I won the 6K!
A great result for me last night achieving my 2 ambitions for poker. One was to win over £1k from one tourny, and the other was to win the 6K itself. I achieved both last night.
I've been playing solid poker in the past few tournaments, and had bubbled out on a couple of occasions, so I could claim I was due a big cash, but the factors in my victory were (in no real order)
* Actually playing well
* Good seating position relative to a couple of players
* Winning chips when I really needed them
* The generally poor play of all of my opponents. I saw (briefly) one of cryto's best at one of my table, but he busted out quickly.
Anyway, £1680 better off, here's the story:
Blinds 15/30, I've played OK in up to this point, up marginally to 2235. I'm dealt AQo in the SB. 2 limpers from EP, a raise to 90, another caller till it reaches me. I flat call - not wanting to allow the original raiser to re-raise me again, and the BB and the 2 limpers call. 6 players in total. Flop KsJd9d. Amazingly its checked round. Turn 10s. Bingo. I've got the nut straight, but there are two flush draws out there. I check-raise the BB all-in (he's bet 300 into a 540 pot - everyone else folds) and he calls with a solitary queen and no flush draw. 3 Aces would split the pot - but none come. Good start.
I lose about 1000 a couple of hands later when I 3-barrel a calling station, and he calls all the way with 3rd pair (doh). I've got AQ in position, which missed.
Blinds 150/300. 99 UTG+1 I raise to 900, MP and the button call. Flop 622, 2 hearts. The pot is 3150, I'm playing 4360 with an over-pair and I'm not getting away here, so I push, and am called by KhTh (I'm a marginal favourite, but basically I'm flipping for my tournament life) I turn a 9, and the river doesn't matter.
Blinds 150/300. 99UTG+1 (again). I raise to 900, the SB (who made the final table) called, and the flop is 9TQr. He bet 1111 (he bet these funny numbers all night) and I pushed hoping he didn't have KJ, he called with AsQs. He had runner-runner straight and flush possibilities, and the turn was the Js - hitting both, but the river was a blank and I'm up to 24k.
I needed the chips at this point, as I was geting short, but I now was in a solid position. For the next 3/4 orbits I stole a bit, and chipped up to 28.5k. I'd spotted the weak players at my tables, and I actually restole a couple of times from the button. Very pleased with that. Alas I took this too far, and got too fancy just before the bubble.
Blinds 400/800/100a. I'm in the BB with K6o and 25k chips The cut-off open-limps. The SB raises to 2650. I make it 6000, figuring the CO was terrible, limp-folding a lot and the SB knew this. Flop 35T. He checks. I've got 22k behind me and a 14k pot in the middle of the table. I can check, bet or push. I bet 9k and he pushed. Down to 13k which made me very short indeed. It was an unnecessary move, and it looks like he had a hand.
Struggling for air, by BB is folded to me, and its folded round to my SB next hand which I push into another short-stack who folds. I'm playing 15k when the bubble bursts and I'm moved to table one. I have the great good fortune to have (I discover) an extraordinarily weak/tight player to my left. To their left is someone with a huge chip stack, who hit cards and played terribly. After a while though they sat-out and never came back, eventually going out in something like 8th. I suspect they fell asleep. A couple of pushes and a double-up with 99 and I'm playing 33k. Its now that the chip leader sits out and I've got lots and lots of free blinds. Its a miracle no-one else on the table thought they would try and attack them, and a miracle also that the SB never took a stand.
In the middle of this I suck out against the button who pushes into my BB with AK, and my AQ rivers a Q. I feel a bit guilty. I'm up to 74k. I steal blinds up to 90k, lose 30k when I forget that one chap won't be pushing light (he's not good enough) and call too light, but then continue stealing pretty much at will until the final table arrives and I've got 130k chips and am in second place. Everyone here should play to win, but I confess I only wanted second so I could say I won over 1k.
I steal my way up to 170, bluff a few off to go back to 127k. There are 6 left, 163k/107k/78k/136k/82k/127k - so pretty even but noone is dominating, and to be honest noone is really playing well. I've played in much, much tougher tables. I'm feeling confident though and think I should be able to win.
Blinds by now are 4k/8k/1ka and I lose a couple - down to under 100k. Tims for some aggression. Its folded around to the SB who raises to 24k. I'm holding Q8s, and push - he calls with 99. Oops. I'm almost exactly a 2:1 dog, and I suck-out when I river a flush. Up to 220k. Chip leader.
I make the same move with a better hand a couple of hands later - pushin KQo from the SB over the CO's raise to 30k. He folds and types 'gb' (good bet). It was.
One guy busts, we are down to 4. (105k/112k/58k/289k(me). I suck out (again) when the SB pushed into my BB. I'm holding A6, he's got A9, and I out-flush him. I've got to call 32k chips, to win 62, so its nearly an +EV decision. 3 left, and I've got about 60% of the chips. The very next hand I'm dealt AA in the SB and bust another. I've got my 1k, and we're headsup for the last £600 and I've got a 5.5:1 chip lead.
Don't fcuk it up!
1st hand he folds.
2nd hand I turn a flush. I've got 520k, he's got 57k. He then starts playing well though. Betting strongly (he has to) and attacking me. I try to get my chips in ahead, but couble him up when he has KQ to my KT. The closest he gets is to a 364k/213k, but then I'm dealt TT, he's dealt AT, and I'm home the winner.
I've got loads of thoughts on the game, and the money and where this leaves my poker. I've got nearly $7k online now, and I'm going to take some of that out, although I'm not sure exactly how much.
I was certainly lucky to win - you have to be - but I thought I was the best player at the last two tables. I'm definitely not nearly close to some of crypto's finest though. I'm not happy with my play at the final table (especially from 5-3 players) and I'm not entirely comfortable playing a big chip stack. I've figured out the way (alright 'a way') of playing otherwise - but getting a large chip stack happens so rarely (to me - I'm not really agressive early) I'm not comfortable there yet.
More reading needed (as always) and I must play some SnGs, hopind the difference in prize fund structure doesn't invalidate the exercise or (worse) lead me to unlearn some of my current skills.
I'm also not sure how often I will play in the 6k tourny. It started at 9.30, and I wasn't finished till 2.30, which would be a big problem on a school night. Especially if I made the final table but didn't cash big.
There are bigger tourny's out there, and I could have crack at one of those. Maybe I'll try a $100 or $200 tourny and see what the standard is like. Maybe.
For today though I'll bask in the joy of the victory. Huzzah,
I've been playing solid poker in the past few tournaments, and had bubbled out on a couple of occasions, so I could claim I was due a big cash, but the factors in my victory were (in no real order)
* Actually playing well
* Good seating position relative to a couple of players
* Winning chips when I really needed them
* The generally poor play of all of my opponents. I saw (briefly) one of cryto's best at one of my table, but he busted out quickly.
Anyway, £1680 better off, here's the story:
Blinds 15/30, I've played OK in up to this point, up marginally to 2235. I'm dealt AQo in the SB. 2 limpers from EP, a raise to 90, another caller till it reaches me. I flat call - not wanting to allow the original raiser to re-raise me again, and the BB and the 2 limpers call. 6 players in total. Flop KsJd9d. Amazingly its checked round. Turn 10s. Bingo. I've got the nut straight, but there are two flush draws out there. I check-raise the BB all-in (he's bet 300 into a 540 pot - everyone else folds) and he calls with a solitary queen and no flush draw. 3 Aces would split the pot - but none come. Good start.
I lose about 1000 a couple of hands later when I 3-barrel a calling station, and he calls all the way with 3rd pair (doh). I've got AQ in position, which missed.
Blinds 150/300. 99 UTG+1 I raise to 900, MP and the button call. Flop 622, 2 hearts. The pot is 3150, I'm playing 4360 with an over-pair and I'm not getting away here, so I push, and am called by KhTh (I'm a marginal favourite, but basically I'm flipping for my tournament life) I turn a 9, and the river doesn't matter.
Blinds 150/300. 99UTG+1 (again). I raise to 900, the SB (who made the final table) called, and the flop is 9TQr. He bet 1111 (he bet these funny numbers all night) and I pushed hoping he didn't have KJ, he called with AsQs. He had runner-runner straight and flush possibilities, and the turn was the Js - hitting both, but the river was a blank and I'm up to 24k.
I needed the chips at this point, as I was geting short, but I now was in a solid position. For the next 3/4 orbits I stole a bit, and chipped up to 28.5k. I'd spotted the weak players at my tables, and I actually restole a couple of times from the button. Very pleased with that. Alas I took this too far, and got too fancy just before the bubble.
Blinds 400/800/100a. I'm in the BB with K6o and 25k chips The cut-off open-limps. The SB raises to 2650. I make it 6000, figuring the CO was terrible, limp-folding a lot and the SB knew this. Flop 35T. He checks. I've got 22k behind me and a 14k pot in the middle of the table. I can check, bet or push. I bet 9k and he pushed. Down to 13k which made me very short indeed. It was an unnecessary move, and it looks like he had a hand.
Struggling for air, by BB is folded to me, and its folded round to my SB next hand which I push into another short-stack who folds. I'm playing 15k when the bubble bursts and I'm moved to table one. I have the great good fortune to have (I discover) an extraordinarily weak/tight player to my left. To their left is someone with a huge chip stack, who hit cards and played terribly. After a while though they sat-out and never came back, eventually going out in something like 8th. I suspect they fell asleep. A couple of pushes and a double-up with 99 and I'm playing 33k. Its now that the chip leader sits out and I've got lots and lots of free blinds. Its a miracle no-one else on the table thought they would try and attack them, and a miracle also that the SB never took a stand.
In the middle of this I suck out against the button who pushes into my BB with AK, and my AQ rivers a Q. I feel a bit guilty. I'm up to 74k. I steal blinds up to 90k, lose 30k when I forget that one chap won't be pushing light (he's not good enough) and call too light, but then continue stealing pretty much at will until the final table arrives and I've got 130k chips and am in second place. Everyone here should play to win, but I confess I only wanted second so I could say I won over 1k.
I steal my way up to 170, bluff a few off to go back to 127k. There are 6 left, 163k/107k/78k/136k/82k/127k - so pretty even but noone is dominating, and to be honest noone is really playing well. I've played in much, much tougher tables. I'm feeling confident though and think I should be able to win.
Blinds by now are 4k/8k/1ka and I lose a couple - down to under 100k. Tims for some aggression. Its folded around to the SB who raises to 24k. I'm holding Q8s, and push - he calls with 99. Oops. I'm almost exactly a 2:1 dog, and I suck-out when I river a flush. Up to 220k. Chip leader.
I make the same move with a better hand a couple of hands later - pushin KQo from the SB over the CO's raise to 30k. He folds and types 'gb' (good bet). It was.
One guy busts, we are down to 4. (105k/112k/58k/289k(me). I suck out (again) when the SB pushed into my BB. I'm holding A6, he's got A9, and I out-flush him. I've got to call 32k chips, to win 62, so its nearly an +EV decision. 3 left, and I've got about 60% of the chips. The very next hand I'm dealt AA in the SB and bust another. I've got my 1k, and we're headsup for the last £600 and I've got a 5.5:1 chip lead.
Don't fcuk it up!
1st hand he folds.
2nd hand I turn a flush. I've got 520k, he's got 57k. He then starts playing well though. Betting strongly (he has to) and attacking me. I try to get my chips in ahead, but couble him up when he has KQ to my KT. The closest he gets is to a 364k/213k, but then I'm dealt TT, he's dealt AT, and I'm home the winner.
I've got loads of thoughts on the game, and the money and where this leaves my poker. I've got nearly $7k online now, and I'm going to take some of that out, although I'm not sure exactly how much.
I was certainly lucky to win - you have to be - but I thought I was the best player at the last two tables. I'm definitely not nearly close to some of crypto's finest though. I'm not happy with my play at the final table (especially from 5-3 players) and I'm not entirely comfortable playing a big chip stack. I've figured out the way (alright 'a way') of playing otherwise - but getting a large chip stack happens so rarely (to me - I'm not really agressive early) I'm not comfortable there yet.
More reading needed (as always) and I must play some SnGs, hopind the difference in prize fund structure doesn't invalidate the exercise or (worse) lead me to unlearn some of my current skills.
I'm also not sure how often I will play in the 6k tourny. It started at 9.30, and I wasn't finished till 2.30, which would be a big problem on a school night. Especially if I made the final table but didn't cash big.
There are bigger tourny's out there, and I could have crack at one of those. Maybe I'll try a $100 or $200 tourny and see what the standard is like. Maybe.
For today though I'll bask in the joy of the victory. Huzzah,
posted by PP at 4:58 PM
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