30 minutes into today's event here, a $600 NLH with $200k gtd, and things moved so fast I haven't had time yet to make a post. I'd be delighted if the news was wonderful, but of course that'd be no fun now would it?
I take my seat at table 47, the dealer and a few players know me, and we do the normal pleasantries. I unpack all my crap and fire up the iPad ready to start the updates and get dealt my first hand.
Kings. Lovely.
There's an early raise and call of the 600, so I decide not to mess about and make it 1450 with my kings. All fold to the button, a guy I've seen once or twice before who now makes it 3000.
Aces? Really? I'm sure a lot of people will just punt it off preflop here and that's that. I decide to see the flop instead and go from there.
We're heads up, flop comes 10 5 2 rainbow. About as safe as it gets for kings the way the action went. I check to see what the button does and he bets 4500.
I take my seat at table 47, the dealer and a few players know me, and we do the normal pleasantries. I unpack all my crap and fire up the iPad ready to start the updates and get dealt my first hand.
Kings. Lovely.
There's an early raise and call of the 600, so I decide not to mess about and make it 1450 with my kings. All fold to the button, a guy I've seen once or twice before who now makes it 3000.
Aces? Really? I'm sure a lot of people will just punt it off preflop here and that's that. I decide to see the flop instead and go from there.
We're heads up, flop comes 10 5 2 rainbow. About as safe as it gets for kings the way the action went. I check to see what the button does and he bets 4500.
At this point I need to decide whether he has aces or not. I remember in a GUKPT. A few years ago in a three way pot, where I raise with KK, and I get reraised all in in two spots on level one. I use my Jedi skills and discipline to give my kings up and they then duly flip over JJ and 99. Get me a gun...
Anyway, back at my dilemma.
I decide I'm going to stop and go. For those unfamiliar, this basically means I'm calling the flop bet and will bet the turn irrespective of what card falls. Unless it's an ace which might save me.
The turn card pairs the 5, and I move in for the rest to give him the decision. I'd rather chip away at stacks and use my advantage, but I also know that in the early stages of events like Wynn/Venetian mid-stakes events, players will spack off their whole stack with all kinds of dubiously scabby hands, AQ, KJ, A10 etc, and feel like top pair is the holy city. They then walk off with a story to tell the folks back home about how they played great and just got unlucky.
He doesn't like the shove and gives it at least a full minute. Then calls with his aces.
No king on the river and that's the fastest bullet I think I've ever done in one of these things.
Time to re enter. Not something I love to do but the field size and $200k guarantee makes it well worth firing the extra shell. Luckily the initial buy in of this event only cost me $50 per minute.
Anyway, back at my dilemma.
I decide I'm going to stop and go. For those unfamiliar, this basically means I'm calling the flop bet and will bet the turn irrespective of what card falls. Unless it's an ace which might save me.
The turn card pairs the 5, and I move in for the rest to give him the decision. I'd rather chip away at stacks and use my advantage, but I also know that in the early stages of events like Wynn/Venetian mid-stakes events, players will spack off their whole stack with all kinds of dubiously scabby hands, AQ, KJ, A10 etc, and feel like top pair is the holy city. They then walk off with a story to tell the folks back home about how they played great and just got unlucky.
He doesn't like the shove and gives it at least a full minute. Then calls with his aces.
No king on the river and that's the fastest bullet I think I've ever done in one of these things.
Time to re enter. Not something I love to do but the field size and $200k guarantee makes it well worth firing the extra shell. Luckily the initial buy in of this event only cost me $50 per minute.
It's easy to spin a fancy story about how unlucky it is and how I could have made a soul read and got away pre flop or on the flop, but the bare facts are it was kings into aces first hand. I've seen people flip over A10 on a 10 high flop in things like this so I'm not going to pillory myself about it too much. If anyone wants to have a pop, please feel free to send me a strongly worded email, which I'll ignore because you're being silly.
It becomes even weirder when I sit down at table 33 after re-entering.
First hand, I again get dealt... KK. Wtf?
Early guy in sunglasses raises to 525. I call and the flop comes 9 high. He bets 2200. I call. Brick on the turn, he bets 7500, leaving himself just 4k!
Ok, what the fuck is going on. We're at 50/100 and I feel like I'm in the wrong tournament.
This time rightly or not I decide that I'd rather try to beat people using my (perceived) edge rather than it always be a hand showing contest so I just let it go.
I'm also not terribly keen on effectively shredding $1200 in three minutes flat.
First hand, I again get dealt... KK. Wtf?
Early guy in sunglasses raises to 525. I call and the flop comes 9 high. He bets 2200. I call. Brick on the turn, he bets 7500, leaving himself just 4k!
Ok, what the fuck is going on. We're at 50/100 and I feel like I'm in the wrong tournament.
This time rightly or not I decide that I'd rather try to beat people using my (perceived) edge rather than it always be a hand showing contest so I just let it go.
I'm also not terribly keen on effectively shredding $1200 in three minutes flat.
Currently 290 players on day 1B at level 2, and I have 12k of my 15k start.
12 minutes before the end of the third level and I've kept it together and regrouped. Stole a few and gave a short stack a spin and I'm up to 17,500. Now 320 entrants with about 50 alternates waiting in the wings to be seated.
Looks like I'm the one destined to be getting the cucumber today.
Just raised on the button with 9h10h. French lagtard on my right who played every hand and has shown down a bag of spanners about 80% of the time calls me.
Flop 7JK with one club. I have a double belly buster. He bets and I instantly raise him to 2500. He calls.
Turn is the Qc. I've made a straight. Not the nuts but I know it's good and am happy to win it here with a big raise. He bets again and I make it 4500. He calls.
The pot is now about 17k.
River is the 8 of clubs and he moves in for the last 5500. I call and he flips over Kc5c for a runner runner flush. Vomit.
Down to 7k at the first break. What a wonderful day it's been so far!
Just raised on the button with 9h10h. French lagtard on my right who played every hand and has shown down a bag of spanners about 80% of the time calls me.
Flop 7JK with one club. I have a double belly buster. He bets and I instantly raise him to 2500. He calls.
Turn is the Qc. I've made a straight. Not the nuts but I know it's good and am happy to win it here with a big raise. He bets again and I make it 4500. He calls.
The pot is now about 17k.
River is the 8 of clubs and he moves in for the last 5500. I call and he flips over Kc5c for a runner runner flush. Vomit.
Down to 7k at the first break. What a wonderful day it's been so far!
When it's on you its on you.
This day is making cheery reading huh?
I just raised with AdQd, one caller. Flop 522, I fire again he calls, 10 on the turn, I bet again and he calls. River is a 6. I give up and curiously so does he. However he flips over 8c6c for no real hand, no real draw, but a rivered pair of sixes after calling both the flop and the turn with squadoosh.
4k. Nice pain.
Level 5 and I've bullied my way back up to 6200. The standard today isn't great but you need the chips to bob and weave around and at the moment I don't have the ammo. Hang on and try to steal when possible or punt a big hand for the double up.
This day is making cheery reading huh?
I just raised with AdQd, one caller. Flop 522, I fire again he calls, 10 on the turn, I bet again and he calls. River is a 6. I give up and curiously so does he. However he flips over 8c6c for no real hand, no real draw, but a rivered pair of sixes after calling both the flop and the turn with squadoosh.
4k. Nice pain.
Level 5 and I've bullied my way back up to 6200. The standard today isn't great but you need the chips to bob and weave around and at the moment I don't have the ammo. Hang on and try to steal when possible or punt a big hand for the double up.
End of level 5 and I'm on 5k. Momentum is important in these affairs and right now I'm not getting any of it.
Raise twice with AK and miss both flops. Win one with a continuation and give the other one up. 4400.
Raise twice with AK and miss both flops. Win one with a continuation and give the other one up. 4400.
Bust. Call a raise with 66. Flop a set, shove into AhJh who has flopped the nut flush draw. River a heart.
I could stretch the point for firing another bullet, but since I'm on budget I'd rather take my licks and come back on a level footing than just spray dollars around and say I was unlucky. In 2 days I play the WSOP $2k, the biggest event on my schedule, so I'm going to use all of tomorrow and the rest of today as the holiday part of what is actually a pretty busy schedule for me, and just recharge before that event. I could hunt about for a one dayer to play but I think it's an error.
I may make a random post on something between now and then. Thanks as always for the messages and piss taking. Keeps me awake.
I could stretch the point for firing another bullet, but since I'm on budget I'd rather take my licks and come back on a level footing than just spray dollars around and say I was unlucky. In 2 days I play the WSOP $2k, the biggest event on my schedule, so I'm going to use all of tomorrow and the rest of today as the holiday part of what is actually a pretty busy schedule for me, and just recharge before that event. I could hunt about for a one dayer to play but I think it's an error.
I may make a random post on something between now and then. Thanks as always for the messages and piss taking. Keeps me awake.
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