Taj $100 MTT Tourney Trip report with FT (Very Loooooooong)

[Mez]

The highlight of my last AC trip report was that Gavin and Mike Gallo read it. Vowed to make this one more interesting...

This is the Taj 10:15 AM tourney. Buy in is $100+20 and 190 people entered. Top 18 pay out. Quick disclaimer – all of these posts are solely from memory so some of the chip counts and cards maybe slightly off.

I arrived at the Taj just after the 10:15 start time, sat down at one of the outer tables after missing the first couple of hands. (Mike G – I asked around for you, but didn’t have much time before I sat down bc I got there so late).

1st table - No significant hands to speak of.

2nd table - I had about 3,900 when the following hand came up. Blinds $150-300 a50 when UTG +2 opens for 900, folds to me with AA OTB. BB has me covered, he's been tight aggressive and willing to laydown when pressured. I raise to 1,800 hoping to trap, folds back to him who goes allin with KQ. Flop is a little scary Kxx, but bricks out, MHIG and I double up.

5th table - Blinds 200-400 a75 when seat 1 in LP raises to 1,000. We were recently moved to the table together and I'd seen him open raise with 67, 78 etc previously. At the previous table, he had a huge stack, but had lost a bunch of chips bluffing. I also noticed that before he raised, he looked to make sure seats 7-10 had folded. Folded to me in the BB with T8s, I push. I think this is pretty standard, no?

Couple of hands later, I'm OTB w 12,000 when MP w no reads raises to 1,200. Folds to me w KQs. MP had about 6,000 left before the hand. I wasn't thrilled about the hand, but was willing to see a flop with some strength and position in the hand. BB also called and we took a flop of Q62r. BB checks, MP bets 1,500, I raise to 5,000 to isolate and I get my wish as the BB folds and MP reluctantly pushes all-in – he had very little left. He flips over 46o, turn and river brick out and MHIG.

6th table – I move to the table in seat 9 and immediately recognize the table chip leader (prolly tourney chip leader), an old middle-eastern man with 30,000+. I had seen him play some really big pots at my 2nd table with mediocre hands. The table has been pretty tight except for him.

I had about 15,000, in EP w AQ, blinds 500-1,000 a100, I raise to 2,500. Folds to the old man in BB who calls, and we take the flop of K23. He checks and I check behind, we see a turn card of T, completes rainbow. Check, check. River is a Q, and he checks. I considered betting, but only thought I would get a call if I was beat, so I checked behind. Old man showed A2 and MHIG.

Blinds up to 1,000-2,000 a300 when I open 5,000 in LP w AQ. Button moves all-in for 12,000. Others fold back to me, I'm not thrilled to race w AQ here. I had over 23,000 before the raise, getting great price to call, which I did. Button flipped up JJ. Flop comes with an ace in the window, and MHIG. I'm up to ~40 K.

Blinds were 1,500-3,000 a500 when it folds to me OTB w K7. SB busted out the previous hand, so only BB in the hand. I had a tight table image, showing only AQ three different times to win all three pots and I raise to 8,000 and BB quickly moves in for 25,000 total. I was tempted to call getting slightly over 2:1 but hated my hand. BB had
been very tight aggressive and there was a good chance that I was a 3:1 dog. I decided to fold. Later in the tourney the BB told me he had AJ.

7th table - I moved to the next table with about 32 K in chips and blinds recently raised to 2K-4K a500. We're now at ~25 left. I recognized one player at my table – he’s the table chip leader. I've played with him at my first table and on other occasions - he's a
loose, but he's talking about how he should definitely get into the money with his chip stack (over 60K) and I think the money matters to him. First hand of the new table folds to me in the CO w Q4, I push. Guy I know is in the SB, asks how much it is - thinks, says "that's a lot" and folds.

Next hand folds to me with 44 and I push. Everyone folds again. Upto about 45K. We’re now around 30 people and close to the money, play is getting tight and stacks are short.

A few hands later, folds around to the SB who pushes in for ~20K. I look down at AKo and insta-call. Board bricks out and I’m near 70K. We’re down to 20 players, and going hand for hand on 3 tables, which lasts only a few hands until we’re down to 18 and in the money!!

8th Table - Immediately after we make the money, I’m moved to table 1, seat 5. I’ve played with many at my table earlier in the tourney, however, the tournament chip leader is in seat 6 so I felt slightly handcuffed. After a few pots, and 15-16 left in the tourney, I have about 80-90 K. Blinds are 5K-10K, a1K. Folds to the SB who pushes for ~30K. I look down at 52o. Pot was ~50K and 20K to call. (At the table, I counted the chips several times and came up with 3:1, but it looks like I was getting 2½:1). Either way, I put SB on 2 overs (hopefully not paired) so this was a slightly +EV call. I called. SB turned over K6. Flop was T5T, turn and river bricked out and I’m well over 100K. There are less than 1M chips in play. After this play, no one raised my blind for a while :-D.

Final Table – We re-drew for seats at the FT, I was in seat 3 with ~180-200K, in the top 3 in chips. In seat 2 was the old middle eastern man that I’ve played with at 2 other tables. He has over 300K and is the chip leader. I’ve recognize nearly everyone at the FT. We discussed a deal – 9th pays $323, 1st pays $7,239. The old man will absolutely not deal – he wants to win and only win. I was only mildly interested in a deal at that time, given my good relative position to the left of a loose chipleader. I also suspected that I have more experience than the other players at the table.

The Old man continues playing loose right away, knocking out a couple of people quickly. A few hands later we’re 7 handed and seat 1 opens in MP for 40K, old man folds and I look down at JJ, 2 off the button. My read on seat 1 was tight aggressive, capable of raising with a hand worse than JJ and capable of laying down. He has over 100K and I have everyone behind me covered…I think and then …I push. Button in seat 6 (very tight) calls allin for ~80K, I puke in my mouth. Folds back to MP who folds. We turn over, button has AT (???). MP says he mucked AJ. Of course the window card is the 3rd Ace, and I go down to ~140K in chips.

Blinds go to 10K-20K, a3K, and my stack shrinks significantly. Few hands later, folds to me OTB w 26o, I push, seat 6 in the BB mucks Q6o face up – ahhhh. Couple of hands later, I open push again with A7. Seat 5, with ~300K (a solid, tight v aggressive player) – calls my allin. We turn over and I’m up against QJo. Queen in the window card and I gasp out loud, until I see the ace underneath. Two more bricks fall and I double up and back among the chip leaders with ~300K.

Folds around to the old man in the SB. I was expecting a raise after the button folded, and took a sneak peek at AKo. Old man announces “raise” and before I could stop myself, I blurt out “allin”. Old man looks at me and says he hasn’t even declared his raise. I apologize. He raises the minimum, I repeat my push and he folds J6 face up. I’ve thought about this hand often, there is every chance he could have priced himself in with a larger raise and I’d be racing with 5th or 6th place as the consolation prize.

With me around 340K, the old man busts out in 5th. Four of us left, seat 5 – tight aggressive asian sunglass guy, seat 6 – tight and seat 8 – pretty good player (he was the one who came over the top of my K7). Blinds are 15K-30K, a5K. The four of us discuss a deal, there is $14,000 in prize money left, 4th place is $1,140. I’m the chip leader now and propose a split based on # of chips after we each take $1,140 (glad I read Suzuki). We discuss with the clock ticking and now the asian sunglass guy says he just wants to play for it. The table agrees, and I look down at Axo, I push UTG. They all shake their head as they fold….“I love play pokah”.

A few hands later, I push again w AdXo and get called by seat 6. He flips over QJ or JT – I can’t recall which. Either way, flop is JXX with one diamond and I go runner runner to get the nut flush and knock him out.

Three of us left and we continue to discuss a deal as we’re all close to 300K in chips. No deal is made and we keep playing. Seat 9 is OTB and raises to 80K. I look at JTs and fold. BB asian sunglasses reraises allin and gets a call. BB has QJ, seat 9 has KJ and I’m patting myself on the back for not getting involved. Flop brings a Q and seat 9 is down to one chip and busts out shortly thereafter.

So its heads up with myself and the asian guy for $7,239, 2nd is $3,800. He has ~ 600K in chips to my ~400K and blinds are 20K-40K a5K. Not much room to maneuver and I press to make a deal. I ask if we can split up $10K and he replies, “We both get $5K, and play for $1,200”. I agreed in a heartbeat – I suspected he didn’t have much shorthanded/HU experience, but with the chip positions this was a no brainer for me getting an even split of $10K.

So we begin play and I give up my first SB (48o). Then I raised the next 4 or so hands with any 2 and won uncontested. Called a raise with 89o and pushed on and 467 flop and I have him covered in chips.

A few hands later, he limps in and I raise to 100K with 66. He goes allin over the top and I’m put to decision. I do think he can make this play with Ax, KQ, KJ, and possibly lower, but I’m way behind to any likely pair. I call and he flips over 88. I shake my head as we see a flop of AK4, all clubs. I scan our cards, no clubs in either hand. But I hit the turn hard with a 6. River bricks and I win the tourney and the extra $1,000!!

I lurk much more than I post, and I definitely need to thank a ton of posters here for changing my game – MLG, Sossman, Gavin, Chief911, scwza, Lloyd, Strassa, bugstud, fnurt, woodguy, adanthar, Double Eagle, and any other poster that I missed. I think that I played well (not great), but I ran very lucky – only lost one race (althought I nearly always had the best hand when racing) and my bluffs were not called.

[Matador225]

You ran great and got lucky a few times but thats what has to happen to do well in a MTT. You played very well and the rest took care of itself. Congratulations on the big win!

[burningyen]

Congrats! Just curious: on the W2G tax form, did the Taj write down how much you chopped for, or the original 1st place money?

[dmoney]

Calm down. this isnt an america bashing post [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

cept for how the government takes ur hard earned gambling winnings [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] in the form of taxes.

In canada the govnt only takes winnings if gambling is ur sole income or ur fulltime occupation [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

u can win 10 million in 1 day getting lucky and YUP no tax baby [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

its all yours.

[Mez]

Taj doesn't support chops - that was between us. When we went to the window, they paid me the full $7.2K and it was upto me to pay the runner up $1.2K

[woodguy]

Nice work!!

Regards,
Woodguy

[burningyen]

OK, that's what they did in my case, too. Just wanted to make sure they were consistent.

[Ricardido]

Congrats- i hope this is the start of something great for you.

[Mez]

Thanks. That makes two of us.

[Mez]

They told me that it needs to be 300x the buyin - which sounds wrong - I heard that's the requirement for W2G slot payouts. (no I don't play slots)