O-Poker

I felt like I was in a zone when I played the FTOPS #8 PL Holdem tourney. You know that feeling - when you are making the correct reads, are focused, and things are working for you. I played better in that tourney than any other that I have played in a while. I was disappointed with bubbling, but wouldn't have done anything different - sometimes things just work out that way. You can play great poker and not cash. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't be happy with your play, especially if it builds your confidence and helps improve your play in later tourneys. The FTOPS #8 got me out of a MTT funk that I have been in lately.

Below are some of the key hands

Chipping Up

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1110308 - The guy in Seat 4 had chipped up from a few fortunate spots. He flopped sets twice and had people betting into him each time. In the last two orbits he was raising way way way too much for his own good. Basically, if someone checked to him he would bet and usually fold to a re-raise. He had always raised ANY pair preflop. I felt like his preflop call was an attempt to steal the pot on a later street, because he was raising with probably the top 50% of hands preflop. The flop was pretty good for 66 (only 1 over). His flat call fit his pattern. He would have raised me on the flop if he had a Queen. He had been flat calling and then leading out big on the turn to win several uncontested pots. I called the turn figuring I was probably good. Another Queen came on the river and he insta-shoved. IMO, there was no way that he had a Queen. He was going to try and get some value for a Queen. My guess was that he had an Ace for a missed straight draw. I thought and thought and finally I couldn't put him on anything that beat me. I made the crying call feeling like I was good. Weeeeee!!! Talk about a confidence builder.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1110312 - The very next hand (perfect timing), I was dealt QQ and raised UTG. The same guy was steaming and re-raised me. I shoved hoping he would call with something like a weak Jack.

Imperium's Table

I was moved to a table with Imper1um . I hadn't played much with him, but knew that he had been on fire this year - ranked #4 on P5s and probably playing better than anyone out there right now. I decided to try to avoid pots with him since we were the two big stacks at the table. All the while, I was watching him play - trying to pick up any patterns and learn anything that I could from his play.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1110359 - This hand came up after a few orbits. I was dealt JJ and raised to 450 UTG+1. With the way that he had been playing, I figured that his flat call with position on me didn't necessarily mean a strong hand. I think he was probably re-raising me preflop with a wide range. The flop came Ks10s6h. I decided not to lead out. My hand couldn't handle a big re-raise on that flop and he was liable to re-raise with air. I wanted to see how strong he was here. I felt like he would bet big if he had a King, a set or a big flush draw. He bet 780 into a 1,140 pot. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but decided to flat call and see how he reacts on the turn. My thinking was that a flat call would tell him that I had at least a decent hand and would probably slow him down. The turn paired the board and brought a three flush. I checked again and he bet 1,920 into a 2,700 pot. I called since I had the Js and really felt like I was good here. I could re-evaluate things again on the river. The river was a blank. In his eyes my hand had to look really strong to him, so I checked to him. He checked behind with 22 and I won a nice pot. I would have played this differently against most players, but I felt like I could give him control of the hand to keep the pot smaller while still gaining enough information to decide how to proceed in the hand.

I think that hand also helped to keep him out of later pots with me. I knew that if he got involved in another large pot with me, I was probably going to be behind (unless I had a huge hand) since I had shown I was willing to call him down with an underpair on a scary board. I also figured I would be able to make some re-steals from him after that hand because of how I had played the Jacks and he would have to respect my stack.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1110401 - I wasn't involved in this hand, but I think it shows that Imper1um gets a lot of action because of people getting frustrated with his LAG style. He had been raising so much that when he raised from the button and the SB re-raised, he felt like he was probably ahead with 77. I was amazed that he was willing to put so many chips at risk with the blinds so low with a mediocre hand. I thought about this hand for a while. It shows why he WINS so many tourneys. He isn't afraid to go with his reads and get all the chips in even if he thinks he is only a slight favorite.

DQB

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1110439 - No real explanation needed here. I was the big stack at the table and was raising a lot of hands preflop. Perfect flop and let the other guy hang himself.

Too Many outs if I'm even behind

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1110491 - Hand pretty much played itself against a small stack.

My Demise

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1110540 - Unlucky for a 10k swing approaching the bubble.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1110558 - Timely re-steal on the bubble against a button steal. I obviously have to shut down if I get called or re-raised.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1110563 - I posted about this hand previously. The case could be made for laying down 1010 and leaving myself with 17k. I went with the shove because it looked like a complete re-steal from the big stack on the bubble in the big blind. He had been raising almost every hand on the bubble. He called and if my hand had held up I would have been top 10 in chips as we entered the money.

Looking back on the tourney I can't complain about a thing. Sometimes it takes a tourney like this to help kick start things again.