8k Recap + UBOC This Weekend

So I have been looking forward to writing this post since last night. Whereas I was very happy when I went to bed last night, I had a hard time falling asleep and ended up watching half of Fun with Dick and Jane. First for a tourney recap:

Early on at 15/30, a player shoved for 900 with T6o, and I found AA and called, which got me up to 3k from the 2k starting stack. A few hands later, at 20/40, I iso-raised a station with AKo, raising to 160. He decided to ship in for like 1200 total, and I thought about it and called, and he showed 77 and held. That had me down to 1400.

At 30/60, I picked up 88 in the SB. EP big stack who I had already noted had 4-bet 66 min-raised. Player called behind, and I decided to 3-bet and go with the hand. I made it 450 to go, leaving myself 800 behind. The OR 4-bet AI, and I called, and he showed AQ. We saw a fun board of Q x x x 8 to give me some life, back at 2500 at the 1st break.

There weren't a whole lot of memorable hands in the 2nd hour, except that I tilt-raised 86hh after I had lost a pot to 750 (150/300, 25 ante). The BB called, and we saw a 10d 8d 4x flop. The pot was at like 1900, and the effective stacks were 3500 after the p/f action (I had him covered by about 700 chips). After he checked, I decided to lead 925 with the intention of going with the hand. I got c/r'd AI and called, and he showed a sick K7dd. I somehow managed to fade that flip to get up to a little over 10k.

After dropping down to about 8k at 200/400, a very interesting hand came up that tourned the tourney around for me. I had A3dd in the c/o, and there was a very bad UTG limper. It mucked to me and I decided to limp because the blinds were also not very good. 4-handed, we saw a 9s 8s 3x flop. With 2400 in the pot, SB led for 600. It mucked to me with Grant behind me watching. I felt quite strongly that he was either on a draw or perhaps a weak 9 or 8. I decided to raise to 1600, hoping to pick the pot up cheaply. The player called very quickly, and the turn was the beautiful 3h. He led for 1k really fast, and, at this point, I was fairly certain that he was on a draw. It just didn't make sense for him to have a 9 here with this line and his bet-sizing. Instead of moving him in, I decided to milk it and raise to 2500. He insta-called, and the river was the gross 9h. I said I was going to puke if he moved in. He of course moved in for 2400, which was my chip stack. Looking at the board, I was confused but was actually contemplating a fold. Grant said that he couldn't see how I could press fold. The odd thing was that my hand has to look like a 9. I, however, pressed call, and he showed KQss, pushing my stack up to 15k. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

As the field got narrowed to 3 tables, I was not above the chip average for very long. It was actually a pretty mundane tournament for the most part. At one point, I was 20th of 23 with 20 spots paying. I managed to steal enough b's and a's to stay afloat as I made my way into the money with 11k at 500/1k blinds.

When we got down to 2 tables, things got pretty fun/funny. Based on my recent tournament drought with the exception of the $2r, I did not have high expectations for the tournament, even though I was 20 spots away from 2.3k. I kept stealing the blinds and antes with very little resistance and felt good about not having to jam my 9-10bb stack.

Anyways, with 2 tables left, my friend Heather arrived, just getting back from the bars. We actually got into a pretty awesome, deep conversation that I really enjoyed, while not really even concentrating on my table. It was actually really ironic. This whole summer, I had been really trying to force things to happen, perhaps thinking about things too much without putting things on cruise control and letting my natural skills and abilities take over. Of course, it also helps when you get QQ and KK within 2 orbits and get in against AJ and AT respectively and hold, hehe.

After those hands, I found myself with 35k in chips. Like I said, I hardly re-stole at all without the nuts. I was talking with Grant about this, but I felt like the field was pretty weak and, with the exception of a few people, no one was really raising/re-raising light. Because of this, I didn't really feel like open-shoving marginal hands from EP-MP for 9-11bb's. I felt like, because the players weren't adjusting to light shoves, their calling range would be smaller, and I could afford to wait until I was down to 7-8bb's to shove light. Interesting concept that really allowed me to chip up with little resistance.

I made it to the FT in 5th place with 35k in chips at 1k/2k. (btw, I apologize, Pete, for using "k" instead of thousand. I hope that you are now numb to it. If you want me to stop using "k", you will have to change your text message ringer). Not a whole lot happened at the FT tbh. A good TAG player was seated 2 seats to my left and raised 3 out of the first 6 hands, winning the blinds and antes each time. But he was eliminated when he got in with AKo against 88 in a huge pot and lost. I got a little antsy and raised J10o from 3rd pos. at 1200/2400 to 6000. The BB re-shipped, and I folded. I was down to 24k at this point.

This is when people just started getting eliminated. I raised a couple hands in position and stole the blinds and antes and maintained a 10-15bb stack for a while. Without getting into too much detail, I managed to get down to 5-handed. Still at 1200/2400, I moved in for 19k from the c/o with AKo. Button re-ships with AJo, and we see a board of KQxxJ to double me up to like 44k. I hung around this stack for a while, while a big stack SLAP continued to eliminate players. Before I knew it, we were 4-handed, and then we were 3-handed, and I was guaranteed like 900. The first hand that we played 3-handed, I was at 33k at 1500/3000. The other two players had 180k and 150k each. The button idiot opts to move in for 180k. The BB tanks, and I am obv rooting for a call. He ends up calling with AJo agains the button's A9o. I was estatic but also didn't really like the AJ call, given he had 50bb's and could easily find a better place to get it in, especially with me sitting with 30k. Oh well, he did get it in as a 3/1 fav. but lost when A9 flopped a 9.

Suddenly I found myself HU and guaranteted $1,300. I was so pumped and ready to just get the money in and be done with it. I jokingly asked him if he wanted to chop, as he had a 12:1 chip advantage on me. He didn't respond and began open-shoving seemingly any 2 on the button. I limped KK on the button at 1500/3000 with 22k behind (HAHA!!) and got all in against his J2 on a J 10 8 flop and held. That got me up to 50ish. After slipping back to 40k, I got it AI with him with KQ against his A5 p/f and flopped a K to double. A couple hands later I checked J5 from the BB after he limped. The flop came QJ5ddd. I led for 5k, and he potted. I moved in, and he called with KK no diamond. I held that and, all of the sudden, I had 150k, and he had 180k.

He then offered to chop, and I was really contemplating chopping, as the difference between 2nd and 1st was almost 1k. I then asked if he wanted to, and he said, "lol". He apparently was joking. This made me so happy inside and now, I felt, karma was on my side.

I then called a raise with A8o from the BB, and we saw a A J 9 flop. I checked, and he insta-bet pot at 26k. I typed in "gl me" to buffman in AIM and moved in. He snap called with QT. The turn was a T, and the river bricked, and I was now in a commanding chip position with 260k to his 60k. The very next hand I limp AKo on the button expecting him to move in. He instead checks, and I win the pot on a A Q 8 flop. I believe 2 hands later, I pick up AA in the BB. He moves in for 65k at 2k/4k. I snap call and stand up, he shows 87ss. The flop comes a beautiful QJ4 no spade. I yelled for the turn to not give him any outs, and the turn peeled off a seemingly innocent 9. I said, "YES" before I realized he turned a gutter. The river was a T to teach me a lesson about celebrating early, and he was back to 130k to my 200k.

A couple hands later, I was in the BB with KJcc. He limped for 4k, and I made it 14k. He called. Flop came K 9 7s. I decided to do the cute-lead for 10k. He bet pot, and I moved in. He called and showed a beautiful J9ss. The turn was the 6s for a fun UB sweat, and the river bricked for me to win the tournament.

Before I got a chance to type anything in AIM or on facebook, I told Grant we're going to McDonald's to maximize our monopoly-winning potential. After two large Big Mac meals, the night was probably perfect.

It is amazing to me how weird life is. My last post before last night was entitled "Life Tilt". I am now as pumped as ever about poker. I felt that I played an amazing tournament and cannot recall a overly poor decision that I made. Everything just sort of came together, and I won enough races to win a tournament. I am going to withdraw a decent amount to live off of for a month or two and keep around 2,000 in my account.

That being said, the UBOC starts tomorrow, and I am incredibly excited. I will be playing pretty much all of the mini-tournaments, which range from $10r's to $50 tourneys. The lineups look pretty sick. Saturday, there is a $50 HU tournament that will be fun. Grant and I are doing a bet to see who can profit the most amount of money from these tournaments. The winner gets to choose the loser's Halloween costume. I would greatly appreciate some suggestions!

Well, me going deep in last night's tournament means that I didn't study for my test tomorrow, nor the quiz today, nor did I finish/start a paper that is due on Tuesday. So my weekend is pretty set for me, and I am really looking forward to it.

I will try to update my blog after every UBOC tournament for all of my loyal readers :)

God Bless,

JG