Back to my Old Ways???

I was able to play the $40 tournament at the track. Same as before you get 3000 to start with an optional re-buy/add-on for $40 and another 3000. I decided to not take the immediate re-buy and see what happened. Actually nobody at my table took the re-buy right away. There were a total of 40 people in the tournament and the top 5 would get paid.

On the very first hand I picked up A,K and raised to 200 and won the blinds. About five hand later I picked-up A,A and raised it up and got no callers. On to the second level I had around 3500 in chips I got A,A again and raised after two limpers. Three people called to a Q,J,7 flop. I put out a 3/4 sized pot bet and took it down. Three hands later what do I get? You guessed it A,A. I raised to 400 and received one caller and took down the pot with a c-bet. At the end of the 3rd level and the first break I had 11k in chips. I decided to take the add-on to get to 14k. If I don't then I am sitting with a slightly above average stack. I think it was clearly the right move.

Coming back from the break there were around 35 people left. The very first hand at the 200/400/25 level I get A,A on the button and raise to 1300 winning the blinds and antes. Four times in 1+ hours. At this point I was playing a lot of pots. Mixing in raises with limps and taking down a number of pots. In levels 4-6 I think I eliminated 4-5 people. By the end of the 7th level I had the stack up to 30k and there were 14 people left with the average stack being around 15k. With the blinds going to 500/1000/100 and then 1000/2000/200 and 2000/4000/500 I still needed to accumulate some chips.


At the start of level 8 I limped for 1k with 86hh and a short stack shoves for 2200. One player from the blind calls and I call. The player in the blind I soon find out is an idiot. The flop comes 10,8,4. Check Check. The turn is a 3 and the blind bets out 1k. Slow playing a big pair or just hit a set???? I called. The river is a J. He bets 2500. I said "You better fuckin have it". Something still didn't feel right and I called. He tabled A,K for jack shit and the SS had A,3 and I won the pot. What a tard. It was obvious he didn't know how to play tournament poker. What should I expect for an $80 tournament though.

In the same level I had a short stack double through be when AK < class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">UTG and raised to 3200 and he was the lone caller. The flop comes 10 high. He leads for 5400 and I fold showing the A,K. He tables the same hand. Nice bet. Here is the start of the downfall. I lost some chips to the tard at the table (read Mr. Dry Side Pot bluffer) when the key hand happens. I have 10,6hh in the BB (1k/2k/200) and the tard limps. I check and see a flop of 6,5,4. Check check. Turn is an Ace. I lead for 5k and he shoves for 12k more. I really think mu 6 is good here. Considering how he played I really should dump this hand here and leave myself with around 18k in chips and find a better spot. Well, I didn't and made the hero call when he tables the 8,7 for the nuts and I'm drawing dead.

No with 6k left I am in shove mode. Two hands later on the button I shove J9cc after a cutoff limper and everyone folds. Next hand there is 2 limpers (including tard) and I ship it in with A,J. One person shoves and tard calls. Tard turns over K,10 and the other player has A,5. Flop comes 10,5,x and BOOM I'm out the door in 11th place.

This is how I used to play these damn things. Build a decent stack early. Let some short stacks double through and then get caught a couple times. Then the one hand cripples me and I never win a hand after that. Shot, if I win that last hand I am around 25k again and in fine shape headed to the final table. Instead I bust and have to bitch about it on the interwebs.

Before the tourney i did sit down at a 2/4 game with a bunch of blue hairs. Seriously, EVERYONE at the table was at least 30 years older than I was. I was taking their Social Security money. This is the only way I'm gonna get paid Social Security money in my lifetime. Thanks Dubya. /rant. I ended up winning two pots with trips and left up $41. At least it paid for half of my buy-in.

My tournament game is feeling pretty strong leading up to Vegas. Hopefully I can get deep in an event or two when I'm there and try and win some serious cash instead of a possible 3 figure score here at home. Yep, 1st place in that tourney was only $900.