Trip report: Bay 101 midnight NL tourney (first casino live tourney)

SumZero · #1 07-04-2005, 11:28 AM

Tonight I played in my first live MTT, a 5 table at Bay 101. So 50 people seated at once (10 handed). 40 more people were alternates and got to come in through around level 6 (which made 1st worth just over $3K)! Top 10 are in money. Everyone gets T$1000 chips for $60 + $10 and 1 other rebuy for $60 that gives another T$2000 chips. Blinds start at 25-25 and go up every 15 minutes (double or 1.5x). It is technically spread limit game but the maximum bet at any time is 40x the BB so, given our stack sizes, it may as well be NL.

I fold every hand for the first half hour (2 and a bit orbits). Early on most of the table are very loose limping into pots multiway and then generally someone would overbet the pot on the flop and win. There is one other rock at the table and one other player who seems pretty good (and is the only player other than me to immediately rebuy). These hands are from memory so I might be getting a couple of chip counts off.

Hand 1:
First hand I play. The level has just gone to 50-100 and I have 2875. Folded to me in UTG+2 and I have T [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and raise to 400. Folded to the player who seemed pretty good (the immediate rebuy) who reraises me all in. Folded back to me. Hero should do what? Results: Hero folded fearing coin flip at best (it felt like AK), dominated at worst. Too weak-tight? 

Hand 2:
Hero is in the sb at level 3 (50-100). UTG+1 goes all-in for around 1200. Only other tight rock at the table who has thus far played only 1 hand goes all-in for around 1500 from MP. Folded to me in sb and I see A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. I have just over $2K in chips so have the players covered but not by a lot. Hero should do what? Results: Hero folds fearing the super tight player, UTG+1 had A4o, rock had 66, and 66 holds up when no card higher than T hits - In spite of the results too weak-tight again? 

Hand 3:
Hero is in the sb at level 5 (100-200). Folded to CO, who is Bay101 dealer and one of the last alternates to join the table, limps (from a ~2700 stack). The button, also a recently joined alternate and Bay101 employee, also limps (also from ~2700 stack). Hero has 1900 before posting sb and looks at his cards and sees A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 7 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (BB is a loose passive player with ~4K in chips). Hero should do what? Results: Hero pushes all-in. Everyone folds and hero moves to 2500 

-- interlude where my luckbox was on --

A few hands later player to my right makes it 800 from UTG + 3 and I push all-in 2500 with QQ. Folded to RHO who calls with her AQo and her last 2500 exactly and my QQ are good and I double up. The very next hand my new RHO (who used to be two to my right) makes it 800 from UTG (with a total stack of about $2.2K) and I see KK and re-raise all in. Folded to RHO who calls with KQs and loses inspite of flopping a Q. 2 hands later I'm in the BB and it is folded to a short stack in the LP who goes all-in for ~$1K, folded to me and I see AQo and call. AQo versus A5o. Turn is a 5 but river is a Q and in 4 hands I've eliminated 3 people and moved my stack from $2.5K to around $8.5K. Nice.

Hand 4:
Hero is in the sb just as level 7 starts (200-400). Folded to Hero who still has ~$8K. BB is still loose passive guy who also has ~$5K. Hero looks and sees 5 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and 3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. What should hero do? Results: Hero decides he should try a steal raise. But unfortunately he's still thinking about 150-300 levels and raises to only 1K. BB calls. Flop is 974r. Hero check-folds to BB's $2K bet. Not my best play. Which was my biggest mistake on this hand? 

Hand 5:
Hero is in EP on level 9 (500-1000) with around $5K 2 smaller stacks and 1 huge stack are before the button who is a biggish stack and then the blinds are about equal with hero. Folded to hero who looks down at J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Hero should what? Results: I thought long and hard about the steal raise all-in (both before I folded and after I folded). It ended up folding to the BB who won with J5o in a walk. Is JTo a good stealing hand from EP when there are many short stacks and you have only 5BB?

Hero gets no play as tables start to break and short stacks are all-in and giant stacks are calling before action is to hero who doesn't get any hands. Hero's table breaks and we are down to 30 players. 5 hands later (4 of which huge stack in front of hero knocks out shortstack people when big stacck has TT twice, QQ, and AK) we break the table again as we are down to 2 tables. Unfortunately hero losses the card cut and ends up at new table in the BB.

Hand 6:
Hero is new player to table and in the BB on level 10 (1000-2000). Folded to short stack in MP who goes all-in for $3500. SB goes all-in for $4000. Hero had $4000 total before posting the $2000 BB. Hero looks down and sees T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and should do what? Results: Getting basically 5:1 on my money I called. MP had KJo (no spade). SB had AsTd (ouch!). Hero's 23.2% equity does not come through as the board ends up T high with paired 4's and SB's kicker takes the pot. Hero out in 19th. Bubble was still going on 20 minutes later (13 people left) so I certainly couldn't have folded into the money from here if I lay it down pre-flop. 

So on the six hands I've highlighted here which did I play well and which did I mess up?