A Little Heads-Up Action

We had 23 players at our regular Saturday night game. I was completely card dead up to the first break. Even when I tried a little stab at the pot, my timing was terrible. I ended up with just 4000 chip at the first break, half of the starting stack.

But I wasn't too worried about it. My basic strategy for these tournament is "Fold to the Final Table". It doesn't mean that I just wait for Aces, and shove. But I don't make any moves, or force the action. Just wait for my opportunities, and use them. Sometimes they come, and some times they don't.

After the break, starting at 200/400, I doubled up with Queens. Shortly afterwards, I won a race against the same player to eliminate him, 88 vs KQ. I win a few more pots, and make it to the Final Table with an average stack of about 20000.

We got to the Final Table in record time. It was only a level and a half (30 minutes) to go from 18 players to the final nine. Every short stack lost their all-in, and there were two double eliminations.

Since we got to the Final Table so fast, the stacks were a little deeper than usual. An hour into the Final Table, we got to the second break, and there was only one player eliminated. During this time, I went on a sick run of cards. At the break, I had 62500 chips, just over 1/3 of the chips in play. That was the dominant stack eight handed.

When I get a big stack at the Final Table, I don't turn into a steam roller or a bully. I feel that the big stack gives me the luxury of being patient, and choosing my battles. It's not my job to eliminate every player. It is my job to get to heads-up, and then win it.

Of course, I may turn into a bully if the rest of the table starts playing very passive, and waiting for Aces. It all depends on who is at the Final Table. This week, there was a few players who would try to steal blinds, and build their stack, so I just waited for my opportunities.

When the Bubble burst (four players got paid), I was still chip leader, but the stacks had evened out. So I started to step on the gas a little. I did some blind stealing, to maintain my chip lead.

When I got to heads-up, I had a 2-1 chip lead over Data, a long time member of the CPMG. He is a tournament specialist, and a fellow TD. We both respect each others game, and will sometimes ask each other about various situation to get some feedback. We haven't played a heads-up match in about two years, so I was looking forward to this.

However, I was very card dead at the start of the match. He just kept winning small pot after small pot. He eventually tied up the chip count, and then took a 2-1 chip lead. Finally, he pushed All-In preflop. I look at K J, and called. He flips over K 9. The board misses both of us, and I double up to get back into the match.

The chip lead goes back and forth. We are both playing small ball poker, small bets and raises. There aren't any real big pots for a while, until this hand:

2500/5000 Level, 185000 chips in play. I've got the chip lead with about 120k, Data's got about 65k. I limp in the SB with 10 4. Data checks. Flop is Q J 4. He checks. I bet my standard flop bet of 8000. Data calls.

Turn (Q J 4) 2 - Data instantly says All-In for about 48k. I think for a while, and finally push in 10 pink chips (5k each). He says, "If you called with a J, then you deserve to win." He thought I could only call that with top pair (Q). I told him I didn't have a J, and turn over my hand, 3rd pair with 10 kicker. Stunned by my hand, he turned over 4 3, 3rd pair with no kicker.

The River is (Q J 4 2) 7. My 10 kicker plays, and I win the tournament for $300.

Here are the reasons that I made the call:

One of the main differences between Casino Poker and Home Poker is that you play with the same group of players every week in Home games. I've been in the CPMG for three years, and Data has been in longer than that. We've played a lot of hands together at the same tables.

Also, as the TD of this game, if I'm eliminated, I always deal the Final Table from seven players until it ends. I feel that it helps add some class to my games by having a dealer at the Final Table. Also, I get to watch everyone play. I have seen Data at many Final Tables, and a few Heads-Up matches.

When he shoved All-In, my first instinct was "Bullshit!" When he steals blinds, he shoves All-In, instead of just raising, now matter how big his stack is. Also, we've been playing small pot poker for a while. This was the first haymaker that he's thrown post-flop.

He also knows that I'm a patient player. I'm much more likely to fold to a big bet than to call. If he wanted to get paid off with two pair or better, wouldn't it make sense to just keep making value bets?

Of course, this could be a reverse bluff. He could have two paired with the deuce or hit a set, and was bluffing the bluff. Since we've played a lot, it could always be a case of "I know that you know that I know that you know..." There is certainly some higher level thinking in some of the hands that regular players play against each other.

But having the chip lead in this situation was big factor. If I was wrong, I would still have about 50k left. That was enough that I could still rebuild with out having to resort to 'Push-N-Pray' poker.