Tournament Sunday

7:15 AM

I decided to take a break from cash games today and play the Sunday majors instead (as well as some satellites to PCA and Aussie Millions). My first two tournaments began at 4.45AM, the Stars Sunday Warm Up and the PartyPoker 300K. I just got knocked out of the Sunday Warm Up in ridiculous fashion and immediately I remember why I do not play these things in the first place. I had 18500 chips with the blinds at 400/800 and the average stack was 23000. A known player who had me covered raised in utg+1 to 1850 and it was folded to me on the button with AKo. I considered flatting for a moment since I assumed that a good regular would be able to play this situation perfectly (fold worse and shove better) but I decided to raise anyway since the pot was pretty big compared to my stack and was worth picking up. At worse I figured he’d shove QQ or similar and I’d be in a race situation. Anyway after I 3-bet both the blinds fold and the player moved in. I called hoping to see QQ or less and not AA or KK. I then get the shock of my life when a) I see KJo instead and b) I see a jack peel off on the turn and c) I miss my 12-outer redraw on the river. Lame…

I got knocked out of the Party 300K a little while ago too. Nothing too interesting happened. I chipped up early from 5000 to about 7000 just by raising preflop and c-betting and getting my opponents to fold. I then lost a decent chunk with KK on an Axx flop, and got knocked out with the blinds at 100/200 when the button opened with JJ to 500 and I shoved with 4400 chips with 55 from the small blind.

The third tournament I joined was the Sunday Brawl on Full Tilt. I actually ended up registering nine minutes late for this one and Full Tilt has some rule where you won’t get dealt in if you register late until the big blind hits you. So obviously I get seated in the cutoff and have to wait another five minutes until I can play a hand. Fortunately, I double up on my very first hand with KJ v K7 on a KJ7 flop. Justice I guess?

Anyway I’m actually writing this blog while I’m playing so I guess what I’ll do is turn this into an event report type of thing. It’s 7:15 AM at the moment and I’ll give another update whenever something interesting happens.

7:35AM

Well I just spewed away half my stack in the Sunday Brawl. I had 7400 with the blinds at 50/100 and opened utg with 98s. The cutoff and button called and the flop came J85 rainbow. I made a c-bet and the cutoff called and the turn came an A. At this point I knew a set was a very real possibility, albeit slightly discounted since I have an 8 myself, but decided that since a jack was more likely it was worth turning my hand into a bluff and bluffing the ace. So I bet and he called. I wasn’t surprised to see him call as most people will peel the turn disbelieving your bet but fold if you triple barrel the river. So when the river came a Q I shoved the rest in and he tanked before calling with JJ. Sigh…at least I represented AA/QQ well I guess…

I’ve pretty much given up on this tournament but at least the feature events are still to come…the Sunday Million on Stars and Full Tilt’s 750K Guaranteed. Hopefully I can put up a better showing in those than what I’ve done so far…

8:30AM

I just got knocked out of the Sunday Brawl. I managed to hang around pretty well, stealing a lot and building up my stack from 3000 to 5000 without seeing a flop. In my knockout hand a player in MP with 6000 chips opened to 700 and I shoved for 5000 total with AKs. He tanked and tanked and I figured he either had AQ/AJ or 88-TT. He eventually called with QQ for either the ultimate slowroll or the ultimate “I have no idea what I’m doing” play. I lose the race.

9:30AM

My god I have 40K at the first break of the Sunday Million! I’m coming 32nd out of 5927…
My first double up I flatted AA versus a player who isolated two limpers. Both limpers folded and we got it in for 100bb’s on a flop of Q38ss (he had AQ).

My second double up was far friskier. A player opened to 777 and got 2 callers. I squeezed in the big blind to 3000 with KK and the raiser folded, the first caller called and the second caller folded. The first caller was playing something like 42/11/1 so he obviously wasn’t too strong a player. The flop came AAQ with two clubs and I c-bet about half the pot and he called. On the offsuit J turn I had 13K left to shove into a 16K pot and had to decide what to do. Eventually I decided to go with the hand and shoved the rest in and prayed he called with a queen and not an ace. He called and actually ended up showing neither, instead flipping up J7c for the flush draw on the flop and third pair on the turn. Fortunately he bricked and suddenly I have 40K!

10:45AM

Ok I’m too pissed off now to give any more updates. I have 2000 chips now at the second break of the Sunday Million…

About five hands into the break I opened my 3rd consecutive hand from late position. The first two times I had air but this time I held AK and was delighted to see the player behind shove all-in. Unfortunately he had two live cards with JTo and managed to spike a T on the river.

Down to 31K…whatever.

Fast forward a few more hands and I’m now utg with AKs. I open to 2000 with the blinds at 400/800 and utg+2 shoves for 10K. I call and watch as my AK goes down in flames to his premium holding, 55. Nice shove sir, now go stove your equity against my range you f***ing imbecile…

So down to 20K…not so cool.

Several orbits later I have 18K and KK on the button. A guy with 15K opens in MP to 2200 and I decide to just flat as I have two players in the blinds behind me with perfect 3-bet shoving stacks of about 9K. Unfortunately both fold and we see the KJ5r flop. My opponent bets about 2000 into the 5000 pot and I just call with top set. The turn brings an Ace and we get the rest in. What does he have? AA. Obviously.

I’ve also busted out of the PCA Satellite, the Stars 500, the Stars Second Chance, the Party turbo $120 and the Party turbo $55. I’ve only got the FTP 750K and the Aussie Millions satellite still to go. Busto those and I’ll have achieved the perfect 0/11. Remind me never to play these pieces of s**t again...