And the big change...
10/13/07 23:44 Filed in: Poker
This
weekend I had the opportunity to play some poker.
Recently, my Sit n Go tournament play has been less
than desired. I usually get sucked out on. It
happens when you play quality hands to very
aggressive players who happen to get lucky. For
example, QQ vs J3. I am ahead after the flop with a
pair of Queens. He goes all in and catches runner
runner 3s. Oops.
So, I decided to slow down my single table sit and goes. Instead, I started playing bigger sit and goes (90 and 180 players). I decided, after some success there, I would try some larger multi-table tournaments again. In the past, I have placed in the money on several of these. For example, I played a $5 tournament with 500 players. I came in first and took down $500.
So, I started playing bigger games, between the $5 and $24. In the first $24 I played, I made the money, but I didn’t make much. After 4 hours of play, I won an astounding $40.
So, Saturday night, I decided to try another. Only this time, the results were different. It started off by me picking up Aces a couple times. Against multiple callers, they held up.
With about 20K in chips, I was the chip leader for nearly an hour. I then picked up Q10. I hit a 10 on the flop and put the other player on high cards or some sort of draw. Turns out, I was wrong. He hit trips on the flop and I doubled him up.
The very next hand, I have Q10 and I decide to bully the table. This player has just a few more chips than I do when he calls with 99 again. On the turn, he hits trips. On the river, I get the straight.
I battle my way up the ranks. I make incredibly good calls, picking off bluffs and knocking players out. I don’t want to look at my standings, but I know I am in the top 10 for most of the tournament.
As the game gets to the money, I am able to pick off pots easier as the action slows down. Then, right after the bubble, the action become frantic. I simply wait for good hands, having the stack to do it. I watch as the 153 paid players dwindles to 100, then 80, then 50. Then we hit 3 tables. Then 2. And finally the Final Table. I am there, in 3rd place.
And I get bluffed. I am on a straight draw and the big stack is to my left. He makes a move at the pot, basically committing 3/4 of my stack on a draw. I fold. He shows 2 4, a 4 high. Ugh. I make another bad call and I am now a short stack. I quickly return to the 3rd place.
I then pick up QJ. I raise 4x the big blind. I get a caller for all in. I put him on a pocket pair. I call anyway, as the odds are good. He turns over KK. Oops. I am in trouble. I never catch up.
I have 100K chips left. The button raises 3x the big blind. I have AJ, so I go all in. He calls with for another 40k chips. It’s the right call.
He turns over 10 J. He has three outs and catches one on the turn. Without an Ace on the River, I am done. And it never comes. I go out 6th. Five hours of play, and I am gone. Out 6th. I do make a nice cash finish.
In the end, I had to get lucky a couple times to win, but I was aggressive and worked my way through a field of 955 players to take 6th. I am just disappointed I didn’t take the top 3.
So, I decided to slow down my single table sit and goes. Instead, I started playing bigger sit and goes (90 and 180 players). I decided, after some success there, I would try some larger multi-table tournaments again. In the past, I have placed in the money on several of these. For example, I played a $5 tournament with 500 players. I came in first and took down $500.
So, I started playing bigger games, between the $5 and $24. In the first $24 I played, I made the money, but I didn’t make much. After 4 hours of play, I won an astounding $40.
So, Saturday night, I decided to try another. Only this time, the results were different. It started off by me picking up Aces a couple times. Against multiple callers, they held up.
With about 20K in chips, I was the chip leader for nearly an hour. I then picked up Q10. I hit a 10 on the flop and put the other player on high cards or some sort of draw. Turns out, I was wrong. He hit trips on the flop and I doubled him up.
The very next hand, I have Q10 and I decide to bully the table. This player has just a few more chips than I do when he calls with 99 again. On the turn, he hits trips. On the river, I get the straight.
I battle my way up the ranks. I make incredibly good calls, picking off bluffs and knocking players out. I don’t want to look at my standings, but I know I am in the top 10 for most of the tournament.
As the game gets to the money, I am able to pick off pots easier as the action slows down. Then, right after the bubble, the action become frantic. I simply wait for good hands, having the stack to do it. I watch as the 153 paid players dwindles to 100, then 80, then 50. Then we hit 3 tables. Then 2. And finally the Final Table. I am there, in 3rd place.
And I get bluffed. I am on a straight draw and the big stack is to my left. He makes a move at the pot, basically committing 3/4 of my stack on a draw. I fold. He shows 2 4, a 4 high. Ugh. I make another bad call and I am now a short stack. I quickly return to the 3rd place.
I then pick up QJ. I raise 4x the big blind. I get a caller for all in. I put him on a pocket pair. I call anyway, as the odds are good. He turns over KK. Oops. I am in trouble. I never catch up.
I have 100K chips left. The button raises 3x the big blind. I have AJ, so I go all in. He calls with for another 40k chips. It’s the right call.
He turns over 10 J. He has three outs and catches one on the turn. Without an Ace on the River, I am done. And it never comes. I go out 6th. Five hours of play, and I am gone. Out 6th. I do make a nice cash finish.
In the end, I had to get lucky a couple times to win, but I was aggressive and worked my way through a field of 955 players to take 6th. I am just disappointed I didn’t take the top 3.
|