$300 Prelim Wrap-Up

Yesterday morning we went to a restaurant to have some breakfast. I am still getting used to the food here. EVERYTHING tastes different from the eggs down to the Snickers bars. After breakfast we went for a drive around the city. I got some great pics with my phone and will do a separate post with all of those shortly. Traffic getting back to the casino was bad and I arrived 10 minutes late. Believe it or not the event started on time. With 10k in chips and 40 minute levels and a slow structure there was plenty of time.

26 tables starting 11 handed with alternates and the field hit the cap of 320 players. Top 30 would get paid. It didn't take too long at the first table to figure out who the fish was. He was playing approx. 95% of his hands and was to my immediate left. The hands that he won in the early going he never had to show down so it was hard to gauge what he was playing. Finally he raised a hand pre-flop and when it was shown down he had J9 off. OK I know he is a fish now.

The first level was pretty standard. I won one pot and was just above my starting stack at the end of the level. Getting a good grasp of the table in level two I opened it up a little more and was able to build to 13k. Said fish at the table raised another hand and I flatted with 88. Flop comes 955. I check and he fires a pot sized bet of around 1k and I put him in for his last 4500 or so. Of course he shows down 10,5 off for the flopped trips. Great hand to raise it up with pre-flop.

Good thing he was only renting those chips cause in the 3rd level in a limped pot I had 98cc. Flop comes with two crubs and I check call his bet. I get there on the turn and check. Be bets something like 1600 and I put him in for around 6k more. He tanks and eventually finds the call button with KQ no crub and is drawing dead. I knew he was gonna spew those chips to someone. I'm glad I was the recipient of most of them. Going into the first break I was sitting on 22k.

Coming back from break the wheels started to come off. I was hitting top pair or some sort of flush or straight draw and never go there. In back to back hands I went from 22k all the way down to 12k. I kept getting hands like 88 and 99 and calling raises. Missing the flop and peeling on the turn and then folding. Just horrible play on my part. I fell to 10k, then 5k and then all the way down to 3800 playing 150/300/25. I was able to 3bet shove JJ and the raiser hoped for the flip with 66. My hand held and I was back to 7200.

Shortly after my double I limped with 22. About 5 ways to the flop it comes 432ddc. I fire about a 2/3 sized bet of 1200 and get one caller. Turn is the Kc. Thanks for adding that card. I potted and figured if he is drawing he has to pay. I took it down right there and had the stack back to 8500. I dribbled down a bit to 7700 before we reached the second break.

Coming back from break we were playing 200/400/50. I was able to work my stack up to 10k without a showdown. I then was able to get the big double I needed. Player to my right opens to 1400 and I opted for the overshove of 10k total with KK. He tanked for a bit and called with QQ. My hand held and I was up to 22k again. Shortly after that hand our table broke. The new table didn't have too many big stacks. There were not that many women in the field but the 2,3 and 4 seats were all women on my new table. Seat 2 was aggro. Seat 3 was an older lady. The table said he had KK about 4 times before I sat. Guy next to be said his AA was cracked by here JJ AIPF for a double to around 30k. When I got to the table she had around 40k or so.

One of my first hands at the tabe was against the lady in seat 2. I flatted a raise with JJ. Flop comes Kxx and I call a bet. On the turn I picked up a 4 flush draw and an open ender and called another sizable bet. The river bricked off and I had 12k left after the hand. in the 8th and 9th levels I went on a massive run of cards. I picked-up AA two hands in a row. The first time I won the blinds and one limper. The next hand I just won the blinds. I steadily was able to grind back up without many showdowns and I had my stack all the way back to 35k at the dinner break. There were 120 players left and the average stack was 25k. The lady in seat 3 right before the break won another KK vs QQ hand and had 90k at the break.

Coming back from dinner it was 500/1k/100. In that level I played exactly one hand which was at the end of the level. I won a decent pot to pay for the blinds and antes and had 34k headed to 600/1200/200. At the start of the level it really started to click for me. I was raising about 30% of my hands and was rarely played back at. When I was re-popped or folded on the flop or turn I was able to get the chips back with another two raises each lap. Going to 800/1600/200 I worked the stack up to 48k.

My high point was when I was at 59k going to 1k/2k/300 and the average stack was 48k with 35 people to go until the money. Since my table was mostly short stacks about the only thing that was happening was a raise and a 3bet shove or just an outright shove. I knew I was going to have to take a few flips. I could not win a single one of them. 0-3 and that spelled the demise.

Flip #1 - At 1k/2k the lady in seat three, who after dinner break I saw fold all but 3 of her hands. She twice showed KK and once called a short stack all-in with A10. She opens in EP for a min-bet to 4k. I think she didn't know the blinds kicked up. I am on the cutoff with AQss and flat. The only reason I don't repop here is due to her tightness and only showing monsters. The BB called. Flop comes 7,6,3ss. BB checks, lady checks and i bet 6k. Short stack shoves for around 13k, lady folds and I call. I see 6,4 with one spade. 14 clean outs for me. Turn 7 river 6 and I whiff and fall back to around 45k.

Flip #2 - At the 1500/3k/500 level I raise to 8k from EP with 99. Folds back to the short stack in the SB who shoves for around 17k. I call and he has AQ. Board runs KJJ2Q. Rivered pair and I am all the way back down to 30k.

Flip #3 - 1500/3k/500 level the short stack UTG shoves for 12k. Folds to me in the BB and I call the extra 8k with A8. I know his shoving range is pretty wide in this spot and think its an easy call. He has K10cc and we are flipping. Flop K turn flush and I'm drawing dead and am all the way down to 18k.

After the last flip I ship from the SB with J7 and the newly doubled BB folds 109. About 6 hands later at 2k/4k/500 I find 77 in MP and ship it. Player in late position shoves over the top and I pray for a flip. Hey, I have to win one of them right? No flip, he has JJ. Board bricks out and I am busted in 44th 14 short of the money.

I don't think I could play much better after my blowup around the 5th level. If I had to do it over I take all of those flips again. You just have to win them at some point in order to build the stack. I was not looking to limp into the money. I wanted the final table. Didn't get there but I was happy with the performance. Thanks to everyone who followed on Twitter.

Tuesday is the PLO event with one rebuy. I will Twitter that one but not to the extent I did in the last one. Maybe updates every level or so along with some big hands.

Photo dump post to come in a bit.