Monster Stack Trip Report

The Monster Stack event was the 3rd largest field ever and played like a $1500 main event. Expect this event yearly now...
$15k starting stack, 25/25/0 start level.


Hand 1:where I like to keep up a tradition of playing my first hand poorly...
LP in seat 8 players raises to 75 and I call from the BB with 6c9c. Flops is AdTc3c. He bets $150 and I check raise to 300. He calls.
My "logic" here was that players often will fold to any raise post flop after c-betting if they hit nothing. So, ok. I tried this and failed.
The turn is a blank (non-club) and I fire a second barrel. This I dont like at all and I think it was just not thinking. LP calls. Check-check river to see AQ.
Very dumb turn bet as I dont see him folding any hand that calls the raise.

BUT, it is important that I dont waste this information and I replay the hand in my head and store the info.

Hand 2:
Raise with KJs from button, blinds both call. Flop is KT9 and the BB leads out for 1/2 pot. I call, SB folds. turn is an Ace and he leads again. I fold. Way to early to look him up here, as everything got there on turn.

Hand 3: Where I get lucky
Call an open from 7 seat with 66. The flop is K high is he is physically interested in the hand. I am beat. I am ready to fold when he bets just 1/3 pot? very strange and I call. Turn is a J and this time he bets 1/4 pot?! So I call. The river is a 6 and when he checks, I value bet 1/2 pot and get called. He is angry and starts talking about how lucky I am. I simple stack the chips, no reply necessary.

Hand 4: punish a poor kicker
An MP (seat 6?) opens and I decide to call from the button with KQo. I want KQo in my calling and raising range, but this deep I go the conservative route. The rest of the notes are missing, but my KQ took a pot from his KT.

Hand 5: so fold
Few notes, but a took a flop 3 way with AJ and flopped TPTK. (I think I raised and got calls from blind and limper.) Flop is JT9 and its lead and raised prior to getting to me. FOLD.

I stop here to make a note that seat 8 is playing very tight. He had the AQ vs. me and has since only showdown AK and KK...

Hand 6: Where I utilize the escape pod
Seat 7 limps and seat 8 raises. I flat with AKo. Since we are so deep, I briefly debated raise vs. call and went the call route. I have notes on both players now and button position, so I feel confident. Flop is AcJc7d. Seat 7 checks, Seat 8 leads out for 1/2 pot. I suspect AQ or clubs and because of seat 7 still hanging around, decide to raise here. (In retrospect, I am folding out the weak player and narrowing the range of the tight player, sort of the opposite of perhaps what I should be doing here.)
Seat 7 folds and seat 8 3 bets me without much thought. I think about this for a while and realize that there is not way I am good here and FOLD. After I fold, I start to think about what my image was (looser to seats 7 & 8) and that he could put me on clubs there and be raising with an Ace. But as I continue to think about it, AJ seemed very likely. [NOTE: Later our table will break and we briefly talk about this hand. He had JJ]

Table Break

Hand 7: where I shoot first
I briefly put KQo in my UtG range and open for 2.5x (antes now). I get two callers and as I debate the wisdom of KQo UtG the flop comes QQx. Since I want to build a pot, I make a standard C-bet and both players fold. I immediately start thinking I am being over anxious. I could easily check here first to act. This feeling will exacerbate itself as I am about to go card dead...

Hand 8: Where I really want to play a hand. By the times it gets to me with 66, I am already facing a 3 bet and fold.

Hand 8 redux: Same idea only 99 facing 3 bet in BB with original raiser left to act and looking very interested. FOLD and watch the fireworks and QQ gets it in with AK.

I have 29k

Spots go by where I am still too deep to get out of line with steals or garbage cards. Plus, there are two Euro players to my right with bigger stacks that keep calling raisers and paying off better hands. "My kingdom for some playable cards" cries go unnoticed by the gods and I grind down...

End of Day 1 (26k)

Day 2 and now blinds are 400/800/100 which is 2200 a round. (32 1/2 Bigs, M just under 12). I go into the day prepared to open my 3 bet range, but the level starts poorly with terrible cards. Even in the BB I have T2o and pass on calling a min raise at one point with 62o.
Stacks: 14k, me now at 24k, 10k, 69k, 21k (pro who I recognize but cant place the name), 80k, Kara Scott folding every hand with 17k, 17.5k, and a shorty on my right with 8k.

The Shorty to my right wakes up in a hand with KK and doubles up. He plays sloppy and will call or open and fold to any 3-bet. Important note.

Hand 10: Easy Call, but hard result.
A short stack who started the day at 10k, then after a couple of pots, doubles up to about 15k, shoves from MP. Folds to me in the BB with AKo and I just call and turn them over. He has TT and I get 5 bricks. Just like that, 25k becomes 9k.

Hands 11:
I make a couple of well times steals and get up to a 12k. I had targeted certain blinds as folding too much, which paid off here.

Hand 12: falling on my sword
Close to the end of the level and its 500/1000/200 next. with 12k, I am antsy.
Folds to the button on my right, and the player looks at his cards, starts to fold, realizes he is the button and min-raises. I kept my eye on the BB and know he did not look at his cards yet (so no interest read). Both are playing very tight despite being in shove territory and this looks like a perfect spot to just pick up the pot. I look at my cards (really just for effect) and shove. With the raise to 1600 and the player on my left with about 11k, anything else may open the door for him to see what I see and shove over me so I rip it. BB wakes up with KK. (turns out I had 54o)

I am now left to contemplate the wisdom of shoving 12+ bigs (15 since its technically still 400/800/100) with 54o based solely on the read that I had a good spot to steal. I have played this over and over again in my head, and I still think I should be doing this here with nearly ANY stack size. correct? (Those 3400 chips represented another 25% to my stack.)

- Same Time Next Year?