I'd decided that a degree of theatre would be nice for this trip for the audience. Give people some humorous comments to read, the odd tale of woe from the tables, and finally the flourish at the end when I win five figures near the close of the trip so everyone breathes easily again and has a good old laugh about it all.
Well, the end of said trip is a-comin'. Today is satellites for the $2k event and we're kicking off the first of two at noon with the second at 7pm. The bad news is even though they are structured OK (12k/30 min) they will most likely end up as a re-entry push-fest to generate seats. The good news for investors is that I can't count properly, and having priced them up originally as 2 x $225 sats, they are in fact, 2 x $250 with possible one extra bullet per event meaning they're possibly $100 more expensive than planned. Pretty minor, and obviously I'll not be moving any financial goalposts around mid-way in the trip, so this represents a tiny bit of extra value as I'll eat the shortfall myself, and try to get through and win a seat without firing the extra bullets just to spite you all. It just tickled me that I don't normally make calculation errors with staking, and it shows I'm human, stupid, or possibly both. The jury's out.
Anyhoo. Updates to follow.
Currently 81 players and 10 fell on their swords already before level 2 had finished. They're still seating people so hopefully it's ok numbers wise and tops 100. Currently played one pot, won one pot. Jet-set stuff.
Lost a pot and down to 9k. Not super concerned. Just got moved to a new table.
The structure for this is pretty fast to say the least, even with 10k start and 30 min blinds. It just went 75/150 to 100/200/25, and next level is 200/400/50! Not a complaint, it is after all a satellite, it's just good to be aware of the steep climb, which sometimes favours playing tighter and more aggressively and conserving chips till the blinds go up.
Spite you guys I have in satellite one. Reached the break on one bullet, with 12k chips. Jesus the things I'll do just to save $25. 78 left from 116 players.
With some swash, buckle, and more than a dollop of flair, I'm cruising on 25k, with average at 15k. They're showing 12 seats for the $2k and currently 69 players left from an eventual 120, tick tock.
I should learn not to open my stupid mouth and say things are going well. Just played a 20k pot with AK with Kc versus AcQc. Got her allin preflop, and she then proceeded to then flop the nut flush to show me how it really should be done.
I got a triumphant "yes!", a loud hand-clap and a big fist pump for my trouble whilst the fairly sizeable pot was being shipped the other way down the table. I appear to have turned being completely unaffected by nasty beats and boorish displays of classlessness into an art form. I literally know about 3 people on the planet who remain as stoic as me. Down to 16k with 67 left.
Players remaining now number 58 at 400/800/100. I'm on 11k. The M.O in the room is currently move all the chips in if you have any part of the flop, or any two cards above a seven. I'm attempting to weather the storm and hang on until happier times prevail.
Good news. Or bad, depending on your perspective.
I'm still in with 43 left, but crippled on 6k. With As10s on a flop of 10,2,2 and a chunk in the middle already, I led out into the blinds for 3500 hoping to get action from a ten. One raises me allin, the other reraised him allin. Pretty big pot compared to my stack, so I can't fold here right?
Of course I can, and do. They BOTH turn over a deuce, and one busts the other. Much merriment ensues, but now I need to jam and get a double up. And preferably another two after that.
Well we can't say I didn't try to achieve just that. Jammed with k9 with a micro stack and got lucky to get back to 8k at 600/1200/200. Immediately after jammed with 33 and got a call from AJ after I told him that he most likely had ace high whilst he was pondering a call for 70% of his chips. The AKQ flop didn't do me any favours, and it's now biding my time until the last hurrah at 7pm for the 2nd satellite. No complaints, other than busting in 37th/120 for no seat. Bite to eat and try again later tonight. Keep you posted.
7pm arrives. Currently 50 players though I'd expect it to hit around 100 again.
It hasn't started off quite the way I'd like. I won the first two hands with little resistance, then on the 3rd I flopped an up and down straight flush draw on a non-paired flop, and 4 bet shoved allin hoping for the fold or the early punt for a double up.
He felt the same way with bottom set, which held to reduce me to ashes instantly. The remainder of my ashes followed 2 hands later when I jammed AK vs 88 on a king high flop. Nothing funner than runner-runner to river him a straight. Grr.
Satellite shell number 2 has been fired nice and early, which is becoming a trend on this trip sadly. New table, new bunch of non-folders. Watch this space.
64/73 left and my new approach on this table is "stop trying to get anyone to fold anything".
This realisation came about after burning 2k of my 10k stack on the river betting heavily into an Asian guy when there was a straight and a flush both on the board. I had neither but showed a bit of strength. He had one middle pair so he wasn't prepared to surrender. I don't blame him.
This is a pretty crazy table since a few new guys sat down. AA got shredded by KK( not me for a change), and a loose Asian guy (a different one) called a 10k allin preflop with 76 to bust one guy who was clearly disgusted at the call when the 76 had put nothing in the pot up to this point. It did look odd, and a lot of muttering and shaking of heads ensued in the aftermath, but as I always say and truly I mean it....LET PEOPLE PLAY HOWEVER THEY WANT! If they win, so be it, normally they'll lose, so stop tapping the goddamn glass.
Limped to the first break on 6k. 61/93 players left.
Down to 50 players, and I've shoved once and got it through, hard going however. The 76 Asian has just called another 10k shove, this time with J8 suited versuse AK. The AK then flops two pair, but his smile evaporates when the board runs out AKQ3.....10 to send him packing. I guess the aggressive Asian is my ticket chance.
Yes. He was my chance, we did play a pot together, yes...he had aces vs my AJ, and another hapless soul who had JJ. I didn't make a straight. And that's me not playing tomorrow's $2k.
It all appears to boil down to the last event for me...the $550 in two days time. I can't say I'm not disappointed with the lack of cashes on the trip, but also I can't say I'm totally shocked given the sample size of tournaments. Never say die. More on all that later on.
Rest tomorrow, some work around the house, buy in for the last event, and try to get out and do some cycling in the ever-warming Las Vegas weather. My head is fine, but my rungood isn't. I've been here before, the key is how you deal with it.
To be continued, thanks for the views and messages.
Well, the end of said trip is a-comin'. Today is satellites for the $2k event and we're kicking off the first of two at noon with the second at 7pm. The bad news is even though they are structured OK (12k/30 min) they will most likely end up as a re-entry push-fest to generate seats. The good news for investors is that I can't count properly, and having priced them up originally as 2 x $225 sats, they are in fact, 2 x $250 with possible one extra bullet per event meaning they're possibly $100 more expensive than planned. Pretty minor, and obviously I'll not be moving any financial goalposts around mid-way in the trip, so this represents a tiny bit of extra value as I'll eat the shortfall myself, and try to get through and win a seat without firing the extra bullets just to spite you all. It just tickled me that I don't normally make calculation errors with staking, and it shows I'm human, stupid, or possibly both. The jury's out.
Anyhoo. Updates to follow.
Currently 81 players and 10 fell on their swords already before level 2 had finished. They're still seating people so hopefully it's ok numbers wise and tops 100. Currently played one pot, won one pot. Jet-set stuff.
Lost a pot and down to 9k. Not super concerned. Just got moved to a new table.
The structure for this is pretty fast to say the least, even with 10k start and 30 min blinds. It just went 75/150 to 100/200/25, and next level is 200/400/50! Not a complaint, it is after all a satellite, it's just good to be aware of the steep climb, which sometimes favours playing tighter and more aggressively and conserving chips till the blinds go up.
Spite you guys I have in satellite one. Reached the break on one bullet, with 12k chips. Jesus the things I'll do just to save $25. 78 left from 116 players.
With some swash, buckle, and more than a dollop of flair, I'm cruising on 25k, with average at 15k. They're showing 12 seats for the $2k and currently 69 players left from an eventual 120, tick tock.
I should learn not to open my stupid mouth and say things are going well. Just played a 20k pot with AK with Kc versus AcQc. Got her allin preflop, and she then proceeded to then flop the nut flush to show me how it really should be done.
I got a triumphant "yes!", a loud hand-clap and a big fist pump for my trouble whilst the fairly sizeable pot was being shipped the other way down the table. I appear to have turned being completely unaffected by nasty beats and boorish displays of classlessness into an art form. I literally know about 3 people on the planet who remain as stoic as me. Down to 16k with 67 left.
Players remaining now number 58 at 400/800/100. I'm on 11k. The M.O in the room is currently move all the chips in if you have any part of the flop, or any two cards above a seven. I'm attempting to weather the storm and hang on until happier times prevail.
Good news. Or bad, depending on your perspective.
I'm still in with 43 left, but crippled on 6k. With As10s on a flop of 10,2,2 and a chunk in the middle already, I led out into the blinds for 3500 hoping to get action from a ten. One raises me allin, the other reraised him allin. Pretty big pot compared to my stack, so I can't fold here right?
Of course I can, and do. They BOTH turn over a deuce, and one busts the other. Much merriment ensues, but now I need to jam and get a double up. And preferably another two after that.
Well we can't say I didn't try to achieve just that. Jammed with k9 with a micro stack and got lucky to get back to 8k at 600/1200/200. Immediately after jammed with 33 and got a call from AJ after I told him that he most likely had ace high whilst he was pondering a call for 70% of his chips. The AKQ flop didn't do me any favours, and it's now biding my time until the last hurrah at 7pm for the 2nd satellite. No complaints, other than busting in 37th/120 for no seat. Bite to eat and try again later tonight. Keep you posted.
7pm arrives. Currently 50 players though I'd expect it to hit around 100 again.
It hasn't started off quite the way I'd like. I won the first two hands with little resistance, then on the 3rd I flopped an up and down straight flush draw on a non-paired flop, and 4 bet shoved allin hoping for the fold or the early punt for a double up.
He felt the same way with bottom set, which held to reduce me to ashes instantly. The remainder of my ashes followed 2 hands later when I jammed AK vs 88 on a king high flop. Nothing funner than runner-runner to river him a straight. Grr.
Satellite shell number 2 has been fired nice and early, which is becoming a trend on this trip sadly. New table, new bunch of non-folders. Watch this space.
64/73 left and my new approach on this table is "stop trying to get anyone to fold anything".
This realisation came about after burning 2k of my 10k stack on the river betting heavily into an Asian guy when there was a straight and a flush both on the board. I had neither but showed a bit of strength. He had one middle pair so he wasn't prepared to surrender. I don't blame him.
This is a pretty crazy table since a few new guys sat down. AA got shredded by KK( not me for a change), and a loose Asian guy (a different one) called a 10k allin preflop with 76 to bust one guy who was clearly disgusted at the call when the 76 had put nothing in the pot up to this point. It did look odd, and a lot of muttering and shaking of heads ensued in the aftermath, but as I always say and truly I mean it....LET PEOPLE PLAY HOWEVER THEY WANT! If they win, so be it, normally they'll lose, so stop tapping the goddamn glass.
Limped to the first break on 6k. 61/93 players left.
Down to 50 players, and I've shoved once and got it through, hard going however. The 76 Asian has just called another 10k shove, this time with J8 suited versuse AK. The AK then flops two pair, but his smile evaporates when the board runs out AKQ3.....10 to send him packing. I guess the aggressive Asian is my ticket chance.
Yes. He was my chance, we did play a pot together, yes...he had aces vs my AJ, and another hapless soul who had JJ. I didn't make a straight. And that's me not playing tomorrow's $2k.
It all appears to boil down to the last event for me...the $550 in two days time. I can't say I'm not disappointed with the lack of cashes on the trip, but also I can't say I'm totally shocked given the sample size of tournaments. Never say die. More on all that later on.
Rest tomorrow, some work around the house, buy in for the last event, and try to get out and do some cycling in the ever-warming Las Vegas weather. My head is fine, but my rungood isn't. I've been here before, the key is how you deal with it.
To be continued, thanks for the views and messages.
RSS Feed