Playing in a $10+1 Million Dollar Qualifier

Walked up to the computer, ready to take a shot at another Party Poker $10+1 2-table SNG. Giving a quick glance at the special tourneyments page, saw that I had exactly two minutes left to buy-in to the nightly $10+1 Million Dollar Qualifier, so I gave it a shot. Probably a dumb decision in the first place... just like my continued foolish attempts to leave the fishy $25 NL games and play the $10+1 SNGs... somehow I've gotten it in my head that playing the SNGs will improve my game faster than grinding away at the $25 table. Its certainly not improving my bankroll...

So we've got 330 entrants, top five paying the $640 entry fee to the Million Dollar Guaranteed tourneyment. Next three spots payout some nominal cash.

Sixth hand. Stupidly committed almost half my starting stack betting out with Ad6c on a flop of 6s, As, Qs with three people seeing the flop. Both players call. Turn is Qh, counterfitting my two pair and I elect to check and fold. Should have checked the flop with the flush possibility anyways. So now i'm sitting low stack on the table, about half of the current average stack.

Doubled up on hand sixteen, the third hand i've seen a flop with. KJs in the big blind, early position doubles the blind and we've got seven people seeing a flop. 3s, Qs, 9h on the flop gives me the second nut flush draw, a gutshot straight draw and an overcard. I bet out with a pot-sized bet of 250, six folders and one re-raise to which puts me all in when I call. He's holding Jh, Th for the openended straight draw - I'm a monster favorite since I'll win even unimproved with King-high. Flush fills in on the turn anyways and now i'm slighly above the average at 1100 chips.

Seven hands later my Jacks hold up over pocket tens to add 50% to my stack - bumping me back over the tourney average of 1600 chips. We've already eliminated 125 players, 35 minutes in.

Decent fold posted as comment #1. Had three to the nut flush with a gutshot straight on the flop. Correctly put the raiser in front of me on top pair decent kicker. Need to come back and look at the math to see what the odds looked like of filling in, despite what actually happened. The 100 call on the flop might have been debatable, but my spot analysis was the EV of the two draws was worth it.

Won a 1200 pot on hand #1892072516 right before the break, by picking off a bluff while holding top pair. I'm sitting just below the average stack of 2500 among the remaining 132 players. Despite that, i'm somehow 8th in chips at my table...

1:30 mark. Sitting at 1800 compared to an average stack of 3800 among 85 remaining players. Need to catch a hand... but i'm still hanging around.

Took my shot at 1:36 with 1800 chips. Try to limp (150) from early position with A4c, late position agressive player raises to 500. I've got 1650 left, and the blinds are at 100/200 next hand (and i'm one away from the big blind). I debate it, then call the 350 leaving me 1300 chips. With a raggedy flop 5d, 9h, 2c, I push immediately, hoping he had suited broadway or something similar. Ran in to pocket tens (one of them is one of my clubs). Needed runner-runner clubs, the 3 to fill in the wheel, or an ace. Seven outs once the turn comes Jd, none of them come through.

Finished 77th out of the 330 entrants. Overall I'm happy with how I played. Definitaly doing a better job of tightening up and focusing on hanging around the average mark. Probably could have waited another circuit or two to push, but I feel OK about the decision to go all in when I did, since blinds would have eaten close to 50% of my stack in only 12-13 more hands. Final hand posted as a comment.