Another FT

Fifth this time, in the Crypto 10pm tourny, which now has a guarantee of $4k rather then the $4.5k. One assumes it used to he $5k, and will be less again in the future.

In the meantime I got a satisfactory fifth last night, but it wasn't a brilliant performance. I played OK - but I never really felt in control of the table as I sometimes do.

I've got this funny habit of taking on the strong players. There were a couple of weak fairly short stacks to my left, but I insisted on playing back at two stronger players on my right. One was daddy_g - who is always on the leaderboards and seemed a pretty good player. He check raised me all in with a flush draw and I called with KJ on a K-high board and he went bananas in the chat window - then had a go at some others.

I assume he's some young lad somewhere who is a good player but was somewhat lacking in manners. Gosh I sound old.

Anyway, I'm not sure attacking the strong players early on a FT is smart but thats what I did last night.

As I'm doing well again I might have another crack at the $109 tournies on Pokerroom. I'm not sure why I stopped playing on them now. It may have been a bankroll thing after paying for the Vegas trip. Playing on FTP is OK - but the satellites are something of a grind, and when your volume are as low as mine (probably a tournament every 2 days) its all a bit dull.

And now I've won the £1.5k

2 victories in 3 nights! And another £450 to take my bankroll to a much more respectable $4200.

I played pretty well in this one again, I'm on my game at the moment.

I played a hand perfectly early on against an opponent who was on a FD against my top pair, betting the flop and turn and checking the river to induce a bluff, and I didn't make any huge errors all tourny really. I played the end really nicely, in particular a call of a fellow's check-raise AI with second pair on a 742 board. I had Q4 he had A2, and then calling the same fellows push with AT (overcards to a rag board - he had Q-high).

I had a couple of moment of luck, but no really big hands. Most fortunate was the last hand where my KQ rivered my opponents AK. I've thought quite hard about whether I played this right - he raised pre and I re-raised, as I had done on more than 1 occasion. He pushed and I called. It may be bad.

I think I'm getting a little impatient heads-up. They rarely last long at the moment when I reach them, but other than that my deep stack play is still solid and my shorter stack play is good when I concentrate. I picked some lovely spots to resteal, and just once or twice I was very creative (with position I min-bet the flop (with air) to invite a raise which I then came over the top of).

Really pleased.

Having stayed up till the early hours so much though I'm shattered and need a night off. Just when things are going so well ...

Oh, and I saw again one of Crypto's finest - UltGamb. He's always on top of the MTT leaderboards, although I understand he does this through playing volume as much as having a huge ROI. He was clearly a good player, but not as stella as I was expecting. Having said that I wasn't at the same table as him for very long so I'll keep my eyes out.

I won the $4.5k!!

Having been playing in this tournament for ages now, and final-tabling probably 15 times (and being runner up at least 3 times) I finally won the tournament last night. There were only 79 entrants, so it missed the guarantee (not for the first time, I suspect it won't last as a 4.5k for much longer) and I was chuffed and relieved to finish in first.

I haven't been playing much poker recently, and when I have I've been playing well up until 1 stupidly played hand (the downsides of playing tournaments). My new XBOX360 is taking up much of my evening times. Last night I decided to play at the last minute and here is the story:

After about 4 orbits I'm dealt AJo in the CO, and call a MP raise to 90. I'm almost certainly behind here, as I put him on 77+,AT+ possibly KJ/KQ. I'm looking to look at the board and see what happens. Flop JJK. He bets 90 into the pot of 300. This weak bet smells to me of a king, or possibly AA/QQ. I think I can get him to laydown QQ, KQ possibly AK but maybe not AA. I raise to 270, representing a Jack and hoping a Q hits. He hasn't got me beat because he's never betting a Jack there. He calls, and checks the turn of 6. I think he's going to fold to a bet here, so I bet 420 - half the pot - which he calls. Hmmm. The river is a Q, giving me the straight. He checks - and again he hasn't got a full house now, as there is no way he'd check. I push, he calls and has AK for 1 pair. Its a bad call from him on the end but I did get lucky to river the Q. Anyway up to 4440.

I go card dead for a while and go down to 3800, which reduces to 3300 when my MP raise to 500 with 66 (my standard 2.5x) is min-reraised to 1k.

I'm down to 3015 when I see a "cheap" 3-way flop (200) from the button with KTs and my bet with a flush draw takes it. I steal the blinds next hand with 45s (unusual for me to raise light so much, but I'm using my image) and I've a little breathing room.

I play a hand dubiously in a bit. I raise with AKs over a limper, he calls and checks the 778 flop. I push 2.8k into the 1.9k pot and take it down, but I don't like the ratios there. Feels messy. Up to 4.7k

I raise UTG with 66 to take the blinds (I'm experimenting with UTG raises as they look so strong) and I am finding a lot of FE in these spots.

Next hand I've got A9 in the BB. The button limps (300) I raise to 1200, the button calls and SB folds having completed earlier. Pot 2700, stack 3800, board 855 two diamonds. I push, he calls with KdQd. He's a favourite, but I hold up. He claims later it was a bad call from him - but it wasn't if he can seem my hand. Up to 10k, which goes to 11k when I flop 2 pair from the SB next hand. Nice run.

The blinds are 150/300 and UTG pushes - so he's got an M of 4. I've got 99 in the CO, and call which may be a bit loose. Anyway I win the coinflip and I've got 13.9k in front of me - enough for the chip lead. ClintonO is at my table so naturally I'm wary. I fold my AJ to his UTG raise (he had AK) and then he busts - his opponent hitting a 1-outer on the river. I want to take him on as I've hardly been at the same table, but at the same time I'm pleased to see him go.

Last two tables.

A drift down to 11k, but resteal from the SB with AJs to go back to 14k (blinds 200/400/50a). I make a complete bluff with T2o having seen a free flop (the A-high monochrome board is checked round, and I check-raise a small turn bet). I was timing my moves well throughout this tourny. Up to 15k

I play quite actively, and am raising light on occasions and I'm one of the few who re-raise at all (let alone restealing light). Another light UTG raise (KJs) get round . I'm also playing well in the blinds, taking on the people either side and I often get my BB folded round to me. The whole tourny just went well really.

Shorty in the SB pushes his K8 into my AK and I'm up to 19k. Again I'm leading the tourny at this stage. 12/13 left now. People are playing so weakly. I open limp with 89s from the button (mixing it up) and the SB bets small into the 346r flop. The BB call and I raise and take it down.

I reraise from the Button with QQ and take the pot down, and then defend my blind with 92o against one player who I think is weak. He lays it down. We're both playing sufficiently deep that he's raising 2.4k out of 20k and I'm reraising it to 6k out of my 25k. Next orbit I repeat the trick against the same player - this time holding AJs. I call the SBs push to 6.5k with A8 and beat his KQ to move to 41.5k as we hit the FT.

Stacks are: 41k (me) then 30/19/16/15/11/7/7/4/4

2 of the players know each other and are posting on the betfair forum in-game. They clearly are decent, but not necessarily great.

For the third time I resteal from Karnold. He think I'm restealing light, and I know he thinks I'm restealing light (and he knows I know ...). This time he raises UTG and I've got QQ in the SB. Alas he has KK which holds up. The lesson though is that I've got such a chip advantage over him (45k v 14k) I can afford to lose the hand and still be right at the top of the tree. The advantage of previous aggression ...

I move into a dominant position again when I check the option with A2 against the SB who completed. The flop is AQJ. I'm sure he hasn't got a sole Ace or he would have raised (AA is actually a slim possibility here) and I call his bets and stack him off when he holds Q8.

Down to 7. 42k (me)/35/28/21/208/2.

3 hands later I resteal (from the fellow in second place. He's in the CO - I'm on the button) holding T5s. I'm sure no one else is trying this stuff.

A while later and I'm holding A9s in the SB and try a move which comes off (just). The button (who has virtually the same number of chips as me - we are at the top, both playing 42k) raises the 1600 BB to 4800. I call. The flop is 223. Not a raisers flop. I check, he bets 8k into the 12k pot and I push over the top. He thinks and folds. He puts in the chat box that he has 55. Ooops - nearly got called there I think. Stacks are not 58(me)/29/28/23/18.

I get KK and raise and take the pot down, followed by AK when shorty (one of the betfair people) gets fed up and takes a stand with KQ. She said I'd been raising a lot - but my preflop raising standards were definitley tighter than she expected (although I was re-raising light, and playing post-flop as aggressively as she probably guessed).

4 left. 83k(me)/30/24/20. I've got more than half the chips. Anything less than second is a disaster.

I lose one pot when I see a free flop with 74 and the SB had KT. Board QQ4T8. I bet the flop, the turn is checked and I call a 2/3 pot bet on the end with bottom pair. I lost so few pots like this ...

I resteal (with AA) to keep my position. I raise on the button with KJ and the BB (shorty) pushes with QT. I decide that my image is sufficiently bad that I may be ahead enough and make the call. I hold up. 3 left. We actually are 4 handed after 244 hands. After 258 I've won. Its a swift end. The stacks are 98k/34/26. If I keep attacking the other two will play for second - which I do winning 4 of the next 6 pots (actually with strong hands for 3-way).

I knock the last of the betfair couple out (I wonder if they play softly against each other ...) when my 99 > KTs and I've got 141k v 14k. I can't lose (surely). I split one pot when my A2=A6 and after a small amount of back and forth I call his push with 66. He has 95. The board is Q63 all spades - and the turn isn't a spade so he can't split it.

Lovely. I played well all through the tourny. I hit hands at good times, and was aggressive throughout. People played back at me when I did have hands, and folded when I didn't. That was why I was in such a strong position from 4-players left, but I was pleased to close it out so well.

I won $1350 which takes my bankroll to a healthy $3400.