Thursday, June 03, 2010

Another $1.5k under my belt

My first table was brutal, featuring a guy who was hot off chopping the Sunday million last week and pwnd me twice.  This took my 4500 down to 3000 and I had to work uphill from there on in.  I kept finding good spot to chip up though and despite some ups and downs was relieved when my table broke.   My new table was much tighter and less chaotic, allowing me to play more within my style.  I doubled my JJ thought A7, but the other chips were hard to come by.  We had FIVE stacks of 7-9k at our table at the dinner break, with $14 being avg.

I hatched a post dinner plan.  I knew we had only 1 more hour before the ante ratio changed to 6:1 and I already had little to no chip utility.  I decided I was going to double up in the next hour.  My opportunity came when a player who often raises light, makes it 800. (we are at 200/400/50).  I have 88 in MP and I THINK about shoving and picking up the 1500 in chips.  But that was not the plan.  The plan is to call, allow one of the two guys at the far end of the table to try a squeeze play with an Ace and then 3 bet all in.  Sure enough the large stack does and I insta-shove.  He made it $1650 and I make it $9k.  I figure I have lots of fold equity here, based on how I played it.  Despite my raise being like $7k he says "Unless you have KK I have to call".  Huh?  really?  Well, he only has AQ, a light call and one that surprised me based on my image and 88 was far lower than any of my showdowns at the table.  But, I was still a small favorite to chip up from $9k to $20k (with now $15k being average and $20k being stellar).   I liked the $1800 in dead money here and well as the expected range of the squeeze play being Ax.  I expect to see at least AK here though, and truth be told expected a fold.


The flop had a Q and its over again.  Eerily similar to last year.  (which was JJ vs. AK in almost the exact same situation and levels).

Amazingly, I went back over the hands I played and never got my money in bad.  Perhaps that is a bad thing.  I did let internet-guy bluff me off my 22 hand and then turn around and make a gut shot straight on another hand where he called my c-bet with air.  That may have been early on, but it set that stage for my need to win a race.  My only race of the event.  And I lose it.

I am the Charlie Brown of poker.

Probably going to play Venetian $340 DS tomorrow now.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Deep Stacks are my favorite tournament in Vegas (Venetian & Caesars). I've yet to not cash in one I've played. Well, I've only played in 3... but still! Got into 3 $550 buy-in tourneys on a total of 4 sattelites($135 ea?).

Placed 7th & 27th out of about 350 players at the Venetian. Placed 10th of only about 80 at Caesars.

I was just in Vegas last month & won a nightly $120 tourney (104 players) - I love the Venetian poker room!

Good luck!

Memphis MOJO said...

Sorry you didn't have better luck -- GL in whatever else you enter.

It might be the WSOP, but players aren't getting a whole lot of play for their money, frankly.

I be out there in two weeks in a $1000 buy in, so only 3000 chips. Yikes.

BLAARGH! said...

What an awful play by the big stack. He probably had no idea how anyone else was playing at the table, he just looked at his cards and "had" to call.

I have to think that shoving might be better there as AQ doesn't have as much invested and can find a fold more often, and quite frankly, you're only a little bit ahead of most hands that would call the xr shove, and behind many more. So pretty much you don't want a call, but 88 is good backup if you do get one.

Good luck with the DS, I think Hoy is playing it as well... hope you guys chop for first :)

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