O-Poker

After a very busy week with a new baby, there hasn't been much time for poker. The number of tourneys that I play will definitely slow down for a while. During the down time (not much of it around here) I played some SNGs on Party and managed to make a small profit thanks to a few well timed 1st place finishes. I was beginning to get a little frustrated with the SNGs on Party but stuck with them. Their structure turns a lot of the SNGs into crapshoots at the end if you get a tight table. I checked back through my stats, I bubbled (4th place) five SNGs and most of the time I put my money in with the best and lost to inferior hands. So, needless to say, I am happy to make it through a few days of SNGs with a profit.

After reading a post on pocket fives about how soft the 3 table $33 tourneys on Party were I decided to dip my toes back in the the tourney world by playing one yesterday. I, also, liked the idea of playing a tourney that would be over in 2 hours. The info that I read on pocket fives about how soft they were was an understatement. By 10 minutes into the tourney, I built my chips up to about 2,000 (1,000 to start) by winning a few pots against people chasing draws. A few hands later I get JJ and call a 5xBB raise. The flop comes JAK. Original bettor immediately goes all in with AK. I call and am up to 3k in chips. I didn't look back from there and was chip leader until I won the tourney 1 hour and 45 minutes later. The payouts are a little too level at $270, $225, $180, $135, and $90, but I'll take the $270 for 1st place for my first tourney in a week.

Tonight, I decided to play two tourneys and just "sit-out" whenever Charlie woke up and needed a diaper change or to be fed.

I played the $150 NL Super Thursday tourney on Party and could never get anything going. There were just under 1,000 entries paying 100 spots. I had 1,800 chips with 75/150 blinds and get AK in the BB. The cutoff (who had been raising pratically every hand) raises 3XBB and I go all in. He calls with QJ and hits a Q and a J and I'm out in 320th place.

The second tourney that I played was the $109 on Full Tilt Poker. There were 106 entries and it paid 18 spots. A key hand came late when there were about 27 players remaining. I was sitting at the bottom of the pack but not desperate. I had about 2,800 in chips. I get dealt QQ in the BB. UTG raises 3xBB. I had only been at this new table for 4 hands but the same guy raised 3xBB every one of those four hands. I figured him for a weak ace at best. I decided to just call and try to trap him if I got a decent flop (no aces or kings). I was 100% certain that he would bet the flop no matter what if I just called preflop. If I raised preflop, I put it at about 50/50 on him folding. The flop was perfect - 257 rainbow. I check and he bet the pot. I went all in and he called with A9o. Turn and river were a blank and I'm sitting on 6k in chips in about the middle of the pack with room to work.

Another key hand came shortly after the bubble burst. I was sitting on 9k in chips (around 13th in chips out of 16). I get dealt AKo in the BB. UTG (who has me covered) raises 3x or 4x BB and I decide, I need to double up and have some chips to work with or go home. I push and he immediately calls more than half his stack with 77. A King comes on the flop and I'm at 20K in chips. I hovered around 20k in chips and went into the final table with 15k in chips. I didn't get any hands and one particular guy was going all in a lot (The Pusher). I managed to steal some chips with AKs. The next hand UTG I'm dealt 1010 and push because my stack is low relative to the blinds and I need some chips. I am guessing that I might get a call from a big stack with a weak ace, because I just made an uncontested big bet the hand before. The BB picked up AK and immediately called. The flop came 4109, Turn A, River J and I double up to about 3rd in chips with 7 remaining. I pick up a few pots here and there until we get 5 handed. The Pusher is pushing all his chips in almost every other hand. I am itching for a hand and finally wake up to AK in the SB. The Pusher pushes all his chips in (about 32k) and I call my remaining 25k in chips. The Pusher has A10o. The flop comes AJ8, Turn Q, River K. He make his straight to win the 50k+ pot and I'm out in 5th place for $795. If I win that pot, I am 2nd in chips and am confident that I would have won the tourney - The chip leader got half his chips when he was all in preflop with 44 against AA and spiked a 4 on the turn.

I am happy with my return to the tourneys and hopefully can take down 1st place in one soon. I lived and died by AK, but I got my money in with the best hand and lost to a 3 outer.

cmitch