Today was probably the most fun day the 3 of us have had down here so far. Alot of fun, with some poker mixed in.
The day started at around 2:00pm, allowing for lots of sleep, and we decided to head over to the Golden Nugget to sit in on their 65 dollar tournament with a 40 dollar rebuy. The weird structure has it at 2000 starting stack, 3000 for your rebuy, so you'd have to be clinicly stupid to not just buy in 105 and take the 5000 starting stack.
I was at 10,000 even after the first break, and we came back from the break to watch my stack evaporate with 3 consecutive flush draws hitting on me in 3 straight hands. Sucks.
From there, we decided to go over to the Paris after reading in Cardplayer they have a Pot Limit Omaha tourney for 65 bucks starting at 7:00pm. One problem, we get to the Paris and they inform us they don't run that tournament anymore. Nice. We passed on a comped meal at the Nugget, and I pulled Sonny away from absolutely conquering a Craps table(he was up over 900 dollars between the Craps and Blackjack), to go to the Paris and find the Phantom Tournament advertised in Cardplayer.
We went to grab food at this burger place in the Paris when we found an opportunity for an epic humiliation prop bet.
Sonny had been playing slots alot, and doing very well(including winning 150 bucks from one right before our meal), but he had lost at a nickel slot machine, and actually left himself one credit, and printed the voucher for 5 cents, intending on using it as a prop bet.
So, we're sitting eating when we discuss going to see the opening of Transformers at the MGM Theater, and Bruno tells me it's opened already. I say it hasn't, it opens July 4th, and Sonny pulls out the 5 cent voucher and dares us to make a prop bet on it. Loser has to take the voucher to the main cage at the MGM and cash it for a nickel.
As some of you may know, but for those who don't, I'm right. Transformers does infact open July 4th, and so Bruno lost the prop bet. We headed over to the MGM after the meal, and captured the entire thing with many, many pictures, as well as some video of him doing it. The best moment was when they ID'd him at the cage while cashing the 5 cent voucher. It was absolutely hilarious to be there for, and credit to Bruno for actually going through with it. I would have been sick having to cash that myself.
After that, we headed over to the MGM for some cards. Bruno and I sat at the 1/2 NL Tables, Sonny sat at the 4/8 limit table, since he's half drunk(still up like 1500 on the day from all the table games, he won 800 at blackjack at the Paris). Bruno and I crushed the 1/2 game, he won 260 or something, I won over 400 dollars. Here's a few interesting hands :
The first one was the biggest hand of the day by far for me, I fluctuated down to 26 dollars from my 200 starting stack losing 2 big setups, and had just worked my way back to a fair stack, when this hand occured :
6 limps in total to the cut-off who raises to 20. I call on the button with 7d/8d. Two other players call.
The flop is 8/5/4 rainbow. They all check to me, I fire 20 which is a weak bet but at that point I don't want to go to war since I'm really concerned of an overpair. The 20 dollar bet gets called by 2 people. Turn is bad, an offsuit King. First position fires 40 dollars at it. The next player calls, and now with as much money in the pot(232 dollars), and me having, at least I hoped, 3 possible cards to hit(a 6, 7 or an 8 I probably get my stack in), so I call. River is a 6. Gin. First position checks, next checks, and I shove 64 dollars into the pot(all my chips), and get one caller who says "I know I just slow played myself into losing but I call", which I do appreciate. I show the straight and he mucks.
From that point on I absolutely ran my table over, using agression at almost any opportunity, playing way outside the normal play I'd use, because the table was very weak and bent to me at any chance. I was winning pots by re-raising with 9/3 off preflop when someone would open fold AQ.
So, it was a profitable day for all of us, we had alot of fun(especially with the prop bet), and we're back home in time to get plenty of sleep.
Tomorrow, Bruno and I will try and rep the Jack Seven crowd in the 1500 WSOP event, which I heard from someone today is completely full at 3000 players. Not sure if that's true, but if it is, bonus.
Hopefully tomorrow'll be a really late entry from me, and one of Bruno or myself will be deep.
Also, as a side note, I'd like to just say, Jimmy Mack rules!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Venetian DSE Try 2...and some side games.
So...try number 2, and this time I promise, it's all poker :
The third hand of the tournament, same structure, 6000 in chips, blinds 25/50 and raise every 40 minutes, chaos ensues.
I raise from UTG+1 with KK to 250, get a real quick smoothe call from the player immediately on my left. Late position re-raises to 750. I smoothe call hoping to trap him into this hand since I know he's holding JJ or QQ to come into this pot right now, or AK at worst. The other player blows my mind though, instead of folding out of the way, he comes back over the top to 2250. The late position player folds and leaves me in a weird spot because my first gut instinct says the player has aces that's to my left. It's either that or else a really grossly played pair of 10's or Jacks. After about a full minute in the tank I decide it's a terribly played JJ or 1010 and re-raise all in. He calls and shows JJ. I hold, 14,000 in chips 3 hands into the tournament.
From there, for the rest of the first 2 hours, I leaked chips back by raising into monsters. Any time I raised, I'd see a re-raise and then a re-raise all-in behind me, so I bled alot of chips into the pot, then lost one big pot where I made the wrong read.
Middle position raises to 350, with the blinds at 50/100, and I call with 2/2 hoping to stack him. Everyone else clears the way so I get to play the hand in position.
The flop comes 8/6/4 rainbow, and he fires 300 at it, which to me seemed weak. So I raised to 900, and he smoothe called, which again seemed weak. I figured I might be facing an overpair, like a 9/9 or 10/10. Turn is a Q, he fires a weak almost block bet of 1000 at the pot of 2650, so I call hoping a good scare card peels off on the river. River is gin for me, it's a King. I know for a fact I can sell AK here and take a big pot down. He again makes his same weak block bet of 1000, and I raise it up to 4000. He insta-calls and shows AA. Oops. Right idea, wrong time.
I head into the break right about where I started. The next 2 hours after break are an absolute grind, I can't get anything going. Any time it looks like I can win some chips, I get kicked square in the pants. Case in point a 10,000 chip pot where SB pushes for 5000 with blinds at 300/600, and I'm in the BB with A/2 off, and call knowing I'm ahead. He shows K/9 and the board goes a nice K/Q/J/9/6.
After the 2nd break, I go back to work yet again grinding it along. Again it appears to completely not be my day as I make another mis-read/get suckered. Early position raises to 2400 on 400/800 blinds, and I'm in the BB with 5/5, I call which is kind of weak given I only had 6700 behind, but I felt the need to see a flop, knowing he was stacking himself on any flop that was good for me since he had only 2400 behind. Flop is pretty good actually, 4/6/7 rainbow, I check hoping to let him get all his money in since I know he's pushing any flop. Sure enough he does, and I call, unfortunately he's holding KK and wins the pot.
Eventually I get my money in with Ad/9d vs 3/3, flop comes A/5/8, turn 2, river 4. Meh, not a good day, at least not yet. Today Bruno went out early again to a 2 outer with only one card to come(A/A/6/4 board, he gets it in with 66 against 99 and the player spikes a 9). Sonny played today too and ran well for quite a while before losing a coing flip with JJ vs AK. None of us cash again. Kinda sick actually.
Anyway, Bruno and I in waiting for Sonny to finish head to the cash games at the Venetian, which are incredibly juicy, the 1/2 and 2/5 tables are full of just rank donkeys that can't help themselves from paying you off. Both of us make 200 bucks back, me playing a few interesting hands during my time at the table.
First notable one was kind of silly, I told Bruno I wanted to be a more agressive/wild cash game player because I have admiration for the way he plays cash games. He's a betting machine, and it works well for him.
So I think I took it a step too far in one pot, which led to a big score and some great after the hand dialogue. MP raises to 8 dollars at a 1/2 table, I call from cut-off with Q/J off. Flop is 10/7/4 rainbow, he fires 15 at it. I call. I can't really explain what I'm calling for, I hadn't made up my mind if I was going to try and steal if I felt he was weak or what as of yet. I'd like outs on the turn at least. The turn is actually a J. Now I'm on top pair, he fires 25. I smoothe call still unsure what I'm doing in this pot, and the river is a Q. Now I know why I'm in the pot. He fires 40 dollars at the pot and I make it 100 more to go. He insta-calls and rolls over KK. I show the QJ for top 2 and he gets up and throws a little fit which led to this exchange.
Him : "What the hell are you calling on the flop with?"
Me : "Queen Jack it looks like."
Him : "Ya no shit, why?"
Me : "If I say 'so I can go runner runner for 2 pair you're going to be pissed aren't you?'"
Him : "Hell ya!"
Me : "Okay then nevermind."
So anyway, my 200 quickly becomes 350 or so. Then I lose a big pot with QQ vs 88 on an 8 high flop. Then another kind of funny hand occurs. 6 limps to my button, I look at 3/3, how can I not? I call. Blinds top up, 8 handed to the flop and it's 8/6/3 all spades. Not an ideal flop by any means. Early position bets out 12. Cutoff raises to 25. I call hoping for a board pair. EP calls the extra money. Next card is a 3d. EP checks, cutoff fires another 25. I call again, EP calls. River is a Jh. EP checks yet again, now cutoff checks. Gin, he was value betting his draw and missed. Only one problem, they both turn over their cards as I am counting out chips to bet. The dealer looks at them and goes "He had to act yet...", and then turns to me, and says, "You check." Not posed as a question, he actually tells me I check. I politely inform him that no, I do not check. He tells me I do, and won't accept a bet from me, so I call the floor to over-rule him, then fire 50 dollars at the pot. I don't really expect to get paid off here, but if either of them is really dumb they might still call. Sure enough the EP player calls and shows 7/3 for 2 pair. Thanks?
After the stay at the Venetian we head over to the MGM for a while, and play a quick sit and go. Bruno is the first to get knocked out of the 3 of us, and honest to god, in the 10 minutes, tops, it took from when he went out to when I did, he's raked in 80 dollars at a 1/2 table. Then we decide to call it a night.
Again we've changed the itinerary. Tomorrow we won't be playing the Venetian DSE for $540, because we'd rather take a day off big tournies before the WSOP the next day, so we'll see what tomorrow brings. We'll make it up by playing one of the Venetian CEO Tournaments that start on July 2nd onward, that are 500 dollar buyins and the same structure as the DSE's, 10,000 starting stack, blinds 25/50 and move every 40 minutes. Tomorrow we might go see Cirque De Soleil or something, around what Sonny wants to be a lounge day, but I highly doubt Bruno and I don't find our way to a poker table tomorrow at some point.
The third hand of the tournament, same structure, 6000 in chips, blinds 25/50 and raise every 40 minutes, chaos ensues.
I raise from UTG+1 with KK to 250, get a real quick smoothe call from the player immediately on my left. Late position re-raises to 750. I smoothe call hoping to trap him into this hand since I know he's holding JJ or QQ to come into this pot right now, or AK at worst. The other player blows my mind though, instead of folding out of the way, he comes back over the top to 2250. The late position player folds and leaves me in a weird spot because my first gut instinct says the player has aces that's to my left. It's either that or else a really grossly played pair of 10's or Jacks. After about a full minute in the tank I decide it's a terribly played JJ or 1010 and re-raise all in. He calls and shows JJ. I hold, 14,000 in chips 3 hands into the tournament.
From there, for the rest of the first 2 hours, I leaked chips back by raising into monsters. Any time I raised, I'd see a re-raise and then a re-raise all-in behind me, so I bled alot of chips into the pot, then lost one big pot where I made the wrong read.
Middle position raises to 350, with the blinds at 50/100, and I call with 2/2 hoping to stack him. Everyone else clears the way so I get to play the hand in position.
The flop comes 8/6/4 rainbow, and he fires 300 at it, which to me seemed weak. So I raised to 900, and he smoothe called, which again seemed weak. I figured I might be facing an overpair, like a 9/9 or 10/10. Turn is a Q, he fires a weak almost block bet of 1000 at the pot of 2650, so I call hoping a good scare card peels off on the river. River is gin for me, it's a King. I know for a fact I can sell AK here and take a big pot down. He again makes his same weak block bet of 1000, and I raise it up to 4000. He insta-calls and shows AA. Oops. Right idea, wrong time.
I head into the break right about where I started. The next 2 hours after break are an absolute grind, I can't get anything going. Any time it looks like I can win some chips, I get kicked square in the pants. Case in point a 10,000 chip pot where SB pushes for 5000 with blinds at 300/600, and I'm in the BB with A/2 off, and call knowing I'm ahead. He shows K/9 and the board goes a nice K/Q/J/9/6.
After the 2nd break, I go back to work yet again grinding it along. Again it appears to completely not be my day as I make another mis-read/get suckered. Early position raises to 2400 on 400/800 blinds, and I'm in the BB with 5/5, I call which is kind of weak given I only had 6700 behind, but I felt the need to see a flop, knowing he was stacking himself on any flop that was good for me since he had only 2400 behind. Flop is pretty good actually, 4/6/7 rainbow, I check hoping to let him get all his money in since I know he's pushing any flop. Sure enough he does, and I call, unfortunately he's holding KK and wins the pot.
Eventually I get my money in with Ad/9d vs 3/3, flop comes A/5/8, turn 2, river 4. Meh, not a good day, at least not yet. Today Bruno went out early again to a 2 outer with only one card to come(A/A/6/4 board, he gets it in with 66 against 99 and the player spikes a 9). Sonny played today too and ran well for quite a while before losing a coing flip with JJ vs AK. None of us cash again. Kinda sick actually.
Anyway, Bruno and I in waiting for Sonny to finish head to the cash games at the Venetian, which are incredibly juicy, the 1/2 and 2/5 tables are full of just rank donkeys that can't help themselves from paying you off. Both of us make 200 bucks back, me playing a few interesting hands during my time at the table.
First notable one was kind of silly, I told Bruno I wanted to be a more agressive/wild cash game player because I have admiration for the way he plays cash games. He's a betting machine, and it works well for him.
So I think I took it a step too far in one pot, which led to a big score and some great after the hand dialogue. MP raises to 8 dollars at a 1/2 table, I call from cut-off with Q/J off. Flop is 10/7/4 rainbow, he fires 15 at it. I call. I can't really explain what I'm calling for, I hadn't made up my mind if I was going to try and steal if I felt he was weak or what as of yet. I'd like outs on the turn at least. The turn is actually a J. Now I'm on top pair, he fires 25. I smoothe call still unsure what I'm doing in this pot, and the river is a Q. Now I know why I'm in the pot. He fires 40 dollars at the pot and I make it 100 more to go. He insta-calls and rolls over KK. I show the QJ for top 2 and he gets up and throws a little fit which led to this exchange.
Him : "What the hell are you calling on the flop with?"
Me : "Queen Jack it looks like."
Him : "Ya no shit, why?"
Me : "If I say 'so I can go runner runner for 2 pair you're going to be pissed aren't you?'"
Him : "Hell ya!"
Me : "Okay then nevermind."
So anyway, my 200 quickly becomes 350 or so. Then I lose a big pot with QQ vs 88 on an 8 high flop. Then another kind of funny hand occurs. 6 limps to my button, I look at 3/3, how can I not? I call. Blinds top up, 8 handed to the flop and it's 8/6/3 all spades. Not an ideal flop by any means. Early position bets out 12. Cutoff raises to 25. I call hoping for a board pair. EP calls the extra money. Next card is a 3d. EP checks, cutoff fires another 25. I call again, EP calls. River is a Jh. EP checks yet again, now cutoff checks. Gin, he was value betting his draw and missed. Only one problem, they both turn over their cards as I am counting out chips to bet. The dealer looks at them and goes "He had to act yet...", and then turns to me, and says, "You check." Not posed as a question, he actually tells me I check. I politely inform him that no, I do not check. He tells me I do, and won't accept a bet from me, so I call the floor to over-rule him, then fire 50 dollars at the pot. I don't really expect to get paid off here, but if either of them is really dumb they might still call. Sure enough the EP player calls and shows 7/3 for 2 pair. Thanks?
After the stay at the Venetian we head over to the MGM for a while, and play a quick sit and go. Bruno is the first to get knocked out of the 3 of us, and honest to god, in the 10 minutes, tops, it took from when he went out to when I did, he's raked in 80 dollars at a 1/2 table. Then we decide to call it a night.
Again we've changed the itinerary. Tomorrow we won't be playing the Venetian DSE for $540, because we'd rather take a day off big tournies before the WSOP the next day, so we'll see what tomorrow brings. We'll make it up by playing one of the Venetian CEO Tournaments that start on July 2nd onward, that are 500 dollar buyins and the same structure as the DSE's, 10,000 starting stack, blinds 25/50 and move every 40 minutes. Tomorrow we might go see Cirque De Soleil or something, around what Sonny wants to be a lounge day, but I highly doubt Bruno and I don't find our way to a poker table tomorrow at some point.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Day 1 and 2 of Vegas...rollercoaster ride. Whee!
Wow, what a first trip to Las Vegas. So, let me start at the beginning.
My flight seems simple enough, Toronto to Chicago to Las Vegas, departing at 5:30pm EST. I get to the airport at 2:00pm leaving myself oodles of time to get through Customs. Bruno arrives shortly thereafter, where we're told that the flight to Chicago is delayed because of rainstorms in Chicago, and we won't make our connection. So they'll book us a different flight, Toronto to Denver to Las Vegas. Unforuntately, that one's delayed too, so that's a no go. Finally we get an 8:40 departure on Air Canada, direct to Vegas. Then my name pops up on a Terrorist Watchlist and I get questioned, the Bruno gets held up also. Flight itself was not bad, Air Canada has on board movies and TV shows(Arrested Developement, The Office, Austin Powers and Shooter comprise my trip's entertainment)...and finally we get to Las Vegas.
Bruno and I head over to the hotel, check in, and then head to the Rio to register for the $1500 WSOP event starting on Saturday(I decided to play that instead of the $2000 one so I can play the $540 Venetian DSE event on the 29th).
Anyway...we get there and I notice something bad, my cell phone isn't in my pocket, it fell out during one of the cab rides. I don't know what one, so I'm basically screwed. Bad beat and I haven't even seen a card room yet.
Eventually I go back to Binions dead tired from a pretty hectic day, and sit at a 1/2 table and walk out up $300. Bonus, nice little comfort to go to sleep with.
Day 2 we wake up, grab some breakfast and go off to the Venetian to play the $330 Venetian DSE event. I start off in cruise control until right before the first break when I lose a huge pot getting it all in on a Q/5/3 flop with AQ vs JJ and he catches a J on the turn. From there, I'm grinding the SS the entire time, and can't really get anything going, eventually I bust out a long time later, but still a ways from the money. 594 players, I finished 220th or somewhere, while being card dead and short stacked. I felt I played really well though, I maximized what I could get out of the event.
Bruno, on the other hand, was simply in cruise control, having one of the big stacks from nearly the onset, right down into the final 100 players, before he lost an enormous pot getting it in with AK vs someone's AQ and the player drew out a Q on the flop. In the meantime I win another $120 dollars in a cash game, and presto, Sonny arrives.
I had this plan about getting a phone down to me, but it involved Sonny's phonebook, and as a nice little bonus, his blackberry is dead, and neither of us have a phone now. So ya, that's pleasent.
Anyway, I know what you want is hand andecdotes so I'll give you one, before I go because I'm lazy, from now on in this blog will be all poker, but today and yesterday have been kind of weird, hectic days so far.
The hand is from the Venetian DSE. I raise from the cut-off with Kh/6h, and get a caller from the SB, which struck me because the guy was push poker, he had no other move I had seen yet. Flop was gin, Qh/7h/2h. He checks to me, and I check, wanting to give him one card on the off chance he has the A high draw, because I don't have enough chips to push him unless I can make his hand worse by letting him see his outs not get there on the turn. Sure enough, the turn is a brick, and he leads at the pot. I shove back, he tanks and I try and look as nervous as I can, and then finally says, "Well, the pot odds are right", and calls. I automatically assume he has the Ah, he doesn't, he has Q/9 off. So much for pot odds, he's drawing dead so the pot could be infinite money and he could need to call 3 cents into it and it's still not laying him the odds to call.
Apparantly the Venetian DSE is really popular, although I didn't see them, JC Tran and Joe Hachem apparantly played the event. TJ Cloutier was at the Venetian but didn't sit, although I did meet him. We also met Marcel Luske, Barry Greenstein and John Juanda later when the three of us went to the Rio to grab some food.
Overall it's been fun if a little hectic, hopefully we're at a point now where things normalize and the next post tomorrow can be all about poker hands from my 2nd shot at the Venetian DSE.
To Tom, if you're reading this, my phone isn't with me obviously, and now I'll deffinitely be at the Rio on June 30th when you get in, because it's now Day 1 of my event, so stop on by and see if you can find me around.
My flight seems simple enough, Toronto to Chicago to Las Vegas, departing at 5:30pm EST. I get to the airport at 2:00pm leaving myself oodles of time to get through Customs. Bruno arrives shortly thereafter, where we're told that the flight to Chicago is delayed because of rainstorms in Chicago, and we won't make our connection. So they'll book us a different flight, Toronto to Denver to Las Vegas. Unforuntately, that one's delayed too, so that's a no go. Finally we get an 8:40 departure on Air Canada, direct to Vegas. Then my name pops up on a Terrorist Watchlist and I get questioned, the Bruno gets held up also. Flight itself was not bad, Air Canada has on board movies and TV shows(Arrested Developement, The Office, Austin Powers and Shooter comprise my trip's entertainment)...and finally we get to Las Vegas.
Bruno and I head over to the hotel, check in, and then head to the Rio to register for the $1500 WSOP event starting on Saturday(I decided to play that instead of the $2000 one so I can play the $540 Venetian DSE event on the 29th).
Anyway...we get there and I notice something bad, my cell phone isn't in my pocket, it fell out during one of the cab rides. I don't know what one, so I'm basically screwed. Bad beat and I haven't even seen a card room yet.
Eventually I go back to Binions dead tired from a pretty hectic day, and sit at a 1/2 table and walk out up $300. Bonus, nice little comfort to go to sleep with.
Day 2 we wake up, grab some breakfast and go off to the Venetian to play the $330 Venetian DSE event. I start off in cruise control until right before the first break when I lose a huge pot getting it all in on a Q/5/3 flop with AQ vs JJ and he catches a J on the turn. From there, I'm grinding the SS the entire time, and can't really get anything going, eventually I bust out a long time later, but still a ways from the money. 594 players, I finished 220th or somewhere, while being card dead and short stacked. I felt I played really well though, I maximized what I could get out of the event.
Bruno, on the other hand, was simply in cruise control, having one of the big stacks from nearly the onset, right down into the final 100 players, before he lost an enormous pot getting it in with AK vs someone's AQ and the player drew out a Q on the flop. In the meantime I win another $120 dollars in a cash game, and presto, Sonny arrives.
I had this plan about getting a phone down to me, but it involved Sonny's phonebook, and as a nice little bonus, his blackberry is dead, and neither of us have a phone now. So ya, that's pleasent.
Anyway, I know what you want is hand andecdotes so I'll give you one, before I go because I'm lazy, from now on in this blog will be all poker, but today and yesterday have been kind of weird, hectic days so far.
The hand is from the Venetian DSE. I raise from the cut-off with Kh/6h, and get a caller from the SB, which struck me because the guy was push poker, he had no other move I had seen yet. Flop was gin, Qh/7h/2h. He checks to me, and I check, wanting to give him one card on the off chance he has the A high draw, because I don't have enough chips to push him unless I can make his hand worse by letting him see his outs not get there on the turn. Sure enough, the turn is a brick, and he leads at the pot. I shove back, he tanks and I try and look as nervous as I can, and then finally says, "Well, the pot odds are right", and calls. I automatically assume he has the Ah, he doesn't, he has Q/9 off. So much for pot odds, he's drawing dead so the pot could be infinite money and he could need to call 3 cents into it and it's still not laying him the odds to call.
Apparantly the Venetian DSE is really popular, although I didn't see them, JC Tran and Joe Hachem apparantly played the event. TJ Cloutier was at the Venetian but didn't sit, although I did meet him. We also met Marcel Luske, Barry Greenstein and John Juanda later when the three of us went to the Rio to grab some food.
Overall it's been fun if a little hectic, hopefully we're at a point now where things normalize and the next post tomorrow can be all about poker hands from my 2nd shot at the Venetian DSE.
To Tom, if you're reading this, my phone isn't with me obviously, and now I'll deffinitely be at the Rio on June 30th when you get in, because it's now Day 1 of my event, so stop on by and see if you can find me around.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Brantford Casino Satallite...
$50 entry fee, $20 unlimited rebuys until the first break, $40 addon.
Start with 1000 in chips, blinds start at 25/25 and go up every 20 minutes. She's a fast puppy but if you run okay it's a great way to find yourself a seat into the $1500 event they run every couple of months.
So today I went down to play, and right away our table was all action, the very first hand played we had 2 players all in against each other with AA and a very grossly overplayed KQ-off.
My theory, and there's a reason I use theory and not plan for that word, was to build a tight image at the table so that I could find spots when it mattered a little more to bluff, and they'd want to avoid tangling with me. I didn't play the entire first blind level, 25/25, that spanned 20 minutes, and for a bit into the 25/50 blind level until I picked up KK under the gun. I considered slow playing but with the image I figured a call here would seem stronger than a raise and scream that I was holding a premium pair, so I raised it up to 200 straight. Despite my not playing a single hand for a half hour or more, I managed to find 4 callers. The flop was nice though, 7/3/2 rainbow, and I fired 700 at it and took that pot down.
The next big hand was the very next hand. 7 players limped into the pot infront of me on my big blind, and I looked down at AK-off. I actually considered checking it seemed so silly there were that many players, but I figured I could get away with a raise here, so with 400 in the pot after all the limps, I raised it 500 more to go. This player 2 to my left called quickly, I had heard from a few guys that he's supposedly really good and plays these tournaments all the time, although I'd soon discover that that's all phony because his call was terrible. There was another caller. So, 1900 in the pot and I have 1600 behind...great. Flop is nice though, A/10/9 rainbow again, so I decide to not even bother messing around and just shove in here. That same guy 2 to my left calls me again, and the other player folds. I roll over AK and he rolls over QJ offsuit. Actually I'm not that disgusted by his call on the flop, it's an unlimited rebuy and if you can find a spot to gamble here or there than that's good for you. The call preflop is terrible though. In any event, the turn is a K which gives me faint hope for a full house re-draw, but I miss. So I rebuy.
The next big hand I play is kind of fun, I pick up a Jd/8d in my next BB, and I am able to check with 4 players in the pot. Flop is 10d/9d/4d. I check, induce a weak all-in and a call infront of me, I call. The all-in shows down K/10 off for top pair, the call shows Ad/6s and wiffs his bigger draw. He actually found himself in a real bad spot with 6 diamonds accounted for and 2 more making me the best hand(straight flush for a 7 or Q of diamonds).
That settled me back around 2600 going into the break, the addon put me at 4600. The first hand after the break I got moved to a new table, which I told a friend of mine during the break who was there I had hoped would happen since the big stack at my starting table, a player with 12,800 at the break, was also a very good player so I didn't feel like his chips were dead money waiting to be claimed.
The new table I sat at there was an added bonus, I was the chip leader! As soon as I sat down, that would change. The first hand I played at this table, I picked up Qh/Jh in middle position and just flat called the 200 BB. Button called, the SB topped up and the BB checked. 800 in the pot. Flop was Ad/Qd/Qc. Blinds checked and I checked behind hoping the button had an ace, and sure enough she bet out 600 into the 800. I raised another 1500 more ontop(she was holding 2500 infront of her), and she pushed back. I called quickly and was excited when she turned over a hand that I had completely crushed, Qs/10d. The turn was not all that attractive, the 3d gave her a flush draw with her 10. I laughed and told the dealer "don't put another diamond on the board that'd be sick". He didn't, he just decided to be sick without slapping a diamond down as the river, 10c brought a smashing hault to my run as I was suddenly at 1900 with blinds at 100/200.
I pushed a few times to get a couple sets of blinds and had 2500 infront of me when I had to post my BB for 400 now as blinds raised to 200/400, and the next big hand came up. The player to my immediate left kept complaining about an old guy in one of the far seats who "slow played everything, he never raises preflop and barely raises on the flop"(there was an incident I'd discuss with a TD later regarding that). In any event, for this hand, that player called. No one else, including SB called. I looked at 3d/4h and checked. The flop landed 3c/6d/4s. I bet out 400, and he called. The turn was an 8c. I bet out 800, and he suddenly straight raised to 1600. I was holding 1300 more and it was 800 to call. I paused for a moment and smiled at him, "Did you spike that 8 there?", and he turned his head down to avoid answering any questions. "You have an overpair? I can beat an overpair.", then he was gracious enough to tip his hand by pulling his head back up to look at the flop, I can almost see him asking himself "what hand could he have that beats my overpair?", as I took a stab just to try and look cool like Daniel Negreanu and said, "I'm all-in", as soon as he called the extra 500 I guessed pocket nines, which is exactly what he rolled over. I showed the 2 pair and it held.
The incident, for the record, was when on a board of 9/8/10/J/6 rainbow, he was checked to and checked and rolled over a Q, which I do understand was not the nuts, but still seemed awfully fishy, especially when he laughed after the hand with the player who was in the pot with him, "ya I wasn't that confident", as if mocking the fact he knew he had the best hand and didn't bet it. I beleive the TD mentioned something to him but that left me sour.
That set me back up nicely as I went to work on the table I felt was very weak, and suddenly had 9800 when my next big hand came up, the one that eventually doomed me.
Blinds at 400/800 now and me with about 8700, I post my BB and it's folded around to the button who pushes all in for 4700 total. SB folds and I look down at 10/10 and instantly call while turning the cards over. He tables Ad/2d. The flop is bad, K/K/J. Suddenly he has more split possibilities. The river is worse. Ace.
That left me with 4000 and blinds at 400/800. I promptly, as if the poker gods declaring today officially "Not Kevin's Day", went completely, and utterly card-dead. The best hand I saw for the next hour was 2/2. I kept slowly widdling and stealing to hover until I found myself at 2500 with blinds at 1000/2000, looked at Jc/9c and pushed. Got a couple callers and completel wiffed, and that was my day.
I now remember why I don't like Brantford's structure. I lost one big hand, and found myself on a short stack, then ran card dead as 3 blind levels passed me by and suddenly was beyond a short stack, I was barely able to call the BB. It's the main reason I am so excited for Las Vegas and the WSOP and Binions events, where the blind levels are longer and slower moving, so that it allots for players to go through 40 minute periods where they can't find a hand without the blinds raising 3 times.
Start with 1000 in chips, blinds start at 25/25 and go up every 20 minutes. She's a fast puppy but if you run okay it's a great way to find yourself a seat into the $1500 event they run every couple of months.
So today I went down to play, and right away our table was all action, the very first hand played we had 2 players all in against each other with AA and a very grossly overplayed KQ-off.
My theory, and there's a reason I use theory and not plan for that word, was to build a tight image at the table so that I could find spots when it mattered a little more to bluff, and they'd want to avoid tangling with me. I didn't play the entire first blind level, 25/25, that spanned 20 minutes, and for a bit into the 25/50 blind level until I picked up KK under the gun. I considered slow playing but with the image I figured a call here would seem stronger than a raise and scream that I was holding a premium pair, so I raised it up to 200 straight. Despite my not playing a single hand for a half hour or more, I managed to find 4 callers. The flop was nice though, 7/3/2 rainbow, and I fired 700 at it and took that pot down.
The next big hand was the very next hand. 7 players limped into the pot infront of me on my big blind, and I looked down at AK-off. I actually considered checking it seemed so silly there were that many players, but I figured I could get away with a raise here, so with 400 in the pot after all the limps, I raised it 500 more to go. This player 2 to my left called quickly, I had heard from a few guys that he's supposedly really good and plays these tournaments all the time, although I'd soon discover that that's all phony because his call was terrible. There was another caller. So, 1900 in the pot and I have 1600 behind...great. Flop is nice though, A/10/9 rainbow again, so I decide to not even bother messing around and just shove in here. That same guy 2 to my left calls me again, and the other player folds. I roll over AK and he rolls over QJ offsuit. Actually I'm not that disgusted by his call on the flop, it's an unlimited rebuy and if you can find a spot to gamble here or there than that's good for you. The call preflop is terrible though. In any event, the turn is a K which gives me faint hope for a full house re-draw, but I miss. So I rebuy.
The next big hand I play is kind of fun, I pick up a Jd/8d in my next BB, and I am able to check with 4 players in the pot. Flop is 10d/9d/4d. I check, induce a weak all-in and a call infront of me, I call. The all-in shows down K/10 off for top pair, the call shows Ad/6s and wiffs his bigger draw. He actually found himself in a real bad spot with 6 diamonds accounted for and 2 more making me the best hand(straight flush for a 7 or Q of diamonds).
That settled me back around 2600 going into the break, the addon put me at 4600. The first hand after the break I got moved to a new table, which I told a friend of mine during the break who was there I had hoped would happen since the big stack at my starting table, a player with 12,800 at the break, was also a very good player so I didn't feel like his chips were dead money waiting to be claimed.
The new table I sat at there was an added bonus, I was the chip leader! As soon as I sat down, that would change. The first hand I played at this table, I picked up Qh/Jh in middle position and just flat called the 200 BB. Button called, the SB topped up and the BB checked. 800 in the pot. Flop was Ad/Qd/Qc. Blinds checked and I checked behind hoping the button had an ace, and sure enough she bet out 600 into the 800. I raised another 1500 more ontop(she was holding 2500 infront of her), and she pushed back. I called quickly and was excited when she turned over a hand that I had completely crushed, Qs/10d. The turn was not all that attractive, the 3d gave her a flush draw with her 10. I laughed and told the dealer "don't put another diamond on the board that'd be sick". He didn't, he just decided to be sick without slapping a diamond down as the river, 10c brought a smashing hault to my run as I was suddenly at 1900 with blinds at 100/200.
I pushed a few times to get a couple sets of blinds and had 2500 infront of me when I had to post my BB for 400 now as blinds raised to 200/400, and the next big hand came up. The player to my immediate left kept complaining about an old guy in one of the far seats who "slow played everything, he never raises preflop and barely raises on the flop"(there was an incident I'd discuss with a TD later regarding that). In any event, for this hand, that player called. No one else, including SB called. I looked at 3d/4h and checked. The flop landed 3c/6d/4s. I bet out 400, and he called. The turn was an 8c. I bet out 800, and he suddenly straight raised to 1600. I was holding 1300 more and it was 800 to call. I paused for a moment and smiled at him, "Did you spike that 8 there?", and he turned his head down to avoid answering any questions. "You have an overpair? I can beat an overpair.", then he was gracious enough to tip his hand by pulling his head back up to look at the flop, I can almost see him asking himself "what hand could he have that beats my overpair?", as I took a stab just to try and look cool like Daniel Negreanu and said, "I'm all-in", as soon as he called the extra 500 I guessed pocket nines, which is exactly what he rolled over. I showed the 2 pair and it held.
The incident, for the record, was when on a board of 9/8/10/J/6 rainbow, he was checked to and checked and rolled over a Q, which I do understand was not the nuts, but still seemed awfully fishy, especially when he laughed after the hand with the player who was in the pot with him, "ya I wasn't that confident", as if mocking the fact he knew he had the best hand and didn't bet it. I beleive the TD mentioned something to him but that left me sour.
That set me back up nicely as I went to work on the table I felt was very weak, and suddenly had 9800 when my next big hand came up, the one that eventually doomed me.
Blinds at 400/800 now and me with about 8700, I post my BB and it's folded around to the button who pushes all in for 4700 total. SB folds and I look down at 10/10 and instantly call while turning the cards over. He tables Ad/2d. The flop is bad, K/K/J. Suddenly he has more split possibilities. The river is worse. Ace.
That left me with 4000 and blinds at 400/800. I promptly, as if the poker gods declaring today officially "Not Kevin's Day", went completely, and utterly card-dead. The best hand I saw for the next hour was 2/2. I kept slowly widdling and stealing to hover until I found myself at 2500 with blinds at 1000/2000, looked at Jc/9c and pushed. Got a couple callers and completel wiffed, and that was my day.
I now remember why I don't like Brantford's structure. I lost one big hand, and found myself on a short stack, then ran card dead as 3 blind levels passed me by and suddenly was beyond a short stack, I was barely able to call the BB. It's the main reason I am so excited for Las Vegas and the WSOP and Binions events, where the blind levels are longer and slower moving, so that it allots for players to go through 40 minute periods where they can't find a hand without the blinds raising 3 times.
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