Death By Aces: Treesong's TR From the Legends $5K

[Howard Treesong]

Starting off the day with 5650, I'm chip-critical. I decide to be first-in unless I hit a monster, but that all changes when a nervous kid one seat to my right raises three of the first five hands. When it gets to my SB, I decide to stack off to his raise regardless of what I have; he's raising to 1500 each time, which isn't huge given that we're playing 200-400-50. I have about 4500 more; enough, I think, to lever him a bit -- but he foils my plan by calling immediately and showing me TT. Thankfully, I have a little something (5d6d) and I turn a straight to double up. Everyone murmurs at me, and I implement an instant strategy change: I'm only betting for value. No bluffs, not even in compelling circumstances. One orbit later, UTG smooth calls and I raise all-in on AQ from two positions out. He calls me right away, shows me A9, and I'm back in business with about $22K.

Our table breaks towards the end of the level and I'm moved into the sweatbox of the main room. It's a tough table: I'm in three. Johann Storakers (who won EIGHT supersatellites at the February Commerce tournament) is in four, Kevin Song in the seven, Toto in the eight, and Mel Judah in the ten.

I'm up and down through the first half hour of 200-400-75, but go entirely card dead for the last hour. I make one move, raising Storakers from the SB, but he pushes over and I have to muck my 2-9.

Poor RGP lurker Fern goes broke about now: she comes by to tell me that she had pushed in PF on JJ and some numbnuts doesn't hear her raise. He says "call" behind her, thinking he's just calling the blinds. His action is ruled binding; he's holding 88, so she's in fine shape, but he spikes an 8 and FGHN. A short time later, the entire room laughs when we hear YES, YES, YES, NOOOOOOOOO!. Turns out that a guy flopped set over set and his lucksack opponent rivered quads.

Right after we go to 400-800, I find AQ twice, raise to 3500 each time, and rack up the blinds. From the SB, I then raise to 3500 straight with KJ, but Storakers makes it 8000. I've got 12000 left, 7500 if I call his 4500 raise. I dwell and decide on the stop-n-go, so I call. Flop is Qxx no suits, so I stack off. Storakers calls and shows me TT, but a cowboy rescues me on the turn and I double up to 31,000. Finally, double-digit M and I start to breathe a bit easier.

With about half an hour left in the level, I find AA in UTG +1. I think I'm betting my usual 3500, but I find three blues and a yellow rather than three yellows and a blue, and so raise only 2500. Kevin Song calls from the cutoff and Mel calls from the BB. Three to the flop with 8900 in the middle. I have another 28200. Song has me easily covered, and Mel has about $40K. The flop comes 7 5 4 rainbow. I don't like the drawy nature of it, but it's hard to put even the loose Song on 86 or any two pair hand. There's no chance that flop hit Mel unless he has a set or maybe 66, but I figure myself to be ahead.

I think for about ten seconds and push in. Kevin calls me instantly and my heart sinks. It gets even lower when Judah dwells up: he's seriously thinking about calling. After he's in the tank for a minute or so, I figure him for an overpair: 99-JJ. He'd have raised QQ or KK before the flop, I think, and he's calling much faster with any set. He finally mucks, and Song shows me 7c6c. He's got top pair, an up and down str8 draw, and backdoor clubs. I don't have Stove on this machine, but I'm ballparking it at close to a fifty-fifty proposition; he has thirteen outs (eight straight outs, two sevens, and four sixes; but of course, I have the redraw to two bigger pair if he hits a six). That's about as good as I could have hoped with his quick call, and I briefly think I'm going to stack up a big one.

But no: the card gods fail me and slap a 3 on the turn. I can spike a 6 for a chop, but the river is a meaningless 2 and HGHN.

The little Treesongs are still awake, however, and regale me with stories of their day. Another day another dollar, and the light that shines in their eyes when I come through the door leaves my depression on the threshold.

p.s. What's with the Bike's freaking rule that there is a three-raise limit? This is a NO-LIMIT tournament for chrissake. It's fine for a limit tournament, but it makes absolutely no sense in this one.

[MeanGreenTT]

Rough exit after making a nice climb back up, sounds like you're handling it better than I'm handling busting 8th in the $200 Foxwoods Satellite...

Good luck next time!

[snakehead]

at least now I don't face a lifetime of ridicule for not taking a piece of you.

[SossMan]

[ QUOTE ]
But no: the card gods fail me and slap a 3 on the turn.

[/ QUOTE ]

maybe the card gods were tired after all their work on your behalf earlier.

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
sounds like you're handling it better than I'm handling busting 8th in the $200 Foxwoods Satellite...


[/ QUOTE ]

Damn man how many times are you going to post about busing in Sat's?

[Howard Treesong]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
But no: the card gods fail me and slap a 3 on the turn.

[/ QUOTE ]

maybe the card gods were tired after all their work on your behalf earlier.

[/ QUOTE ]

Touche! I intend no whine here. In fact, I kinda figured I'd be back on the 710 driving home at 4:22 after a 4:15 start, but got the benefit of a huge suckout (followed by a good situation that I was able to take advantage of) to stay alive as long as I did.

I note parenthetically that Kevin now has somehere over $200K in chips. Had my hand stood up, he'd have been south of $30K and a bit below average at our table, as opposed to being the leader by a fair margin.

I will forever wonder if he called because of my mistake in betting 2500 instead of 3500. In all likelihoood, I'm agonizing over nothing, but it really was an obvious (if mistaken) signal.

[wateronrock]

Classic post SossMan.

Enjoy your reports as well Howard, keep em coming.