ThePokerResource.net: A Rounder’s blog

I was really excited to play this event. In my honest opinion, this tournament always has the biggest overlay because of the size of the field, and that it is a multiple rebuy tourney. My table is a pretty tough lineup with Peter Costa, Dennis Watterman and Jimmy Tran. They are all pretty good NL players. Fortunately, after about 15 minutes I find my mark. With about 2k in chips after my quick rebuy, I raise to 200 with AK off and someone on the button moves in for 1100 total since he didn’t rebuy. I quickly call, he turns up 99 and we race. The flop comes 457, turn 10, river Q, and I lose half my stack. I rebuy again so I’m already in this tourney for 900, and I’m not happy about it. I build my stack up to about 2400, and I limp on the button with J10s. We see the flop 5 ways, and it comes down J 10 3 with 2 hearts. My mark leads into the pot for 300, I raise to 1100 total, and he calls. The turn comes another 10…Gin. He checks, I do a weak lead of 500 and he quickly calls. River comes a 5 of hearts, he moves in for 1200 total and I beat him into the pot. He turns up Q9 and I double up to over 5k. THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!

I don’t remember really how I build my stack up to 25k, but I did. I am getting over a cold and I actually missed both 1500 NL tourneys earlier. I will still pick up the action when we are down to about 50 people left. The field started with 879 players, so obviously there was a lot of poker played. They only pay 45 spots so everyone is playing real tight and I really don’t get any hands. What is worse is that my table has the least amount of chips in the tournament, so everyone is playing extra tight to get into the money. It’s raise and take it scenario. Fortunately, they move me to another table, and I really like this situation better. I raise my first hand UTG with AQc to 9k when the blinds are 1500-3000 with 500 ante. Everyone folds to the BB that moves in for 11k total with AJ. The board comes all-small, and I win with AQ high. I’m now over 40k, and I raise in the cutoff in the dark because we are now playing hand for hand. Everyone folds again. I raise again UTG with 78s and they all fold. I build my stack to 70k without showing a hand. I am now a big stack on my table and the players are getting frustrated. Again UTG, I raise with AJ off to 12k with the blinds at 2000-4000, 500 ante, and everyone folds to the BB who moves in for 28k total. Now, I know she has me dominated. So I do the math 12k plus 6k in antes, the SB plus her 28k makes the pot 46k, so I have to call 16k to win a total of 62k. I am getting almost 3 to 1 on my money and I know I have to hit either the Ace or the Jack. AJ vs. AK is about 3-1 underdog and AJ vs. QQ is about the same. Even if I call and lose I still have about 50 k so after a minute of deliberation I call. She turns up AKd to my AJ off. I pray for a Jack but when the flops comes King high, I lose…BURN.

So I’m back down to 50k, but we now get into the money shortly after. Playing fast when we are almost at the bubble is an important tournament strategy to amass chips. Basically, the way I see it, I am kind of free rolling there because of all the pots I won without showing any hands. Now we get down to 3 tables, I’m blinding down and bleeding. The last hand of the night I look down at two beautiful kings. With the blinds at 3000-6000, 1k ante, I open for 18k of my 39k stack and the button moves in for 51k total. To my delight the SB calls after much deliberation and I call all-in. We turn them: KK for me, AQ for the button and QQ for the SB. What a great spot for me to triple up. The flop comes 962, turn a J, and river a 5. I scream as I triple up to 130k, and we stop play for the night. 24 people left. We are coming back on Super Bowl Sunday at 7 to finish up the tournament.

With 24 left I am one of the larger stacks with 130k. However, with the blinds so high there just isn’t that much play. The first round I don’t play a hand and blind down to 113k. In middle position, I look down at two red Aces and I open for 18k. Everyone folds…BURN. The next round everyone folds to me in the cut off and I raise to 22k with QJd. The button moves in for 50k more, so I reluctantly fold. Now, the round I raise UTG with 99 to 24k with the blinds at 4000-8000 and 1k ante. The chip leader re-raises to 54k total. That raise is screaming KK or AA, so I look, study and reluctantly fold. He then proceeds to show me two Aces. Man, I’m really running bad, and it’s frustrating. I have played 3 hands, and the one time I get a walk I have Aces. There is so much luck this late in a tourny when the stacks aren’t deep enough to play post flop. Unfortunately, I am really getting the cold deck. Anyways, I blind down and am really short. I move in on the cutoff with KQ. Scott Fischman protects me on the button with A8 and we race. The flop comes 442, turn 9, river A, and I’m out 17^th. I mean, words cannot express the disappointment. Here I am playing for a quarter million and I bust out fairly early. I get $5,273 for my troubles. It is my first cash of the year and I will be back to play some more.

The life of a tournament poker player is not fun most of the time…A lot of disappointment.