Updates from noon.
It's easy to moan and carp about the unfairness of life and how you can't get a good run going when it's most needed. The harder but better thing to do is to shrug it off and just get onto the next one and try to win something. To that end I'm at the V today in their tournament bat-cave to try to bang something in the $600 daily with $200K guaranteed. I was originally going to play the PH event, but should I make day 2, it clashes with the WSOP $1500 at the Rio on the 5th July, so playing it seems a tad silly.
I punt up to 24K or so from the 20K starting stack in the first few levels, and as people filter in, we're now at a full table. One guy just blew his brains out with a double gutshot draw on the turn, against the big blind who had 74 and flopped two pair. Christmas for one lucky guy.
The structure in this is only 30 minute levels, it being a one day event and all. We are already on level 5, and the WSOP this ain't. I'm not getting too flairy right now, the level of play is so sloppy that you can likely get paid off well when you hit, and it's not worth bleeding off chips trying to get to clever. 22K right now, and the screen shows 280/319 players.
We're playing here with a big blind ante, and the table shows signs of being willing to gamble with one pair if they flop it. For a one day event I kind of want to go big or go home early, though bleeding off chips to see each flop doesn't look like a good strategy.
Level 6 and I win a small pot when I bet on the steal, and turn a gutshot straight. Shortly after I lose with 99 vs 77 when his 7h makes a flush. On around 15K still.
Occasionally in a tournament, a hand comes up where it really doesn't matter what the other guy has, I'm going to play it, for all the money, every time. That hand just came up.
An Asian guy who has played a lot of pots, and shows any Ace proudly like it's a full house, raises to 1500 at 400/200/400. I look down at Ad Qd, and decide that raising him is pointless, I may as well simply see a flop. I have about 15K still, and he has maybe double that. Another player calls behind, and we see three cards.
It comes out Qh Kd 10d. I have a pair, and a Royal Flush draw, or if you prefer, the nut flush draw, and a gutshot straight draw, with the Jd giving me the mortal nuts if it hits. Really these are the kind of hands I want to play in big pots later in the tournament, and as a semi-bluff if possible. You're really not in terrible shape against anything, and are never drawing dead.
I check, happy to check-raise the flop, and both players surprisingly check behind. Quite honestly, I was fully expecting a bet from the Asian, he's been firing at everything to date. I could really do without missing the turn and river, so I decide to bet in the dark for 3300 before the turn card comes out, which effectively is the same as if I'd raised a bet on the flop. I'm not looking at the turn card, not that I'd expect this guy to pick up on any body language whether I'd hit or missed, but still. The other player quickly folds, and the Asian guy thinks for a millisecond, and makes it 15K to go, putting me all-in. I don't like calling for my chips in these things, but as said, with this hand I really don't care what he has, it's impossible for me to be drawing dead. I call.
He turns over AK offsuit for top pair and a gutshot. I have second pair, also a gutshot, and the aforementioned mega flush draw. Honestly I'm actually a bit surprised to see him with AK, but there it is. The turn I can now see is the 4s... so not a great one for me, however, had I banged the flop immediately instead, he's doing the exact same thing here, so it's largely academic. I just need some love on the river.
It comes the Ac, giving us both Aces up, but him Aces and Kings. That'll be that then. This tournament felt quite fast, considering I went six levels. The Encore were also having a $550 with $100K guarantee, and quite honestly I prefer playing there nowadays, but not enough to ignore an extra $100K on the guarantee for $50 more at the Venetian. There is another of these tomorrow, and I'll likely take another shot.
I punt up to 24K or so from the 20K starting stack in the first few levels, and as people filter in, we're now at a full table. One guy just blew his brains out with a double gutshot draw on the turn, against the big blind who had 74 and flopped two pair. Christmas for one lucky guy.
The structure in this is only 30 minute levels, it being a one day event and all. We are already on level 5, and the WSOP this ain't. I'm not getting too flairy right now, the level of play is so sloppy that you can likely get paid off well when you hit, and it's not worth bleeding off chips trying to get to clever. 22K right now, and the screen shows 280/319 players.
We're playing here with a big blind ante, and the table shows signs of being willing to gamble with one pair if they flop it. For a one day event I kind of want to go big or go home early, though bleeding off chips to see each flop doesn't look like a good strategy.
Level 6 and I win a small pot when I bet on the steal, and turn a gutshot straight. Shortly after I lose with 99 vs 77 when his 7h makes a flush. On around 15K still.
Occasionally in a tournament, a hand comes up where it really doesn't matter what the other guy has, I'm going to play it, for all the money, every time. That hand just came up.
An Asian guy who has played a lot of pots, and shows any Ace proudly like it's a full house, raises to 1500 at 400/200/400. I look down at Ad Qd, and decide that raising him is pointless, I may as well simply see a flop. I have about 15K still, and he has maybe double that. Another player calls behind, and we see three cards.
It comes out Qh Kd 10d. I have a pair, and a Royal Flush draw, or if you prefer, the nut flush draw, and a gutshot straight draw, with the Jd giving me the mortal nuts if it hits. Really these are the kind of hands I want to play in big pots later in the tournament, and as a semi-bluff if possible. You're really not in terrible shape against anything, and are never drawing dead.
I check, happy to check-raise the flop, and both players surprisingly check behind. Quite honestly, I was fully expecting a bet from the Asian, he's been firing at everything to date. I could really do without missing the turn and river, so I decide to bet in the dark for 3300 before the turn card comes out, which effectively is the same as if I'd raised a bet on the flop. I'm not looking at the turn card, not that I'd expect this guy to pick up on any body language whether I'd hit or missed, but still. The other player quickly folds, and the Asian guy thinks for a millisecond, and makes it 15K to go, putting me all-in. I don't like calling for my chips in these things, but as said, with this hand I really don't care what he has, it's impossible for me to be drawing dead. I call.
He turns over AK offsuit for top pair and a gutshot. I have second pair, also a gutshot, and the aforementioned mega flush draw. Honestly I'm actually a bit surprised to see him with AK, but there it is. The turn I can now see is the 4s... so not a great one for me, however, had I banged the flop immediately instead, he's doing the exact same thing here, so it's largely academic. I just need some love on the river.
It comes the Ac, giving us both Aces up, but him Aces and Kings. That'll be that then. This tournament felt quite fast, considering I went six levels. The Encore were also having a $550 with $100K guarantee, and quite honestly I prefer playing there nowadays, but not enough to ignore an extra $100K on the guarantee for $50 more at the Venetian. There is another of these tomorrow, and I'll likely take another shot.
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