The poker gods have a sense of humour, my biggest payday ever

[davidross]

The poker gods have a sense of humour, or irony it seems. I spent the last 10 days feeling sorry for myself as I read about everyone’s experience’s at the WSOP. My 2 month cold streak early this year meant I didn’t get to try and qualify for the main event as often as I would have liked, and more importantly didn’t leave me enough cash in my ready account to just fly down and be there. I had such a great time at the 2004 series that I had promised myself I would go every year, and I was really disappointed when I couldn’t go. I came 2nd in the 1st double shootout I tried, and that was a close as I would get.

So on the day the 2005 series ended, they gave me a consolation prize, I won the Party 200K last night for a 60K payday. To methe ultimate irony is if this had happened any earlier I would have bought in to the main event. I guess the poker gods wanted me to hang on to that extra 10K.

To add even more to the irony aspect, It was just a week ago I made a post about how bad I played in tournaments. I haven’t played as many tournaments lately. During my bad run at the 15/30 tables I took some lessons from Tommy Angelo and one of the things we discussed was how playing so many tournaments was negatively affecting my ring game play. So I went 3 weeks without playing any tournaments and I have been playing a greatly reduced schedule since then.

After making that post last week I made a promise to myself that I would just play my game and stop trying to be Gus Hansen (or Gavin or MLG or Soss). I just can’t seem to play the aggressive game properly. I invariably choose the wrong times to bluff or make continuation bets. Instead I made a decision to try and play a lot of pots cheaply and wait for big hands. And I found a perfect place to try it out, the Empire Happy hour 10K guaranteed. Any of you who play the Empire tournaments know the quality of play in general is much worse that Party or Stars. And although the guarantee is pretty low here, the entry is $100 with only a $1 fee. They get anywhere from 85 to 120 entries (this week anyway) and I found most of the players to be as predictable as…me. So armed with my new determination to be cautious I had an incredible week at Empire. I came 2nd for $2100 on Tuesday, and 1st for $2800 on Wednesday, and 5th on Friday for another $800. I simply love this tournament. It never takes more than 4 hours because of the low number of entries, and it’s giving me lots of practice at bubble play, and final table play, when I’m just trying to play well and not worrying about the prize money.

So I’d already had a good week leading into the 200K on Saturday, and in general had been doing well lately. I came around 35th in the last $million at Party and around 40 last Saturday in the 200K too. Then yesterday afternoon I received an auspicious omen. I was at my son’s soccer tournament, and as I got out of my car, I found $40 just lying on the ground in my parking space. Does anything say “Your going to win a poker tournament” more than finding money lying on the ground?

Ok, on to the tournament. I’ll give a quick summary for those who can’t be bothered following 8 and a half hours of detailed play, followed by all the gory details for those junkies out there.

I was able right off the bat to get ahead in my favorite way, letting others bluff their chips off to me. As far as I’m concerned the most important thing in going deep into tournaments has nothing to do with my own play, it’s avoiding running into monsters in the other guy’s hands. I don’t think I ran into aces once in the whole tournament, or a flopped set except in pots where I had the other guy covered. And last night I was very fortunate. I followed a pattern most of the night, win a big pot( many of them coin flips) then give back about half of my winnings when I was a big favorite. The ultimate result though was that I was able to keep increasing my stack, never getting below 15 BB’s at all, but never getting anywhere near the lead until the final 2 tables. I played for a while with 1 guy who was just on fire, winning every hand he played cracking aces and kings with T8 or J9, and the biggest scare I had was when I was dealt aces and raised and he thought about calling me. This was way before the money and I was just waiting to get away from him, but I also was hoping we’d meet up again later when he had cooled off, and we did at the last 2 tables.

When we bubbled I was comfortable, I guessed around 70th place but I got moved to a table of stallers. 3 of them in fact. I noticed that my table had way fewer chips than any of the other 12 tables and I soon found out why. 3 guys taking the maximum time on every decision. I’m sure we saw 1/3 of the hands that everyone else did, and of course no one was getting busted so no new money was coming to the table. I really thought my chances of going deep were dead. But probably my biggest break of the tournament happened here. I called a small raise with 66 and the flop came Q T 6. My opponent had QT and I doubled up to over 60K in chips, and changed my strategy completely. If they were going to stall I was going to take every blind dollar I could. I started raising the stallers blinds every time around. I even showed the 93 I raised with one time. SO even though they were hurting our chances overall, I feel I maxed out what I could from the table. One of the guys lasted from around 120th all the waay to 45th with just 1Bb in his stack. He would fold until he was UTG with not enough to make his blinds and then win to last another orbit. He picked up an extra $500 I think, rather amazing. Once the 3 stallers were out things returned to normal. I was around 10th to 15th in chips when we got to 3 tables, and I got an amazing run of cards. I got AA, KK, JJ, TT in one orbit, and no action at all. But just picking up 4 blinds put me comfortably in a position to make the final table. It seemed I got 1 hand an orbit to raise, pick up the blinds and maintain my position.

When we hit the final table I was in 4th position and checking to see how much each bustout would make me. Again my raises were respected, I raised AK utg, and KTs from LP, no callers. The play I was most proud of though was a fold. With blinds at 10K/20K an EP(137K) raised to 49300. I was two off the button with 88 and 280K in chips. I spent a lot of time trying to decide if I should call or raise, but neither felt right. I finally just folded because…I just didn’t like it. SB moved in and EP called, they had KK and AA and I felt great, and I’d won $800 more to boot. I had my BB folded to me 5 or 6 times last night too, it’s nice to get free orbits. 2 more were gone before I played another hand. With AK and a raise in front of me I pushed and he called with QQ. I won yet another coin flip when an Ace flopped and now I was the chip leader with 592K. I didn’t play another hand until we were 3 handed, but my stack was still over 500K, but now I was the short stack.

Just a quick aside. I played a gold tournament last month, and they gave all the participants a poker set. 2 decks of cards, a dealer button and 600 clay chips in a nice carrying ccase. I have no idea if I’ll ever use it, but I have taken to picking 8 chips each night and shuffling them with my mouse hand. I told myself I was practicing for my next live tournament, but the biggest benefit to me is that I can’t click the mouse rashly when my hand is on the chips. Interestingly enough that 2 seconds it takes me to stop playing with the chips and grab the mouse has given me the time to confirm my decisions before doing something rash.

Now 3 handed one guy clearly took control, playing extra hands and raising and quickly built up to around 1 million in chips while we were close to 500K. I made my first and only pure bluff of the night from the BB with 54s when he raised my blind again to 90K. I pushed, thinking that he probably couldn’t call, and that if he did, my cards were surely live. He thought a long time and folded, and I got my message sent. In the next 10 hands or so we both came over the top of his raises and he folded several times, leaving him as the short stack. In my case the hands were premium. I was torn between wanting to just see him bust and earning an extra 8K and wanting to bust him myself and being the chip leader heads up for the last 30K. A few nice hands had me over 1 million and the other 2 at 500K, but I was still pretty cautious. I have so little experience shorthanded I really didn’t know how to proceed except keep playing each hand as it was. Finally my two opponents played a big pot against each other, 66 vs KQs, The KQ making a flush leaving the 3rd guy with just 220K and myself and the other guy with almost $1 million each. 15 hands later though my more aggressive opponent had built up to 1.2 million and I was back down to 750K not having played a pot. I know 3 handed I need to find hands to play but a succession of Q7 and J5 had me folding a lot. Finally the other two got it all in again, but the short stack had AA and beat the other guy’s AQ. And the 3 of us were even again. 10 hands later the roles had been reversed, I was at 800K with the guy who had been all-in earlier, and the other guy was now the short stack, and again the other 2 got it all-in (notice how I’m staying out of these showdowns). Again the short stack had the monster, KK vs AJ and short stack hold up again. Another chance for an easy 8K in real money gone. But this time my two opponents simply changed places with one of them down to 300K and the other at 900K, I was treading water at 850K. It only took 3 hands before they hooked up again, this time short stack had A3, while big stack had JJ. The J’s held up and I was guaranteed 30K. SO now we were heads up, me at 800K, he at 1.3 million, playing for 30K more. I had long since turned off the viewer chat, and I no longer was checking up on the 2+2 thread. I was just reminding myself not to do anything stupid. When I came 2nd in the Empire tourney earlier in the week, I pushed the first heads up hand with J7 just trying to establish some psychological control, and he called me with KJ and busted me first hand heads up. I was going to be more careful, probably too careful. We played forever. Limps and mini raises were the order of the day. With blinds at 20K/40K there waqs lots of play available, and we chose to take it. I wanted to see how I matched up heads up. I’m quite willing to resort to an all-in or fold strategy if I think I’m outclassed, but I wasn’t ready to make that distinction yet. We established a pattern, he would win the small pots uncontested, but once there were chips in I seemed to win the bigger pots and I ground into his lead. Still down 1.2 to 900K I limped with JJ. On a T high flop I raised his flop bet and he called. I bet 300K on the turn and river and he folded to my river bet giving me the first big pot and I had the lead for the first time 137K to 750K. 15 uneventful hands later though we were even again. Then I got aggressive. 3 staight hands I raised pre-flop after having limped for the previous 30 hands or so, and I won them all (T2, T9 and Q6) pre-flop or on the flop and I was back in the lead. We jockeyed, playing small pots for another 20 hands and I built my lead, but couldn’t find the hand to finish him off. I got him as low as 550K, but he came right back and evened it up yet again. Finally we played a big pot where I rivered a flush and he bet big into me. I overplayed my hand I guess by pushing, and he folded. I had a big lead, but I probably could have milked him for a little more. Finally I had him down to 550K and I decided to start putting pressure on. I pushed pre-flop with A3, really thinking I might win a few pots before he decided to call me, instead he typed “gl” and called with A2. He hit his deuce on the turn and we were even yet again. The very next hand he limped and I got a free play with 86. When the flop came T97 I had flopped a straight and prayed he got a piece of it. I checked and he bet big. Again I overplayed it by pushing, hoping he took my overbet for a bluff, and sure enough he called with 87. Unfortunately the river brought a J chopping the pot and for the 2nd hand in a row I missed my chance. Now for the first time he took control. I got timid I think and he started winning pot after pot and 15 hands later I was down as low as 600K. I won a big pot when I flopped a set of 8’s but again he wouldn’t call my big river bet. I was dealt aces on the next 3 hands and I pushed pre-flop with each of them. The first two he folded bringing me back even with him, but finally on the 3rd, A5 for me, he called with A9. We were almost even to start the hand and I thought I was praying for a chop, but the poker gods saw fit to give me a break and the 5 hit the turn, and I had him down to under 100K. I had a brief brain fart, folding the next hand and giving him the blinds, I probably should have played anything. I had 53. The next hand however I had AT, he had 76 and when a T flopped I had won.

6:30 in the morning and I was drained. I had only had 3 hours sleep the night before and I had to get my son up to deliver newspapers by 7:00. I managed to get 2 hours of sleep in the afternoon, but I think I’m taking some time off tonight to enjoy this.

Thanks to all the sweaters and the well wishers. Those of you not interested in the gory details can stop here, I’ll give a more detailed report for the earlier tournament now.

5 hands into the tournament I got JJ in the BB. I smooth called a CO raise to 55. I like this play early with blinds small and being out of position. Flop was a terrible A54 rainbow, and I checked. The CO bet 120 and I called immediately. Turn was a 3 and I checked and he checked behind. The river was an 8, putting 3 diamonds on board and I decided to check again. He bet 360 and I called. He had KTo and I was good. He starting mouthing off and I loved it. Over 2K early I liked it. Two orbits I didn’t play a hand, then I get TT UTG and just limped. 2 more limpers and both blinds played. Flop was Ad, 8d 3c and it got checked around to the button who was the aggressor from my first hand. He bet out and I would have bet my first born child he didn’t have an Ace. No way he limps from the button with an Ace. SO when the blinds folded to me I raised to 700 and he folded. If he didn’t like me before, he really didn’t like me now.

With to limpers in front of me I limped with 76o 2 from the button. CO limped too and both blinds played. Flop was 954 giving me an open ender. Folded to the co who bet 50 into the 180 pot and he got 3 callers including me. Acting last I just called instead of trying to win it there. River was a beautiful offsuit 3 giving me the nuts. It was checked to me and I checked too letting the CO bet another 50, and getting 2 more callers. This time I raised 350 and got 1 caller only. The river paired the 4, but I bet 350 more, and the co came over top of me all-in. It was only 85 more to me and I beat his K4 to get myself up to 3285 early. Calling a raise with pocket 2’s cost me 200 chips. Pocket 3’s cost me 200 more. After 2 orbits of folding I completed the SB with 96 in a 6 way pot. There was no betting post flop and I won 600 chips with a pair of 9’s. This table broke and I had 3315 with blinds at 50/100.

I had 3 hands at this table before it broke too. I’m not proud to say I stalled the last 2 hands knowing the table would break and giving myself a chance to miss the blinds. It worked. I’ve noticed if you get moved when you are UTG quite often you get moved into the blinds and miss them at the new table. I was lucky this time.

With blinds at 75/150 and still over 500 players I got TT in the BB and called a raise to 500. Flop had an ace and I folded to his flop bet. Down to 2800. I completed the SB with 6h 3h in a 5 way unraised pot. Flop K98 two hearts. I called a 375 chip bet and 2 of us went to the turn. Turn brought my flush with a J,. It was checked around. I bet 600 into him on the river which was a T and he called with K9 for a flopped 2 pair. Over 4K for me now. I called a raise from the button with QTs and lost 400 chips.

Blinds uyp to 100/200 and I was blinded down to 3300, when our table broke again with 400 left. 180 will be paid and I was still at 155 BB’s.

I arrived at a table with lots of chips. Only 2 were smaller than me, and one guy had over 10K. Blinds went to 150/300 before I saw another flop. I won enough blinds to stay comfortably ahead , and then again I found TT, UTG. Again I limped. Now the big stack pushed all-in for 11K which really didn’t worry me because I needed something like this, and I was pretty sure he didn’t make that play with AA or KK. However, a smaller stack (2K also pushed in and now I had a decision to make. Hoping they both had AK I called. Big stack had 77 and SS had KQ. No help for anyone and just like that I had 9K and the table chip lead. My chip lead was short lived. There was a guy at the table that went on the heater of all heaters. Didn’t matter what he played he won. I raised some blinds (K6s and 44) once an orbit to maintain my stack, and he went from 7K to 24K.

My next big hand happened with blinds at 300/600 and 8K in my stack. Short stack goes all in for his last 3100. We are only 20 from cashing now and I have AQ 2 off the button. I think he’s doing this with any Ace so I push myself, hoping to isolate him, thinking I can still crawl into the money if I lose. When the SB called with the same stack sixe I figured I was done. SS had 88, SB had JJ but the flop came with an Ace and Queen and now I had 20K and started thinking about getting deep into the money. My lucky buddy (who would meet me at the final table later) climbed to 40K. I picked up a few more chips with AQ when I called a button raise from the SB. Again it’s pretty passive but I’m sticking with my plan of not commiting much until I think I’m ahead. Flop of JT6 was checked around. Turn was an Ace and I checked to him. He bet 2K and I called. I bet into him on the river and he folded. Interestinglyy enough, the guy I would end up heads up with at the end got moved to our table now with over 30K for a few hands before we broke. I was up to 23K. I was quite glad to see this table break with the luck box on my left and the new big stack too.

Just in the money now, I again got moved 1 table, knowing it would break with the next 10 eliminations. I folded twice and got moved again, only to table 11 though. Blinds at 400/800 and 160 left. At 21K I was comfortably in the top 50. My new table had 2 more players I would be with at the final table again. There were 4 stacks bigger than mine. I made 2 raise and wonthe blinds, before I picked up AK in EP. I made it 2K to go. BB with only 12K made the min raise back to me. I was ready to call an all-in, but the min raise worried me..a lot. Usually that’s the move guys make with AA, but I couldn’t fold for just 1200 more so I just called. Flop was A Q 2, and when he pushed I called thinking he must have KK. He actually had KQ and I had a nice healthy stack again at 35K. I raised with 44 in LP and a smallish stack (7K) went all-in. Forced to call he showed AQ and won the race, dropping me back to 26K. I’m getting better at dealing with the inevitable downturns in these things. I used to fret everytime I lost chips, thinking I needed to get them back right away. Then with blinds at 500/1000 the big stack raised to 2500 and I just called with QQ in LP. I’m sick of racing guys who can bust me. Flop comes 652, 2 spades and he bets 5K into me. Now I push and he folds. I’m back up to 33K. Maybe the worst hand I played. I call 1500 extra in the BB with Qs 9s. Flop comes A96 2 spades. Raiser has 22K to start. I checked, he bets 3K and I just call. Not sure if I should bet out or check-raise, but having him covered I think I should have been the aggressor with a plan. Turn brought another 6, and I folded to his 5K bet. Yuck. Down to 27K. I called a raise with 88, flopped a set and when I raised his min flop bet he folded. Back up to 31K. Now the other contender for my worst played hand. I call a mini raise with 22 on the button and we take the flop heads up. Flop is A34. He bets 3K and uncertain of what to do, I call. He is the chip leader and I don’t know what I was thinking. If either of my cards come, the board will be so scary (A234, or A345) I won’t get much out of him. When I missed the turn I folded to his bet and the Table broke with us down to 100 players, but I was down to 23K.

First thing I noticed at table 2 was how few chips there were. Every other table had someone with at least 70K and our leader was 35K. Then I discovered the 3 stallers and I knew why. There were a lot of words exchanged with the stallers cheering each other on and the rest of us urging them to just play. The hand I mentioned earlier came up now when I flopped a set of 6’s against top 2 and pushed myself up to 53K. Now I found blinds easy to steal. I worked my way up over 60K, then to almost 70K. Again I was playing pretty passively, checking down turns and rivers a lot with 1 pair hands picking up small pots. Raising the stallers blinds got me to 73K. Then my AK beat a short stack’s QT and I had 86K and with 60 left I was in the top 10 for the first time. I lost 9K when my 88 got beat by 55 all in preflop against a short stack, continuing my trend of winning coin flips for big pots, and losing smaller pots as a favorite. Blinds at 3K/6K and stealing really worth while. I was real lucky, I almost never had someone come over top of my raises. I just maintained for several orbits until I had A5 in the BB and blinds were 4K/8K. With the stalling we only got around 1 orbit at each level. Short stack pushed for 15K and I called the extra 7K getting 3 to 1. He had TT and I hit the Ace and the 5. Over 100k for the first time. 40 left and money getting significant. Stallers were all gone now and I was 2nd stack at the table and around 9th overall. Again 22 cost me some money, raising a short stacks blind he went all-in with T5 and made a flush.

Now the biggest decision I had to make. Trying to pick up blinds I raise KJo from 3 off the button. Big stack min raises me to 24K. I called the 8K more. Flop comes K86 all hearts. I have no hearts. With 50K in the pot and only 60K left in my stack I don’t like check raising, and I hate thinking he might check behind me, so I bite the bullet and push. He thinks and folds. Phew. 125K. I raise QTo and fold to an all-in re-raise. Finally people are playing back at me. Yuck. We make last 20 and I have 124K, clearly a final table if I can maintain it. 3 biggest stacks are on table 1, I’m 3rd on our table and trying to decide who’s blinds I could abuse. Hah, I wish that were true, I’m just waiting for big cards. I come over the top of a button raise with AQ from the blinds and he folds. With 16 left my 33 busts a guy with A9 and I have 180K.

This is where I went on the card rush raising JJ, AA and KK getting no play but picking up 15K per raise. 221K after the rush. Blinded down a bit, and with 13 left I raise 66 and get called by the BB who had me covered. Flop 752 and I bet 50K and he folded. 258K. I get my BB back when it’s folded around and I raise 77 and win the blinds. Table is real tight now everyone trying to get to the big jump at 10th place. I’m over 280 now. Raise with AJ, no callers. 12 left I raise 77 again, over 300K. I raise 66 and the same guy who came over the top before does it again. He has 122K so I can comfortably call him, and I think we’re racing, but with blinds so easy to pick up I fold. He says big ace but doesn’t show. 2 hands later I’m into the final table.

I’m seat 3 with 258K. Big stack in 5 with 359K, seats 1 and 8 also have me covered. Small stack is 83K, blinds are 7500/15K. Each place is worth $1400 now. I’d love to not play a hand until a few guys are gone, but I pick up AK 4 hands in under the gun and make it 45K to go. It gets folded around. 4 hands later short stack bets half his stack and I have 88. This is the big laydown I made and he gets busted by the new chip leader, QQ vs KK. I’m just a middle stack now. Another bustout before I play a hand and now I’m guaranteed $5,600 and ready to play.

At this point I’ve described the rest of the final table above. Looking back I realize just how lucky I got, not just the big coin flips I won, but again never making a big 2nd best hand. I guess that’s what it takes. Anyway, it’s turned a bad start to the year into a great year, and now I can’t wait to play some more tourneys.

[MLG]

congrats sir. the important thing is to find your own style and make it work for you. when you're playing well you clearly do that. whenever you win these things you have to get lucky, it doesnt take away from the accomplishment.

[Jurollo]

Nice work david.
~Justin

[ZBTHorton]

Way to go David. I've been sweating your progress since I began lurking 2+2 back in the days.

[fnurt]

Awesome report!! A shame it didn't happen in time for the WSOP, but "2006 Champion" has a nice sound as well.

[woodguy]

Thanks for the report David, you always write very well.

Glad you have found a style that works for you and doesn't screw with your bread and butter.

Congrats!

Regards,
Woodguy

[Backov]

Thanks for the good report.

Seriously, you're an inspiration to us MTT wannabes. I'll see ya at the final table someday. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[fireproof]

Great read. Congrats.

[adanthar]

Congrats David [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Just curious - is this a huge score for you relative to your income at 15/30?

[billyjex]

awesome victory david. i too find myself doing better in tournaments with a conservative style. i have experimented with lagging it up but it usually gets me into trouble. even in the 500k party today, i was doing great with 400 left and tried to resteal against a LAG fish with a mediocre hand -- who knows how well i would have done if i just let it go.

anyways, great job, i've read your posts on this forum and know you have a family and such to take care of so i'm sure this money is even more sweet. keep it up!