L.A. Poker Classic, Jan. 19, NL Hold’em - $300 buy in
Here it is…the LAPC has come. I have played the $300 NL, the $300 NL w/rebuys, and the $500 NL with one optional (rebuy). So far, these three tournaments have not gone as hoped. Here is a small synopsis of the $300 NL tournament I played this past week:
Jan. 19 NL Hold’em, $300 buy in
I wake up around 2:30 pm after being up late the night before. I get a call from a friend that you need a “player’s card” like during the WSOP. He said that I should come down ASAP because the lines were getting ridiculous. OK, so I rush and arrive at Commerce around 3:20, which in previous years is plenty early because I would’ve already had someone buy my seat. Anyways, I see about 200 people in the Player’s card line, and lucky for me, I see a friend about 100 deep. So naturally, I cut into his spot in the line. Twenty minutes later I get my player’s card, and now I have to move to the cashier line to buy my entry. This line is about 200 deep as well, and again I see a friend about half way through, so I cut in. I’m thinking these are good signs…I’m not running that bad.
I finally get my seat. The tourney has been running for 40 minutes, and they blind me down 150, which is pretty reasonable. I start with 1350 out of my original 1500. So what do I do: I bluff the first pot dealt to me with 74c, trying to steal the dead BB and the only 50 bucks in the pot. I end up losing 350 on my first hand trying to win that 50. I’m not too happy and already down to 1k quickly. The next hour or so, I raise a few pots, bet out on flops, get my chips back up to the 1500 starting stack, and think to myself: I should of done this from the start.
Slowly I build my stack to about 3,500 in the 2nd hour and feeling much better. With the blinds at 50-100, I open to 400 with AK of hearts, and get called by this pretty tight player. Immediately my head says AQ or two 9’s. We see the flop heads up and it comes down AQ6 with one heart. Now, I like this flop, but I’m not in love with it because I put him on AQ. However, checking is not an option, so I lead at this pot for 400. Basically, I don’t want to play a big pot here in case I’m beat, and I don’t want to give him a free card with any pocket pair. Unfortunately, he raises to 1k. Wow, I really want to fold this hand right now, but I call fairly quick, trying to represent a lot of strength and hopefully catch a K or a heart. The turn comes the Ace of clubs. Well, that’s a good card but I would rather have a K. I check, and he checks. The river comes an off-suit 4. I check again…I’m not falling for the trap. He bets 1k, and I have 1700 left in chips. So if I call here and lose, I’m down to 700. I take about 40 seconds, and call. I really wanted to fold, but based on the way I played this pot he really has no idea how strong my hand is. So, what do I see? The AQs, and I’m down to 700. I’m not happy about this.
In the next few hours I amazingly built my stack to 5k. I move in and win a race, 99 vs AK to double up to 1300. I also move in pre-flop after a few limpers and win the blinds. I then move in after a raise and pick up that pot too. In the BB with 66, and the blinds at 300-600 everyone folds to the cutoff, who moves in for 2400. I quickly call here. I am certain I am up against two overs at worse. He turns over A3, and I win this pot which puts me up to about 8.5k. My next big hand I finally pick up two Aces in the cutoff position, and everyone folds to the player to my right, who opens for 2500 with the blinds at 400-800. I look at his stack, he has about 4k left. I sense weakness in him, and I want all his chips. I don’t want to re-raise here to give him the opportunity to lay down pre-flop. We see the flop heads up and it comes down 10 8 2. He quickly says “all in,” and I almost beat him into the pot. He turns up QJ, so I have to fade a 9, which doesn’t come, and just like that I’m up to 15k…..Sweet.
The next few hours I don’t really fluctuate too much, but I manage to start this next hand with about 17k. At this point in the tourney, there are about 90 players left out of the original 1148, and wow, I’m feeling real good about this opportunity. I am in the BB with K8 off-suit, the blinds at 800-1600 and everyone folds to the SB, who completes the action, and I check. The flop comes K 6 7, with two diamonds. I don’t have a diamond, and the SB leads at this pot for 2,500. At this point, I’m pretty certain I have the best hand, but not 100% sure. If he doesn’t have a K, I have him crushed, and I’d want to move in on the turn, so I call. The turn comes the A of diamonds. Now under normal circumstances that card would be the worst card in the deck. However, since he limped from the SB, and he led into that flop, I don’t think he has an ace. It is also possible that he turned a flush, but I really didn’t think so. He leads for 3k. At this point, I no longer want to put any extra chips in if I do not have to, which is why I won’t move in here. The river comes horrible: the 3 of diamonds, to put 4 diamonds in there, and the SB moves in. I have to fold. I am not a happy camper. I lost about 40% of my stack, but I really don’t think that I played the hand poorly. I spent a lot of time thinking about that hand, and am still ok with the play, just unhappy with the result.
Now I am pretty short stacked, and I move all in at the cut-off with 89c. I had noticed the button disinterested, no read on the SB, and the BB only has about 5k, so I know if he calls, he cannot bust me. Everyone folds to the BB who calls with A3d, and we race. Unfortunately, I make no hands and now I’m down to 5k in chips. This is not good. There are about 70 players left, and I literally blind down to 1600 when I move in with 99 in the cutoff. I triple up when the button protects me with A7 off. Now again, I blind down, and I’m all in with 82 off suit in the BB. I’m up against 22 and KK. The flop comes down Q 6 5, turn a 4, the best card for me because now U have 4 outs to tie, and 4 outs to win. But the river bricks off and I’m out about 55th, 10 spots away from the money.
This is definitely disappointing, but I really feel good about my play. I really didn’t have many hands. I maximized the ones I did have, and lost the minimum in other hands where I could’ve went broke. A break here or there, and I could’ve really made a run. I faded almost 1100 people, and have nothing to show for it. I will be back. My next blog entry will have the $300 NL multi-rebuy, the $500 NL with one optional (rebuy), and a few live game hands that were pretty sick. Until next time….
KK