Rocking and rolling at noon today for the first flight of the Venetian $600 event. There's a second flight today at 5pm, but personally I'd rather just get moving here and have tomorrow or this evening off once I've battered the field into submission. I play a flurry of early small pots whilst we're only 5 handed, most of which achieve a win and get me warmed up nicely.
Not a great start as things hot up. as I flop a pair and a flush draw, bang it twice, miss the world, and lose to Aces. After that I get rivered twice when the players both make straights, once against my set, and once against my top two. I started on 35K and have dipped to 30K, which doesn't concern me too much, as I kind of have the measure of a few guys on the table, and am confident that I can outplay them going trough the streets with a half decent tail wind.
Not a great start as things hot up. as I flop a pair and a flush draw, bang it twice, miss the world, and lose to Aces. After that I get rivered twice when the players both make straights, once against my set, and once against my top two. I started on 35K and have dipped to 30K, which doesn't concern me too much, as I kind of have the measure of a few guys on the table, and am confident that I can outplay them going trough the streets with a half decent tail wind.
Level 5 approaches (it actually feels like this is running pretty fast), and I'm swashing and buckling, but not really making or losing any headway. I'm chatting to a nice guy on my right who's in the restaurant business here. I've actually eaten at some of his places, and he's cool to talk to and has a good attitude to the game. The table is generally fun, and I'm still sitting on 31K or so, playing quite a few pots, and splashing about, hoping to catch someone in a bad spot. Screen shows 199/211 players at present.
Level 6 and I just had a nice dose of maximum tournament pain at the hands of a pretty but unsmiling girl. On a !0 d Qs 9d flop, I bet out on the come into 3 people with Ad Kc. two of them call, and I hit the Js on the turn to make the mortal nuts. It's a fair sized pot, and I fire out 10K first to speak. One player shuffles about and folds, and the girl twiddles around with her stack, and then luckily for me shoves for another 15K on top. Over we go, and I'm in good shape with the nuts versus her Kd 3d for a smaller straight with a flush draw. The river immediately brings an other diamond, and they ship a 60K or so pot her way, leaving me on a paltry 5K for my bad decision of getting it in good. Breathe and onward we go. I battle back a bit to 10K or so just by willpower, but at 75/250/500, it gives a lot less room to manoeuvre than I previously had.
Level 6 and I just had a nice dose of maximum tournament pain at the hands of a pretty but unsmiling girl. On a !0 d Qs 9d flop, I bet out on the come into 3 people with Ad Kc. two of them call, and I hit the Js on the turn to make the mortal nuts. It's a fair sized pot, and I fire out 10K first to speak. One player shuffles about and folds, and the girl twiddles around with her stack, and then luckily for me shoves for another 15K on top. Over we go, and I'm in good shape with the nuts versus her Kd 3d for a smaller straight with a flush draw. The river immediately brings an other diamond, and they ship a 60K or so pot her way, leaving me on a paltry 5K for my bad decision of getting it in good. Breathe and onward we go. I battle back a bit to 10K or so just by willpower, but at 75/250/500, it gives a lot less room to manoeuvre than I previously had.
Level 8 now, and up to 100/400/800. My 10K stack still isn't great, but I've resisted the urge to spaz it off with any big Ace, preferring instead to pick my battles and make a steal when needed to stay with some modicum of a threatening stack. I feel this may have to be the level however, but we'll see what happens. Screen is showing 217/263 at present.
We reach the final hand on level 8 just before the next break, and I've just lost 3K when my Q 8 on a Queen high flop when it runs out Q J 7 10 K and the guy with the Ace now wants to bet and move me all-in. Sigh. The last hand pops up at 100/400/800 and I look down at 99, and decide there's enough in the pot for me to push my 6500 into the middle. I get min-raised in one spot, he flips over QQ when everybody folds, and that's my lot in flight 1A after almost 5 hours and a bit of ugliness with the nuts. Them's the breaks, and it's onto the next bullet, which will be...
We reach the final hand on level 8 just before the next break, and I've just lost 3K when my Q 8 on a Queen high flop when it runs out Q J 7 10 K and the guy with the Ace now wants to bet and move me all-in. Sigh. The last hand pops up at 100/400/800 and I look down at 99, and decide there's enough in the pot for me to push my 6500 into the middle. I get min-raised in one spot, he flips over QQ when everybody folds, and that's my lot in flight 1A after almost 5 hours and a bit of ugliness with the nuts. Them's the breaks, and it's onto the next bullet, which will be...