Last month, in the tounrament that I won, I didn't really run *that* good. The cards broke about even, basically when I had the best - I didn't lose... be it with the cards face down for a small pot or face up for an all-in showdown. And, obviously, that is always nice.
Set-up:
-12 People
-$25 buy-in
-10k starting chips (same structure as usual)
-Paying top 3
I have a fun statistic I'll share with you at the end, to avoid any spoilage in your reading experience... so here we go.
Right off the bat my table draw sucked. I draw a table with 4 (including myself) tough players and 2 weak players, while the other table is the inverse with 2 tough players and 4 weak players. Of those 4 tough players at my table, they're all pretty much nits - so it won't be easy to get a hold of a lot of chips at this table. While at the other table, they [the 2 good players] essentianally have 40k in chips that is pretty easy to obtain, while I only have 20k that is easy to get and there's 30k I really have to work for. This wasn't a shootout tourney, I'm just presenting an example of how more chips will be flying at their table than mine.
I don't recall very much happening, for me, during the 25-50 level at my table... besides occasionally limping and mostly folding. I noticed, in between mucking 6-3 off the 500 times I got it this level, that the 2 weak players at my table were playing MUCH worse than I thought they would be. I mean they were playing so bad that if I got any kind of a hand I had a really BIG chance of just doubling up to 20k in a spot where I would normally win a decent sized pot, but nothing too sizable.
Example: During the 25-50 level, 2 players managed to play a 7,000 chip pot on a K-10-9-8-9 board WITH 3 spades (most of it went in on the river) with Player 1 (who had gotten a little low early on) moving all-in on the river for 2500 into a 2000 chip pot and Player 2 calling 2500 (over 1/4 of his stack) with just K-Q off. Player 1 showed the same hand an they split... wow. Just... wow.
I could not get anything going during the first 2 levels and I dwindled down to about 8k (still plenty), stole a few small pots to get it back up to 9k when this hand happened.
Just a note- One of the bad players had been rasing almost every hand, the only 2 times he was re-raised were by Corey (who isn't doing so out of line) who obviously had a hand, but the bad player called anyway. Even if he was out of position, something he probably didn't even understand.
Blinds 75-150:
I'm UTG. I get Q-Q, first real hand of the tournament, I limp for 150 in hopes that he raises just as he has been so I can re-raise and try and trap him for a big pot. Everyone folds to him and he... just calls from the SB - UGH! One time, just raise as you have been! The BB checks. 3-way to a flop, atleast I'm in position.
Flop: (Pot: 450)
Q-4-3, two hearts.
I flop the nuts, top set. Our villian checks, the BB checks, and I make what looks like a typical stab that I usually make at a raggy flop like this. I bet 250. Villian folds, and BB calls 250.
Turn: (Pot: 950)
Kh
He bets out 600, it looks like he might have called on a flush draw and is now leading out but I don't have anyway of knowing that. I don't want to raise for 2 reasons:
- If I raise, and then he re-raises, I'm in a tough spot. Against most players, if they put in the 3rd raise on the board - they have a flush. But this guy isn't very good, and is liable to re-raise me with a weak 2-pair here, like K-3. So to avoid getting into a guessing game with a BIG hand that would be really really tough to throw away if he moved in over the top I should just call
- The second reason is that by just calling I show no strength at all. So say if he does have the flush, and then the board pairs on the end with a 4c, he will most certainly bet to get paid off, and the I can raise almost any amount and he will call it because in his mind there's no way I could have a full house.
So I opted to just calling the 600.
River: 7h, putting four hearts on board.
He checked, I think betting here is stupid as I'm only getting called by something I can't beat, and this guy will likely call me with almost any heart based on the way he plays. I checked.
He showed J-2 with the Jh and won. He called the flop with J-2 high, I don't know why and he probably doesn't either. I dropped to about 6.5k+ after that.
Blinds 100-200:
I had won only a few pots and was slowly sliding downward, I was looking for any oppurtunity to get chips, even if that meant risking slow-playing big hands that could get cracked.
2 people limped in early position for 200. I was in the SB and called 100 more with A-A. Corey raised 500 more to 700 total from the BB, a play that Corey is only making with Q-Q, K-K, A-A, maybe A-K suited. The 2 limpers folded, and I re-raised 1200 more to 1900 total. He reluctantly called, a call he would only make with Q-Q or A-K, he's re-raising with K-K or A-A.
Flop: (Pot: 4200)
Q-5-2, rainbow.
I bet 2200, and he moved me all-in. He can really only have one hand here and that is Q-Q. He knows for a fact that I'm not limp-re-raising him without a HUGE hand pre-flop, so he would naturally be scared with Q-Q and just call pre-flop, as he did. When the flop comes and I lead, he can easily assess that I do indeed have K-K or A-A, so he isn't gonna bluff here with A-K knowing what I have aswell as the fact that I've become pot comitted. The only hand he can have is Q-Q. As tough of a fold as it is, it is actually a pretty standard laydown that I didn't take too much time to do after the whole table thought I was retarded because I mucked "Two Aces, Man!" Corey TOLD me he had Q-Q but didn't show. He never shows, though... so...
I lost another pot after that where I flopped top pair and bet it, the Player from the J-2 hand called with K-9 high with no draw and hit his 3-out King on the turn to win another pot from me.
I entered the final table with 3200 and blinds at 200-400.
I was BB first hand. UTG (chronic limper with shit), everyone folded to the SB (Mr. J-2) who completed (limps with shit aswell). I had K-4 suited. I regret it now for a lot of reasons, but at the time I saw UTG's 400, the SB's 400, and my 400 (BB) sitting out there. I thought that since niether one had raised, they were just limping with air once again, and they would fold to a 2800 chip raise all-in if they just had some suited connectors or something. So I moved in for 2800 more. UTG called. SB folded Deuces.
UTG - K-Q
Bad News. I didn't get lucky and was out.
In hindsight I really hate the play, only because of who were in the hand. If the two limpers had been like... Mike and Corey, I'm picking up that pot most of the time. But the two guys who were in having a much larger group of hands that they deem 'fitting' to call off big portions of their stacks. Don't get this wrong, I'm not saying his call with K-Q was wrong, it wasn't. I would've called there too. I'm saying that he is liable to call me with K-8 suited or A-2 or 3-3 there because that is just the way he plays. I don't think its right but its his style and I failed to realize that when I made the move-in...
Vincent "Mr. J-2" Marino cashed 3rd, and Mike and Don got heads-up with Don taking it down.
I won a little in the cash game afterwards, but not too much.
It was an okay day, I just never caught any breaks or got anything going. I still wonder what COULD have happened if I just check-fold the K-4, pay the SB the next hand, and then I have 6 hands in a row where I don't have to pay blinds and can wait for a hand with my 2600, double it to 5000+... who knows. It may not sound like it, but I am over it. I just wonder what I could've done with my chips seeing as I am without ANY doubt the best short-stack player in that room.
There's always next time I guess...
