$1250 Players Club Freeroll

Spent five hours so far tonight fighting my way through 1611 players entered in the $1250 Players Club Freeroll. While playing the Freeroll, i've also managed to more than double my initial buyin on a $25 NL table playing in the background at the same time. Posted in realtime log format during the tourneyment:

Currently 30 players left on four tables - in the money! Sitting a little over the average stack with T64K.

Interesting hands: Only needed one visit to suckout city along the way so far - posted as Comment One. Little later won a big pot when someone mistakenly slowplayed trip kings on the flop and let me draw out to a queen-high flush. Posted as Comment Two. With 23 players left, decided to not call with 97o from the small blind (T3K to call) with one other player already trying to limp. Would have flopped two pair - stupid decision not to limp there I think. Won a big pot with 21 players left playing agressive - posted as Comment Three.

Down to 20 players. I'm almost exactly at the average stack with T80k. Jack King Off caught a favorable flop and took a decent pot (Comment Four). Won a good-sized pot to knock out the 17th player (Comment Five). Back over the average, with 16 players left.

11 players on two tables. Average stack T145k, I'm floating right around average currently at T133K. 10th place jumps to $25 payout, 8th to $50. 6th to $75, 4th to $100. First is a whopping $262. Cashed out of the $25 NLHE table to focus on the pending final table, slightly more than double my buyin.

Hit the final table. Holding T118K, average currently T160K.

Bled off a little chips on one hand. Posted as Comment Six. Next hand got Jack King Off and stole the blinds. Three hands later went all-in from middle position with pocket kings - was called by the small blind holding A6o. Ace hit the flop, but the River of Justice brought sweet salvation and I'd knocked the first player off the final table. Posted as Comment Seven.

Seven players left, I'm sixth in chips with T93719. Blinds are 7500/15000. UTG pushes with about half my stack while I'm in the big blind. Holding A9s I call, he turns over A7h. Flop is 9-J-A rainbow, and I'm in a monster lead until the river pairs the jack and we split the pot. Hand history posted as Comment Eight. Three hands later, I min-raise from middle position with pocket fours and am cold-called by the button and then called by the BB. Flop comes A-2-3 and I push with a gutshot and the pocket pair. Am called by the button who holds AKh - but am saved by a five on the river to fill in the straight. Posted as Comment #9.

Four hands later, I'm fifth in chip. Early position min-raises and I re-raise all-in with AKh. He turns over AA and I'm in big trouble. Out in seventh for a $62.50 payday for 5:14 of work. Lots of fun, but I made way more per hour grinding the $25 NL table in the background playing this big tourney. I do feel my MTT game has improved measurably though. Seventh out of 1151 is pretty impressive.

However I can't help but be reminded of busting out of a tourney with this same hand before - and saying next time I was just going to call the raise from early position instead of re-raising all-in. I do feel this was a mistake on the end, and the worst kind of mistake, a repeated mistake... Especially given that I was fifth in chips - I definitaly should have called the pre-flop raise and looked for a flop. Or even re-raised the minimum, but I needlessly risked my tourneyment when I shouldn't have done so.

Birds are chirping, the sun is coming up. Time to call-in a half-day to work, and go get a few hours sleep... will reformat and re-write some of this tomorrow if I've got time.