$10+1 R+A - first attempt

Entered the $10+1 R+1 that I previously blogged about. Running log of interesting plays:

0:00 - First hand, caught AQs and popped 3x the blinds in middle position. Two callers. Flop comes 347 rainbow and I bet the pot (T150). Two callers. Uh, ok. Ace comes on the turn, I push all in (slightly more than the pot). Two callers. Hmm. River brings the 6s - and it turns out I've got the third best hand - one person just completed their gutshot straight (holding a five), another had A3s and called a pot sized bet on the flop with bottom pair. I guess these R+As will take some getting used to. Rebuy #1.

0:30 - Fifteen hands later, caught two black cowboys on the button. Three limpers in front, and I raise 10x the blinds to 250. One caller. Ace hits the flop, I make a 2/3 pot continuation bet and he calls. We check to the river and he turns over A3c. I'm down to 600 chips, so here comes rebuy #2 to put me to T1600 (and $30+3 invested).

0:45 - At the 45-minute mark i catch ATo UTG and I 3x the BB. The big blind calls, i catch two pair (but the ace and ten of clubs) on the flop - i overbet the pot, she folds. Three hands later, with cujofan cheering me on from the rail, I raise preflop from the button over a limper and the blinds with the Krablar. Flop rewards playing the crab with K73-rainbow and I drag a big pot (and do the crab dance). Now sitting just above the average.

1:00 - First break, one hour in. I'm sitting at 2525 with an average of 3272. I'm already playing a $30+3, but eight of the other nine players at the table add-on, so I elect to add on to bring my total to T4025 with a total invested of $40+4. Once play resumes, we've got 567 players left out of 810 entrants, total prize pool of $22,790, first prize of just over $5000. Average stack jumped to $4400.

1:16 - middle position min-raises while I'm in the big blind. The button calls, and getting 5-1 I call with K6o. Flop comes KQ9-rainbow and I lead out for 250 chips (about 1/4th the pot). The initial raiser folds, the button calls, and an Ace hits the turn. We check down. She turns over KJo and drags the pot. After a pass through the blinds, I'm down to T3250. Average stack just over T5250k, 469 players left.

1:32 - I limp ATd just completing from the small blind with two limpers. Flop comes jack high with two diamonds, I check, button bets the pot, I come over the top all-in on a check raise, he goes in to the tank and then calls with QJo. I've got twelve outs on the turn - offsuit nine drops which gives me a gutshot redraw, so I'm sitting at fifteen outs on the river. The river is a blank, and I'm out in 425th place.

I'm not liking these R+A formats at all. My tournament game, which had been running extremely sharp with almost 30% ITM on 1500+ fields in the nightly $15+1 tournaments, is just not seeing the same results. I believe I have not yet adjusted to the early, crazy play of the R+A games, where people are calling with any sort of longshot out and thus something like TPTK becomes a weaker holding when you're up against three callers each drawing to a different five-outer. We'll see, my tournament game remains sharp. But for now - back to the SNGs for tonight. And probably more frequent participation in the $20+2 straight-up MTT in the future.

SNG Update: eight SNGs tonight after/during the two MTTs, 50% ITM with 47.7% ROI. Very solid night.