an MTT rookie stumbles and bumbles to a good finish...very long

[TxSteve]

Ok; don’t know if anyone is interested or not. If not this will just drop off the board [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] and that’s ok.

First off; I’m not a tournament player…haven’t played hardly any mtts. I’ve got a few hundred thousand hands of ring game exp; establishing a modest win rate; nothing impressive.

The truth is I only played this tourney cause one of my friends was playing; and I was going to sweat his table while playing my own (just watching not communicating at all except for an occasional GH in the chat box).

I got lucky many, many times and there were several occasions where my terrible play was not punished.

All in all; I was pretty even on winning coin flips; BUT; I won ALL the important ones (big pots) and lost many of the small ones.

I think there were 5 times where I was all in; or made an all in bluff/semi bluff and risked my whole tournament. Obviously; all 5 of those plays/all ins were successful as I made it to second.

As I said; this is probably uninteresting to you guys. I mainly did it so I could see how I got there. Feel free to criticize my play. I am interested in getting better. I certainly couldn’t attribute this payday to skill; there was MUCH luck involved mingled with some decent play.

As you see here; there are very few “player reads” listed here. The reason for that is….i didn’t really have many. I primarily played position; my cards; and my stack once I accumulated one.

Being as inexperienced as I am at MTT’s; I started feeling pretty nervous when we got into the money (60 or so people left). As a result; I started throwing down a few beers to calm my nerves.

Anyway all the stars aligned for me and my good plays worked; my bad plays worked; etc.

First big pot:
15/30- first
(825 chips)
Seat 2: MP1 (980)
Seat 9: Ed_Bailey (BB)(825)

Ed_Bailey posts big blind (15)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Ed_Bailey [ 7d, 7c ]
2 folds
MP1 raises (30) to 30
6 folds.
Ed_Bailey calls (15)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 7h, 2h, Td ]
Ed_Bailey checks.
MP1 bets (90)
Ed_Bailey calls (90)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ Tc ]
Ed_Bailey checks.
MP1 bets (175)
Ed_Bailey raises (400) to 400
MP1 calls (225)
** Dealing River ** : [ Qd ]
Ed_Bailey bets (305)
Ed_Bailey is all-In.
MP1 calls (305)
Main Pot: 1660 |
Board: [ 7h 2h Td Tc Qd ]
MP1 balance 155, lost 825 [ 3d 3c ] [ two pairs, tens and threes -- Qd,Td,Tc,3d,3c ]
Ed_Bailey balance 1660, bet 825, collected 1660, net +835 [ 7d 7c ] [ a full house, Sevens full of tens -- Td,Tc,7d,7c,7h ]

Strange play by MP1 here.
Note: decided not to put any more actual hand histories in; take too much room

20/40
(1440 chips)
The first sign that luck is smiling on me tonight. I make what is probably a bad play gambling half my stack to a PF all in with A Qo. Turns out I’m up against 99; and I win the coin flip when I spike a Q on the turn.

30/60 thru 50/100
(2330 chips)
Passive tables are allowing me to stay about even with occasional steals/bets.

100/200
(2230 chips)
Pick up my first high pair of the tourney QQ. UTG+1 (3450 chips biggest stack at the table) is the only one to call my 300 bet. He bets into me for 100 after a jack high flop; I probably raise too much at 500 and he folds.

(2780 chips)
A Qo again. UTG goes all in for just 201 chips. I’m the only caller and I win another coin flip against JJ for a small pot.

(3131 chips table chip lead)
I make some awful decisions and drop 750 chips on J2o out of the big blind. Fired a shot every round (with a 4 flush) and got check called down by a set of 6’s. Bad decision by me, but not a fatal one.

(2506 chips)
UTG+1 goes all in for 405. I call with 55 hoping for a coin flip. He spikes an ace to go with his A Jo and I lose the flip.

150/300
Float along for a bit til my next poor play. 2076 chips for me; 960 for my opponent. I raise to 400 in late MP with 88 and he is the only caller. Flop is 3 3 A and I put him all in with a 560 bet. He calls with his A to double up through me and lost half my stack.

(1116 chips lowest at my table)
I flop an open ender and river the straight to take down opponents pair of jacks; king kicker, pretty much doubling up. If my card doesn’t come; I’m down to 500 chips or so and almost done.

200/400
(1841 chips)
Pick up AA (first time of the tourney) in the SB. Button attempts a steal; I reraise from 500 to 1000, he folds.

(2841 chips)
Again with the A Qoff; this time in the CO. MP (9274 chips) raises to 650; I call (I’m sure I’m over valuing A Qo. Flop comes 3 3 2; MP bets 825 into me. I raise all in (2100) and he folds. I’m certain this is a stupidly wreckless play. I pick up 1800 chips; but again; could have easily been out of the tournament.


(4616 chips)
KK in the CO. UTG+1 raises all in to 2300. I call; he gets no help for his AK and my kings hold up.

(6897 chips)
I pick up Kc 6c in the BB. Late MP raises all in to 971; folded to me. 671 for me to call with 1400 in the pot. I’m sure it’s another bad play; but I roll the dice and call. I’m pretty far behind as he has 99 (in retrospect; there’s nothing I could have been ahead with; and not much I could have been close with). My luck is holding up and I flop a K to take it down.

400/800
(6418 chips)
A Ko flops an ace and I pick up 2k

600/1200
Blind steals and small bets pick up several pots which are decent sized; due to the blinds getting so high; building my stack to 15618.

800/1600
(15000 chips)
Another poor choice probably. 6h8h in the BB all fold and SB raises all in to 1900. It costs me 1100 into a 2800 pot and I call hoping that my suck out luck continues. Turns out SB had KsJs and finishes the hand with trips; but my heart flush comes in and my suck out run to the final table continues.

1500/3000
(15000 after losing a few chips)
This hand comes up and looking back at it; this seems an extremely wreckless play to me...yet another that could (should?) have cost me all of my chips.
I’m in the CO with A Jo. UTG (10750 chips we both know the other frequents 2+2 a bit) min raises to 3000. I re-raise to 4500; hoping to represent something big and he calls. Flop comes rainbow 3 5 8. Checked to me and I bet enough to put him in. He folds and I collect a nice pot. As I said; this seems like a gamble that could have easily crippled me and was probably not smart.

(21634 chips)
Win the blinds with JJ

2000/4000
I’ve dwindled my stack back down to 13500 through blinds and small lost pots.

(13500)
MP (40k) raises to 4k; I re raise to 9k and MP puts me all in. The board comes low; and my Jacks hold up against his A Qo. Another important coin flip goes my way and I’m still alive and doubled.

A few hands later; and I’ve again been spewing some chips; at 18k.
In the SB with AhJh. Button calls (MP from above hand 38k); I complete; and BB checks his option. Flop comes A 9 J rainbow. I check call 4K from Button. BB folds.
Turn is a blank; I check; button puts me all in; I call. My two pair takes out his pocket 6’s and I double again.

Looking back on it now; my stack was really yo-yo-ing. A result of some wild/poor play by me, I’m sure.

3000/6000
(45K)
KK in the SB; CO goes all in for 6K. I call and lose to his A J when an ace flops

(39K)
K Qo in MP. I raise to 8500. Chip leader on my left reraises to 14000 and I call. Flop hits me in the face with Q 4 K rainbow. I check the flop; opponent puts me all in for 25K. I call. Turn- 6; river 9. No help for his unpaired A J and I double up. Guess he picked a bad time to bluff there.

4000/8000
(82k)
6 7o in the BB. Small stack pushes in MP for 11K. All fold back to me. 7k for me to call and knock a player out (I think there were about 12 or 11 players left). I call (obviously I need a lesson in WHEN to make this call). I am very fortunate to be in a coin flip; as he has 4 4. My luck doesn’t appear on this pot; and I lose 11k.

FINAL TABLE BEGINS

4000/8000
10 players
(71K, 3rd in chips)
A Ko in the SB. Folded to me; I raise to 12k; BB re raises all in (59k). I call and catch an A and a K to take out his 8 8. Coin flips sure are going my way when it counts today.

6000/12000
8 players left
(115k; 1st place; barely)
Blind steals with: A 6o; A 5o; A Qo, Q 5o

7 players left
(136k 1st place)
Then this hand comes up. I may have left chips on the table here and did not maximize my profits. I had planned to check it down no matter what happened; probably not smart.
I’m in the SB with Qd Tc. Short stack makes it 21K; all in. Button (88k) calls; I close the action calling 18k in the hopes of a check down and knocking a player out .

Flop comes Ad Jd 5d.
Check check
Turn: Td (for my 2nd nut flush)
Check check
River: 7d
Check check

I take down the 70k pot and knock out a player. Button had AK no diamond. All in had A2 no diamond.

My play here was criticized (for checking down the flush)…rightfully so I expect.

6 players left
(184k, 1st place by 50k)
5 5 in the BB. Button (short stack) goes all in for 14K. I call. His Kd 7d catches a 7 and he doubles up. (he eventually comes all the way back to win the tournament!)

8000/16000
6 players
Blind steals with KK (bummer), J To

(188k)
UTG (same opponent as last hand) raises to 18k; I reraise another couple thousand to put him all in with Kd Jd. He flips over A 9o and I get no help and double him up.

(168k)
I open raise on the button to 24K with A Jo. Raised 3k more by the SB who is all in with K Jo. I catch an A and a J to knock him out.

10000/20000
5 players left
(143K after losing some small pots and folding some blinds with garbage)
This hand was probably idiotic; but it really launched me ahead.
Chip leader MP raises to 27k; I just call from the BB with As Kx playing like a wet noodle; starting to get very nervous about the money at stake.

Flop is 4s 2s 5s. I check call 27k
Turn Qh. I check and MP checks it through. Hmm
River 7c. I check; MP thinks and bets 27K into the 100+k pot.

I make a crying call disgusted with the way I played this hand; and take it down as he was firing shots with Jh Th.

I’m up over 200k now with the next highest at 150k and the next at 64K.
Blind steals continuing regularly with any Ace; and lots of other garbage.

Now at 266k
In the SB with 4c Qs; folded to me and I make it 25K to go. BB raises all in for an additional 5k. I lose to A 2.

5 players
(266k; 2nd has 105k)
I’m in the BB. Smallest stack in SB goes all in for 28k. I look down at Qc2c. I call the 18k and don’t get lucky; losing to his AhKh

3 players drop in the next 5-10 hands.

Heads Up
Me: 308k
Him: 225k

First hand (hanging my head in embarrassment)
I pick up Ad 3d.
Over the hour+ opponent has been stealing my blinds and very aggressive to me. I’ve known I need to make a stand against him; but haven’t had even a moderate hand when he’s come at me.

He raises preflop; I reraise; he calls

Flop: Jc 2s 4d

I bet into him for 40k; he raises all in (120k more; pot is now 450k) I’ll have about 180 vs 360 if I fold; down to 60k if I call and lose.

I call; hoping that I might…maybe be ahead here. Basically, his aggression over recent hours gets me in a mindset where I make a stand at a bad time.

He flips over Qs Js and I am pretty far behind. I need an A; a 5 or running diamonds for 48000 dollars; or I’m crippled.

Turn 8s (now I’ve lost 2 outs to his flush draw)
River 3s

Very disappointed that I came all this way and played a hand so badly. To be 100% honest; I was kind of freaking out as 4th and 3rd had lost on consecutive hands prior to this one. Even though I was the chip lead; in 2 minutes or less; I’d gone from a 10K minimum take home; to a 30k minimum…and I never collected myself and acknowledged that I was still playing for 18000 dollars. Thanks to the 2+2’ers sweating me for reminding me in the chat box…my mind was just going crazy.

I wish there had been a 1 or 2 minute break before the first hand of heads up so that I could have caught my breath and gotten focused.

2 hands later:
Me: 60k
Opp: 474k

Need a miracle.

I push with AdJd.
It’s only 44K to him; he obviously calls with anything (3c 8s in this case).
Board hits him over the head with 7 3 8 8 T and my run is over.

30k.

that's just ridiculous.

[Simplistic]

didn't read everything, but you don't have to push with air when a pot sized bet will take down the pot just the same. good work on your aggression factor but I think you're definitely overbetting the pot in some instances. congrats on your FT finish

[hurlyburly]

Congrats on that very nice finish!

[ZBTHorton]

Major congrats...see..it's not falling off the screen.

[jzpiano14]

Way to go, nice summary

[Simplistic]

in that hand where you had AK vs JT where blids are 10k/20k ish, i fire the turn after check-calling. board is scary and you have the As, you don't have to push all-in but if you make a fair sized bet, likely you're ahead unless he has a PP and you'll quickly find out what do, altho you still have outs.

Q2 hand, i fold this. you made some loose calls in order to try knocking out a player.QT and I can understand a call, but Q2 is unforgiveable.

[TxSteve]

thanks for the comments all.

"Q2 is unforgiveable"

hehe