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.