$15+1 on Monday night

After running two pair of SNGs (50% ITM with a first and a third) I buy in to the $15+1 tonight. I end up finishing ITM but just barely (for a $16.92 payout), bouncing out when my Ajax gets cracked.

8:40pm - Sitting at the first break, the average chipstack is T2107. I'm sitting at T2145, having bled some chips down from my highpoint of T3000. We started with 1410 entrants vying for the $21,150 prize pool, and we're down to 667 at the one hour mark.

8:50pm - Not a lot of interesting hands. I doubled up early with AJ outkicking A5 when an ace hit the flop. I bet it all the way out, but about half-pot bets until the river. He just kept calling, including when I pushed on the river. From there, I was able to bully the table for a while, raising about 4x the blinds any time I had a solid hand and either stealing the blinds or taking down the pot on the flop with a normal continuation bet.

9:00pm - Have been in only three hands so far that I've bled off chips - first raised 2x the blinds to 100 pre-flop with KJc in middle position, was re-raised another 150. I thought for a bit and elected to call, mostly because I didn't want to show that I would fold to a re-raise early. Ended up getting outkicked by AK but didn't lose that many chips as I bet the flop, he called, and then we checked down. Second, flopped a OESD from the big blind, called a small-ish bet in to a fourway pot (last to act) and then folded to a large bet on the turn when the straight didn't fill in. Finally, raised pre-flop with JJ and folded to a big bet on a scary flop of AKT. Overall, i'm doing a very good job of showing measured agression I think.

9:02pm - Now the critical time hits after the break, where the blinds are 50/100 and then 75/150, when the field starts to thin dramatically because the blinds start representing meaningful amounts compared to stack size.

9:08pm - tournament teetered at risk for the longest time while my opponent contemplated a call. Sitting at T2K and watching the average chipstack run away to over T3K, I min-raised UTG with ATo. I've been at the table a long time, cultivated a tight image, and we've got some solid players here it seems. My raise is respected by folds around, but the big blind calls. flop comes 9s, 5s, 3h and I bet out a half-pot continuation bet. Big blind calls, to my suprise. Turn is the 2c, he checks, and I push on a semi-bluff with two overcards and a gutshot draw (ten outs at most, I assume he's on a single pair). He goes through his entire time bank before electing to fold. Close call.

9:15pm - AQd in late position, I raise 4x the blinds because the BB is chipleader with almost T10k and has shown a propensity to gambool with the bigstack. She's my only caller. I catch a flop of KQT with a single diamond and I continuation bet the pot (half my stack now). She quickly folds and I'm up to T3K and only slightly off average.

9:23pm - I catch aces on both of my tables (the $15+1 and the single table SNG i'm playing simulatneously). I manage to get all-ins called on both tables and double up on both. In the $15+1, UTG+1 open limps. I'm sitting two behind him and make it 800 pre-flop (blinds are 100/200). Everyone folds except the limper calls. I catch a flop Ah, 5c, 4d. He checks and I check right behind him. Turn comes Qs. He bets half my stack, I re-raise all-in and he quickly calls. He turns over JKc and I manage to dodge the ten on the river. Hand history posted as Comment #1. Two hands later I raise 4x the blinds with 99, and a continuation bet on the flop pulls another decent pot.

9:35pm - Dealt JJ in middle position. Raise 4x the blinds, get a caller, and the jacks hold up against KQh to drag a decent pot. I'm sitting at T6165, average is T5108. 275 players left, top 180 pay.

9:45pm - I just cost myself 1/6th my stack (1000 chips). I'm in the small blind with QJo and its folded around to me. I min-raise in a semi-steal and get called. Flop comes AT4 rainbow, I bet about 1/4th the pot in continuation and he re-raises big. I fold like a scared little schoolgirl.

9:50pm - Not terrible, but I'm down to T4815 not playing a hand in the past 15 minutes other than the semi-steal that backfired. Average is T5949 and we've got 237 players remaining - 57 away from the money. I'm using the break to re-read my previous best finish in the $15+1 which won me +$1900.

10:05pm - only playable hand i've seen in the past twenty minutes was 44 on the button, but it was raised and called in front of me and I folded them. Blinded down to T4215. Average chipstack is almost T7200. 194 players left.

10:08pm - lost a big hand. Was drawing to a queen high flush and had middle pair to boot. I led at the flop with a four-flush and middle pair and my opponent called with a smaller fourflush and a gutshot (three live outs). He hit the gutshot on the turn and he bet small offering me great odds (4-1) to draw. River was a blank, but i called his river bet of 1/5th pot thinking there was a decent chance my middle pair was good. Hand history posted as Comment #2. Down to T2390 and three away from the money. I probably should have either raised bigger (T1k instead of T500) on the flop, or re-raised the river. But it was possible (but unlikely due to betting pattern and that he checked the big blind) that I was drawing dead all along to a made flush to the A/K.

10:16pm - After seeing the table deliver two bad beats in a row, UTG I push with AJo. I'm called by the button, and while I'm waiting for his cards to turn over I chant "ace ten, ace ten". Sure enough, the poker gods deliver and he turns over ATs. I catch a jack on the flop but he catches two spades. The river is a spade but pairs the board, so at least i'm drawing live to four outs to fill in the boat, but insult-to-injury the river is another spade and I'm bounced in 163rd place. Next two contested hands are also bad beats, with aces cracked by AT which catches a straight, and AJ losing to KQ. Someone comments that the table has gone mad. Indeed...

My payout for finishing 163/1410 in the $15+1? $16.92. A whopping ninety-three cents in the green. Well, at least I finished 1st and 3rd in the two SNGs I played while grinding through the field as well as two more ITM SNG finishes pre-tourney. Overall a good night of poker - in the words of Bill Filmaff - PLUS EEEE VEEEE!