Almost a WSOP seat - two final tables Saturday
Saturday night, local poker pro Rizen and semi-pro GrantMasterFlash and I finally executed a plan we'd been discussing for quite a while - a focused day of poker. My house is set up as a pretty high-tech bachelor pad, wired for gigabit ethernet throughout, etc. I've got a pretty spacious office setup with room for four computer stations. So we decided we'd put ourselves in one room and bang away at our respective games - Rizen would hit his usual big buyin tournaments, while Grant and I would concentrate on trying to win a seat to the World Series of Poker this year (yeah, Rizen already has his seat locked up). Grant and I intended to hit the wide variety of tournaments on Bodog, but it turned out that Bodog wasn't able to meet their minimum entry numbers for the vast majority of their tournaments Saturday, so very few actually kicked off. However, Grant hit several in the $200 range and managed to final table two of them, albeit wasn't able to take down a win.
I had a very solid day. My main plan was to play the Bodog $67 satellites, of which I think only two fired that entire day - I'd register for everyone that came up, the table would launch, we'd be 20-50 people short of the minimum to launch, and so the table would eventually close. So I ended up just four-tabling the $33 SNGs for most of the afternoon, and ended up with a very nice 21% ROI on the day thanks to in part a series where I finished third, first and first.
On Rizen's recommendation, I gave the Full Tilt $200+15 Saturday Winner's Choice event a shot. This tournament allowed the winner to chose between a Main Event seat and a WPT event seat. Now a $215 level of buyin is normally a little above my tournament bankroll (although I have played in the Party Super $150-level events twice), and the field was incredibly tough, with several "known" players including one near the top of the PocketFives player ranking list.
We had 115 entries in the Saturday Winner's Choice, and I was 17th in chips at second break with three tables remaining. From there, I doubled up twice in succession, once with a major suckout my AJ vs AK spiking a jack, but then top player Colson10 raised from EP - this wasn't unusual, as he'd been super aggressive throughout, had built a monster chiplead and was raising almost every hand. I came over the top with AQs, he called with 55 and I hit the queen to double through him.
I had now climbed to 7th in chips with 16 remaining. With blinds at 300/600, Colson10 open raises in EP to 1600, I make it 3300. big blind comes over the top of me for another 3000, Colson folds I call. I've got 99, he's got 88. mine holds.
Final table hits at 10:53pm. I'm still 7th in chips. Rizen recognizes three of the players here (including Colson), and says they're all really good. Great :)
I claw my way to fifth in chips with seven left, mostly by staying pretty quiet and getting in a couple steal raises. I come over the top of someone's raise at some point with AQ and they fold, which was probably the only contested hand I won at the final table. I had enough chips to stay alive and pick my spot - mostly, i stayed quiet and let Colson10 and the others snipe off a couple people, to the point that we were finally four handed. I finally found my spot getting dealt 88 in one of the blinds. Colson10 raised, and I pushed over the top. He appeared to think about it for quite a while - or maybe he was just multitabling - before he called. He turned over J9o to my 88, and he flipped good hitting his hand and I failed to suck out. I was out in fourth.
As I mentioned earlier, my intention for the day was to hit several of these Bodog $67 satellites. I think only two fired off the entire day, and I only played in one, but managed to make a really nice run. I took over the chiplead towards the end, entered the final table as second in chips, and basically came one hand away from winning my main event seat as I ran in to a big hand from the chipleader who I was sure was about to double me up and put me in position to run through the rest. Once I finished the Full Tilt Winner's Choice, I took a little better notes on the Bodog satellite, so here is a running log in timestamp format:
We pick up at the second break, where I'm third in chips with 36 remaining
10:43pm - my AQ vs JJ vs TT, queen on the flop. I jump to 66k in chips, bodog then immediately crashes. I reopen to be dealt ATo, and hit a flop of a KQJ rainbow and drag another decent pot. Nice.
11:29pm - just finished my Full Tilt final table, so concentrating here even more. Lose a coinflip with my AJ vs someone's 99 for about 1/6th my stack - doesn't really hurt that bad, but does drop me to second in chips overall i think
12:13pm - second in chips, four left. really close to chiplead. Tough decision with blinds 800/1600 - UTG limps, button limps, i call in the small blind with AQd. The big blind pops it to 9k, and the UTG limper pushes for 50k, about half my stack. I give it a long think, with Rizen looking over my shoulder, and ultimately decide to fold. BB calls, and its 99 vs AK - and 99 wins unimproved. Good laydown.
12:20pm - blinds 1000/2000, UTG pops to 4k. I make it 12k on the button with AKo and the small blind pushes - UTG folds, I call and find myself in a coinflip with nice dead money against 66. However, I fail to improve.
12:22pm - I pop it to 6k from the small blind, and am called by the big blind. I cbet the flop, he cold calls. I check the turn, he pushes, and I fold. He shows a made straight. I drop down about 30k total in ships from these two hands, still second in chips at ~80k but really close to third in chips.
12:25pm - third break. I'm now third in chips. DREXtheTEX is chiplead with 134k, jiveking second with 83k, I have 78k, and cmonuts brings up the rear with 26k.
12:41pm - fluctuated up and down, and then the following hand occurred. I had JJ and position on the chiplead, who had been pretty aggressive and shown a tendency to bluff and try to bully people around with really marginal holdings postflop. I was waiting for my opportunity to set him up, and thought I'd finally found it. He raised the standard opening raise, and I came over the top with a re-raise with my jacks. The chiplead flat called. The flop was all undercards, 7-7-9 I think. He checked, and I bet a little trying to induce him to come over the top as he'd been doing. Sure enough, he came over the top, and I said "yes!" as i instacalled. Oh, crap - he turns over queens. I fail to suckout, and I'm out in fourth place, zero payday. Had I won that hand, I'd have had more than 2/3rds of the chips at the final table, and have been in great position to walk away with my seat in the main event.
All in all, a great day of poker. And a profitable one - between my SNG winnings and my two final tables (with one very decent cash), I was the big winner on the day out of the three of us - of course then Rizen had to go and show me up winning some little tournament on Sunday, so now its up to GrantMasterFlash to score something big this week as well. We'll both keep concentrating on winning a main event seat, so best of luck to him - and myself - in that venture.
Update: I've updated my Poker Resume / Top Ten Tournament Finishes to include this latest tournament cash.
I had a very solid day. My main plan was to play the Bodog $67 satellites, of which I think only two fired that entire day - I'd register for everyone that came up, the table would launch, we'd be 20-50 people short of the minimum to launch, and so the table would eventually close. So I ended up just four-tabling the $33 SNGs for most of the afternoon, and ended up with a very nice 21% ROI on the day thanks to in part a series where I finished third, first and first.
On Rizen's recommendation, I gave the Full Tilt $200+15 Saturday Winner's Choice event a shot. This tournament allowed the winner to chose between a Main Event seat and a WPT event seat. Now a $215 level of buyin is normally a little above my tournament bankroll (although I have played in the Party Super $150-level events twice), and the field was incredibly tough, with several "known" players including one near the top of the PocketFives player ranking list.
We had 115 entries in the Saturday Winner's Choice, and I was 17th in chips at second break with three tables remaining. From there, I doubled up twice in succession, once with a major suckout my AJ vs AK spiking a jack, but then top player Colson10 raised from EP - this wasn't unusual, as he'd been super aggressive throughout, had built a monster chiplead and was raising almost every hand. I came over the top with AQs, he called with 55 and I hit the queen to double through him.
I had now climbed to 7th in chips with 16 remaining. With blinds at 300/600, Colson10 open raises in EP to 1600, I make it 3300. big blind comes over the top of me for another 3000, Colson folds I call. I've got 99, he's got 88. mine holds.
Final table hits at 10:53pm. I'm still 7th in chips. Rizen recognizes three of the players here (including Colson), and says they're all really good. Great :)
I claw my way to fifth in chips with seven left, mostly by staying pretty quiet and getting in a couple steal raises. I come over the top of someone's raise at some point with AQ and they fold, which was probably the only contested hand I won at the final table. I had enough chips to stay alive and pick my spot - mostly, i stayed quiet and let Colson10 and the others snipe off a couple people, to the point that we were finally four handed. I finally found my spot getting dealt 88 in one of the blinds. Colson10 raised, and I pushed over the top. He appeared to think about it for quite a while - or maybe he was just multitabling - before he called. He turned over J9o to my 88, and he flipped good hitting his hand and I failed to suck out. I was out in fourth.
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Losing to a top internet player who was the eventual winner - for a decent $1615 payout for my troubles. A great finish, and a strong confidence builder. I'd hit a higher buyin tournament stacked with some top names, and managed to come out near the top. And the really nice thing - the Bodog $67 qualifier I was running in was nearing the final table, and I was the chiplead - so I had another immediate shot at winning my seat. |
We pick up at the second break, where I'm third in chips with 36 remaining
| 10:27pm - I'd been trying to get to the chiplead for a while, just as a humorous little challenge while being cheered on by Grant and Rizen. I finally hit a small pot and jumped in to chiplead with 32 remaining. Because I was laughing so hard, I went ahead and grabbed a screenshot.
10:39pm - my JJ vs AQ vs 77 in big pot - both smaller stacks all-in preflop. A queen hits the flop, but a Jack turns up next, and I'm well in the chiplead with 36k |
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11:29pm - just finished my Full Tilt final table, so concentrating here even more. Lose a coinflip with my AJ vs someone's 99 for about 1/6th my stack - doesn't really hurt that bad, but does drop me to second in chips overall i think
12:13pm - second in chips, four left. really close to chiplead. Tough decision with blinds 800/1600 - UTG limps, button limps, i call in the small blind with AQd. The big blind pops it to 9k, and the UTG limper pushes for 50k, about half my stack. I give it a long think, with Rizen looking over my shoulder, and ultimately decide to fold. BB calls, and its 99 vs AK - and 99 wins unimproved. Good laydown.
12:20pm - blinds 1000/2000, UTG pops to 4k. I make it 12k on the button with AKo and the small blind pushes - UTG folds, I call and find myself in a coinflip with nice dead money against 66. However, I fail to improve.
12:22pm - I pop it to 6k from the small blind, and am called by the big blind. I cbet the flop, he cold calls. I check the turn, he pushes, and I fold. He shows a made straight. I drop down about 30k total in ships from these two hands, still second in chips at ~80k but really close to third in chips.
12:25pm - third break. I'm now third in chips. DREXtheTEX is chiplead with 134k, jiveking second with 83k, I have 78k, and cmonuts brings up the rear with 26k.
12:41pm - fluctuated up and down, and then the following hand occurred. I had JJ and position on the chiplead, who had been pretty aggressive and shown a tendency to bluff and try to bully people around with really marginal holdings postflop. I was waiting for my opportunity to set him up, and thought I'd finally found it. He raised the standard opening raise, and I came over the top with a re-raise with my jacks. The chiplead flat called. The flop was all undercards, 7-7-9 I think. He checked, and I bet a little trying to induce him to come over the top as he'd been doing. Sure enough, he came over the top, and I said "yes!" as i instacalled. Oh, crap - he turns over queens. I fail to suckout, and I'm out in fourth place, zero payday. Had I won that hand, I'd have had more than 2/3rds of the chips at the final table, and have been in great position to walk away with my seat in the main event.
All in all, a great day of poker. And a profitable one - between my SNG winnings and my two final tables (with one very decent cash), I was the big winner on the day out of the three of us - of course then Rizen had to go and show me up winning some little tournament on Sunday, so now its up to GrantMasterFlash to score something big this week as well. We'll both keep concentrating on winning a main event seat, so best of luck to him - and myself - in that venture.
Update: I've updated my Poker Resume / Top Ten Tournament Finishes to include this latest tournament cash.
posted by Performify at 10:51 AM
4 Comments:
I had a lot of fun despite my poor results.
You really played great and I thought you were going to lock up your seat (almost two of them).
Nice going... you are becoming a force to be reckoned with.
btw, heading your way later in June probably. The wife wants to be visit some college friends. Might be nice to meet some fellow bloggers.. maybe even try to get a STL vs KC thing going.
I had a lot of fun as well. I really thought you had that Bodog sat wrapped up with that JJ hand. We'll have to do it again sometime for sure.
Sounds like a good time! So you have room for 4 huh? :)
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