Practicing Patience

"Shuffle Up & Deal" - It's Sunday, March 4, and this is the $240 tournament from the Grand Sierra's World Poker Challenge. Instead of having the tables on the casino floor, they have taken over the Xtreme Sports Bar across from the poker room. We have 10 tables crammed in the bar. The tables are 10-handed, but we are starting with 8 stacks and 6 players. This tourney has a $15k guarantee, which means they need 75 players. I'm assuming that means there are re-entries. Levels are 30 minutes long, and we start with 10k chips.

End of Level 1 (25/50) - 9 handed now. Table has been rather aggressive so far. There has been a raise almost every hand, mostly by three different players. I have played almost no pots. I would rather not get involved in trying to be the Alpha Male at the table, and it helps establish a good table image I can use later. I have 9400 chips.

Level 2 (50/100) -  Full table now. I finally raised preflop to 225 with KQo from the Cutoff. Three players saw a Flop Kd Qh 9d. It checked to me, so I bet 525. BB check-raised to 1500. I just called, as that was a very wet board. Turn [Kd Qh 9d] Ts. He bet just 1000, and I called. River [Kd Qh 9d Ts] 2h. He bet 1500 again. I can't see him betting anything that my Top Two Pair can beat, so I fold face up. He said I didn't want to hit the Qd, so I assume that he had JTd. I have 7525 chips

Level 3 (100/200) - One player limped. Mid raised to 500. He a 70's guy who's been raising a decent amount of hands, but with hands like A7o. It folded to me on the Button. I 3-Bet to 1500 with JTo, trying to isolate. Only the Mid called, and the Flop was J88. He bet 1500, and I just called. Turn [J88] 4. He checked, so I went All-In for 4250. He quickly folded. That's why you should isolate.

Two hands later, it folded to Mid, who min-raised to 400. He a 20's Kid who's playing with his iPad, and has a laptop on a chair behind him with headphones plugged in. He's been raising small with a wide variety of hands like 74o I was the only caller in Cutoff 64s. Flop 9s 6h 3s. He bet 600. I raised to 1500 with my Pair + Flush Draw. He called, and the Turn [9s 6h 3s] 8h. He checked, and I bet 2100. He thought for a bit, looked at my stack, thought for a bit more, and went All-In. Yuck. Now it was my turn for thought. Eventually, I realized that his range of hands was the entire deck, so I could be ahead or behind with outs. I called for 9525 total. He shows 52o, and missed his Gutshot.

I also won a few other pots, including a decent one with KK. Four card Flush on the Board, and other guy had the J. I have 28550 chips.

Level 4 (100/200/25) - Quiet level for me, as I spent the first half typing up the hands from the previous level. I have 27300 chips

BREAK - Re-entry period has ended. They haven't posted the final numbers, but we are well over 100 players.

Level 5 (150/300/25) - More quiet time for me, as I'm in lockdown mode with this patient structure. The only hand I won was the last of the level. It folded to the Button who raised to 800. He a 60's gentle who seems very super-nitty. I was the only caller from the SB with QTs. Flop was JTT. We both checked. Turn [JTT] Q. I checked my Full House, he bet 1000, and I called. River [JTT Q] 9. I bet 2100, hoping he had a K in his hand. He thought for about 20 seconds, and folded. I have 28775 chips.

Level 6 (200/400/50) - I knocked out a shortstack with QJ for about 2000. I also started to steal the occasional Blinds when it folded to me. First was with 42o, and the Blinds folded. Second was with T9o. The BB called, but folded to a bet on the Turn.

With about five minutes to go in the level, my table got broke. My new table looks good, as I'm one of the youngest at the table. However, the player on my direct Left is a local dealer, and is a solid player. I have 30900 chips.

Level 7 (300/600/75) - The Dealer guy busted out. I raised a few times with AKo or AQo. There's an 80's gentleman on my Left+1 who has more chips than me, and is playing a lot of hands. He kept calling my raises, I would airball the Flop, and would then fold to his bet.

In the last hand of the level, I raised again UTG with AKo to 1500. UTG+1 and both Blinds called. Flop Ad Qc Td. SB bet 3000, and has about 5k left.  I raise to isolate, and the rest fold. The SB has KTo, and I knock her out. I have 36400 chips.

Level 8 (400/800/100) - UTG raised to 2100. It folded to me on the Button. I played with this guy at my previous table, and he's no-nonsense. I just called because I don't want to fold in case his shoves. The two of us saw the Flop Qs Js 3h. He bet 2500, and I called as it seemed like a weak bet. Turn [Qs Js 3h] As. He bet 4500, and I call. River [Qs Js 3h As] Qc. Now he checked. I bet 7500, assuming we had same hand. He thinks for a minute before calling. I showed my AK, and he got that "Are U Serious?" look on his face. He mucks, and says the Q was a big suckout. I can only assume he had AJ.

Very next hand, one player limped in. I have AKo again, and raised 2500. Limper called. Flop Ah Qc 4c. He checked, and I decided to also check. Turn [Ah Qc 4c] 7c. He looked back his cards, so I also took a quick peek. I have the Ac. He checked, and I bet 3500. He called. Rvr [Ah Qc 4c 7c] Qs. He bet 8k. Aggh! I can't beat anything now, so I folded. I know how the guy in the previous hand feels. I have 44500 chips.

BREAK - 112 entries, with 12 getting paid. 1st is $6280. All tables are now nine handed, and we have five tables left.

Level 9 (500/1000/100) - Levels  are now 40 min long. UTG+1 raised 3000. I was the only caller from Cutoff with KTd. Flop Ks 8s 3h. He bet 3000, and I just called. Turn [Ks 8s 3h] Js. He bet 4000, and I called. River [Ks 8s 3h Js] Ac. He bet 8000. I put him on As Qx, and folded. This was my first mistake of the day. I needed to raise on the Flop when I have the best hand. It's the same with the AK last level when I checked the A-high Flop. No reason to get cute at this stage of the tourney.

The 5pm $240 Omaha-8 just had their "Shuffle Up & Deal". Hopefully, I will be missing that one. I have 30000 chips.

Level 10 (600/1200/200) - A 60's guy limps in, and he's been doing it a lot. I'm the SB with AQo, and raised 5000. Limper called. Flop Th 9h 9d. I bet 5500. He went All-In, and I folded.

My stack is getting shorter. Right after I pay my BB, they do a complete redraw with 27 players remaining. I end up as the BB for a second time, as the Blinds are eating up my stack. Finally, I get to shove from the Hyjack with JTo for 10800. It folded to BB, who shrugged his shoulders and called with AKh. The Floor happened to be standing at the table, so I ask how long I can buy into the O-8 tourney. However, the Flop was Q98 with no Heart, and I double up. Poker is a game of skill.

Later, it folded to me on the Button. I decided to use some stealthy aggression by just limping with J2c. Both Blinds limped, and Flop was 9h 8h 6c. They checked. Bad Flop for my hand, but I still bet 1600. Only SB called. Turn [9h 8h 6c] 3c. SB checked, and I bet 2100 with my Flush Draw. He called. River [9h 8h 6c 3c] 2d. SB checked, I bet 2500, and SB quickly folded. I have 31300 chips.

Level 11 (800/1600/200) - The 60's limper raised to 3600 from UTG+1. It folded to me in Hyjack with AA. I decide to call, planning on going with any Flop. Plus, hopefully somebody else will shove. They didn't, and Flop was 776. UTG+1 bet 10k. I hollywood for a moment, and shove for 14300 more. He hollywoods for a bit, and folded. I wonder if he would have called a preflop shove.

Later, the AKh guy from earlier went All-In for 14300. It folded around to me in the BB. I slowly looked at my cards, and quickly called with AQo. He has JJ, and I completely miss the Board. I guess this was karma from my JT vs AK double up.

Towards the end of the level, it folded to me in the Cutoff, and I just limped with 65d. The Button limped, but the SB raised to 5000. The BB folded, and I insta-ship my 25k stack All-In. The Button folded, and the SB called almost as fast. It looks like my timing was off, but then he showed his hand, KJd (really?) Unfortunately, I completely airballed the Board, He had me covered by about 10k, and I was eliminated in 19th place

So after preaching patience with this structure, why did I decide to make a big bluff with 65d?

This hand happened with about four minutes left in the level. Next was the 60 minute Dinner Break, and then the 1k/2k/200 level. I had not played this hand, I would have probably made it to dinner, and then came back to a stack of 10-12 Big Blinds. I mentioned that I finished 19th, which meant they combine to the Final Two Tables after I busted. Twelve players get paid, and I would have been approaching the Bubble with a shortstack.

I guess the short answer is I decided to "Go Big or Go Home". If I was on the road at a casino, I doubt I would have done this. I would have probably been happy to make it to Dinner Break, and then tried to sneak into the money. But since I'm now a local player, it means it would have been at least 1.5 to 2 hours until we got to the money. If I won this hand, then I would have been in good shape. If not, then I can go home and chill.

Of course, he didn't have to call with KJ (really?).