthly $150 NL $20K gar prize pool tournament. Started at ~10am, I got there about 9:15 and signed up. Not too many people already signed up, wasn't too sure about this, I liked the idea of a big overlay, but did not like the idea of a small <50 person MTT where I would not expect more the 1-5 paid places. But my fears where unfounded as by 9:45 there was a 50 foot line at the sign cage. We actually started a few minutes late because there were still people signing up at 10am (they were in line before 10). We ended up with 277 players.
I drew #37 seat 10, yuk! Right next to the dealer (I hate that, I cant easily see seat 1-3, have to look out for the dealer, protect chip stacks and cards, not too mention the really fat guy behind me that has me crushed against the table, and as it turns out #9 was the kill seat and the one that I had to get up, lift my chair up and out for them to get in and out.)
We started with T2000 no bonus for ring game unlike many of the MTT around here. 30 minute levels for the first two hours. After the first two hours the tournament computer went dead, and frankly I am not sure if we switched to 60 levels after that or not. I was very focused on the play at the table.
First hand I got in that was not a total miss from the BB. The table was pretty solid, very few unraised pots, very few hands shown down and the ones that were, were premium hands. I pick up AQ in MP ten handed, it is folded around to me and I raise to 3xBB (standard raise at the table). SB calls and everyone else folds. Flop come Q36 rainbow, SB checks and I bet out with a pot sized bet, SB instantly pushes all-in. I seen him do this once before and got a fold and I realy realy felt like he was bluffing that time, and figured he was doing it again and called. I had him covered by a little and he showed KK and I was getting myself up to climb out of my cramped seat, when a Q fell on the turn and sit back down and say sorry to the guy, shake his hand and we are all smiles. Some guy in the 6 seat says "better to be lucky than good", which really kind of pissed me off and several others at the table off. I told him there was no way you could put him on an over pair based on the preflop play and I had to call. He went off on me, and I finally shut him with "I will bet you $100 right now that I am still here in my seat long after you bust out", which he took the bet.
Second hand, I am in early position at the end of the second level and have JJ, the nasty guy is in the BB and I raise to 3xBB. Everyone folds to the BB who smiles and says this is going to be fun and flat calls. Flop is JJ3 rainbow, he looks at me and laughs and pushes, I have him covered by a few hundred. I quickly call and he shows his AA and say "beat that" and I say sure and that will cost you $100, and turn over the case. He starts to storm off not wanting to pay the side bet, when his wife stops him at the end of the table, and pulls out his walet, take a $100 out and walks over to me and gives me the bills and tells me she is sorry for her husbands poor sprotmanship. We all had a good laugh after they left, him in tow looking really pissed. I am now the table chip leader and have won 2/3 of the buy-in back without even placing in the money! I jokingly ask if anyone else wants to take a side bet, we are all laughing and having a good time.
I did not play too many hands for the next hour or so, caught a nice BB special on one of the rare unraised pots, but did not get too much out of it. I stay pretty much where I was after the JJ hand with the BB special and a couple of late position blind steals. But we have a new chip leader at the table and I am now second at the table by a couple 1000.
Thrid hand I am on the button folded around to me and I have K9 off and raise to steal the blinds, SB folds and the BB flat calls. Flop comes K34 rainbow and the BB psuhes all-in, I lean back in my seat (as much as I could with big boy behind me) and low and behold I can see the pulse pounding in the guys neck and his right leg is shaking like and earthquake! I take this as he either has a monster or is on the total bluff. I think about it for a minute and decide he is on the bluff as he would be more likely to check the monster than push and call. He shows ATs none of his color on the board. He never hits and I am up nicely as the chip leader again at least until they fill his seat...
I lay low during the next two orbits wanting to see the new guy with the big stack, and sure enough he is aggressive, raising from just about any position and rarely getting played back against and the couple of times he did get played back at he pushed on the flop to get the fold.
Forth hand, I am on the button and everyone has folded around to me not wanting to see the raise from the BB (the aggressive guy), and I have AA (YES!!!). I limp in knowing the SB is folding unless he has a monster and that the BB is going to raise it. Sure enough the SB folds and the BB makes it 5xBB to go, I think about it for a little bit and flat call him hoping for the push on the flop. Flop come AK7 rainbow, sure enough he pushes I call in an instant and he shows AK and my set takes it down. I am now a massive chip leader at the table and likely in the tournament.
5th hand, very next hand in am in CO and a solid tight player in EP raises to 5xBB, all fold to me and I have KK and reraise to 15xBB, the aggressive guy I just took down to nearly nothing pushes for less than my raise and the EP goes into the tank and says "are you just being a bully now that you have the chips?", "I say sure, and if you want that side bet I might still take it LOL". He pushes for another ~20xBB and I call putting him on AK or AQ. Yep he turned up AK, aggressive guy shows TT, neither improve and I am sure I am overall chip leader now with about 60 left. Top 20 pay, with the real money 1-3 as usual. I have a final table stack I am sure.
I try to go into lay low mode and not play a hand unless I really have a monster until we get down to the near the bubble then it will be time to switch gears and start pushing people near the bubble.
The next hour and a half is nothing but one long bad beat story after another. Let me just put it this way, the only mistake I can posibly see in my play was playing at all during that time, I could have folded to the final table and had a decent shot at the big money. Just as a quick example... I am in the BB with AK and a short stack (~8xBB) pushes from CO and it is folded around to me and I have to call, his A8 takes it down. It was just one irrestable situation after another that I got sucked out on. I went out 27th of 277.
Oh well, I got back 2/3 of my buy-in, and played excellent poker and I am very happy overall, as I know that there are swings and bad luck, and next time, I will be at the final table.
Casino Arizona (CA) monthly $150 NL $20K gar prize pool tournament. Started at ~10am, I got there about 9:15 and signed up. Not too many people already signed up, wasn't too sure about this, I liked the idea of a big overlay, but did not like the idea of a small <50 person MTT where I would not expect more the 1-5 paid places. But my fears where unfounded as by 9:45 there was a 50 foot line at the sign cage. We actually started a few minutes late because there were still people signing up at 10am (they were in line before 10). We ended up with 277 players.
I drew #37 seat 10, yuk! Right next to the dealer (I hate that, I cant easily see seat 1-3, have to look out for the dealer, protect chip stacks and cards, not too mention the really fat guy behind me that has me crushed against the table, and as it turns out #9 was the kill seat and the one that I had to get up, lift my chair up and out for them to get in and out.)
We started with T2000 no bonus for ring game unlike many of the MTT around here. 30 minute levels for the first two hours. After the first two hours the tournament computer went dead, and frankly I am not sure if we switched to 60 levels after that or not. I was very focused on the play at the table.
First hand I got in that was not a total miss from the BB. The table was pretty solid, very few unraised pots, very few hands shown down and the ones that were, were premium hands. I pick up AQ in MP ten handed, it is folded around to me and I raise to 3xBB (standard raise at the table). SB calls and everyone else folds. Flop come Q36 rainbow, SB checks and I bet out with a pot sized bet, SB instantly pushes all-in. I seen him do this once before and got a fold and I realy realy felt like he was bluffing that time, and figured he was doing it again and called. I had him covered by a little and he showed KK and I was getting myself up to climb out of my cramped seat, when a Q fell on the turn and sit back down and say sorry to the guy, shake his hand and we are all smiles. Some guy in the 6 seat says "better to be lucky than good", which really kind of pissed me off and several others at the table off. I told him there was no way you could put him on an over pair based on the preflop play and I had to call. He went off on me, and I finally shut him with "I will bet you $100 right now that I am still here in my seat long after you bust out", which he took the bet.
Second hand, I am in early position at the end of the second level and have JJ, the nasty guy is in the BB and I raise to 3xBB. Everyone folds to the BB who smiles and says this is going to be fun and flat calls. Flop is JJ3 rainbow, he looks at me and laughs and pushes, I have him covered by a few hundred. I quickly call and he shows his AA and say "beat that" and I say sure and that will cost you $100, and turn over the case. He starts to storm off not wanting to pay the side bet, when his wife stops him at the end of the table, and pulls out his walet, take a $100 out and walks over to me and gives me the bills and tells me she is sorry for her husbands poor sprotmanship. We all had a good laugh after they left, him in tow looking really pissed. I am now the table chip leader and have won 2/3 of the buy-in back without even placing in the money! I jokingly ask if anyone else wants to take a side bet, we are all laughing and having a good time.
I did not play too many hands for the next hour or so, caught a nice BB special on one of the rare unraised pots, but did not get too much out of it. I stay pretty much where I was after the JJ hand with the BB special and a couple of late position blind steals. But we have a new chip leader at the table and I am now second at the table by a couple 1000.
Thrid hand I am on the button folded around to me and I have K9 off and raise to steal the blinds, SB folds and the BB flat calls. Flop comes K34 rainbow and the BB psuhes all-in, I lean back in my seat (as much as I could with big boy behind me) and low and behold I can see the pulse pounding in the guys neck and his right leg is shaking like and earthquake! I take this as he either has a monster or is on the total bluff. I think about it for a minute and decide he is on the bluff as he would be more likely to check the monster than push and call. He shows ATs none of his color on the board. He never hits and I am up nicely as the chip leader again at least until they fill his seat...
I lay low during the next two orbits wanting to see the new guy with the big stack, and sure enough he is aggressive, raising from just about any position and rarely getting played back against and the couple of times he did get played back at he pushed on the flop to get the fold.
Forth hand, I am on the button and everyone has folded around to me not wanting to see the raise from the BB (the aggressive guy), and I have AA (YES!!!). I limp in knowing the SB is folding unless he has a monster and that the BB is going to raise it. Sure enough the SB folds and the BB makes it 5xBB to go, I think about it for a little bit and flat call him hoping for the push on the flop. Flop come AK7 rainbow, sure enough he pushes I call in an instant and he shows AK and my set takes it down. I am now a massive chip leader at the table and likely in the tournament.
5th hand, very next hand in am in CO and a solid tight player in EP raises to 5xBB, all fold to me and I have KK and reraise to 15xBB, the aggressive guy I just took down to nearly nothing pushes for less than my raise and the EP goes into the tank and says "are you just being a bully now that you have the chips?", "I say sure, and if you want that side bet I might still take it LOL". He pushes for another ~20xBB and I call putting him on AK or AQ. Yep he turned up AK, aggressive guy shows TT, neither improve and I am sure I am overall chip leader now with about 60 left. Top 20 pay, with the real money 1-3 as usual. I have a final table stack I am sure.
I try to go into lay low mode and not play a hand unless I really have a monster until we get down to the near the bubble then it will be time to switch gears and start pushing people near the bubble.
The next hour and a half is nothing but one long bad beat story after another. Let me just put it this way, the only mistake I can posibly see in my play was playing at all during that time, I could have folded to the final table and had a decent shot at the big money. Just as a quick example... I am in the BB with AK and a short stack (~8xBB) pushes from CO and it is folded around to me and I have to call, his A8 takes it down. It was just one irrestable situation after another that I got sucked out on. I went out 27th of 277.
Oh well, I got back 2/3 of my buy-in, and played excellent poker and I am very happy overall, as I know that there are swings and bad luck, and next time, I will be at the final table.