Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Slid into 3rd being Patient
Well last night on my quest to turn $50 into $10k I decided to play a $4.40 180 player tournament on Pokerstars last night. I had built my Pokerstars account up to $63 playing $.01/.02 no-limit cash so I thought I could risk it and play a tournament. This tournament only pays the final 2 tables so I knew it would be tough getting down to the final 18 players. I figure I would at least need $15k in chips to make it there.
The tournament started off bad for me early when I got pocket kings, I raised pre-flop and the big blind called, I bet every stage and he called all the way down and he hits his straight on the river. He called 3 times the big blind raise with a six and a three in his hand and held on to the river to hit his one card. So I'm down to my last $300 or so in chips, I'm mad but I cool down quick and wait patient for a hand I can go all-in on now. I hit it and double up. Now I think if I can do it again I'll be back to normal and I do it. Now I'm not doing this with crazy hands but solid play, that's my game.
We get down to about the last 30 or so players and I'm still in it the problem is I really haven't increased my chips I've been surviving staying at about $1,500 chips this whole time. I won some small pots to stay in but no big pots at all. I really haven't had any cards to push. I'm thinking I need to start getting some cards or I'm not making the 18. Well sure enough as time goes by I start winning some bigger hands and now I'm in the top 10 in chips and I never even had to risk the all-in move. So now we are down to the wire but I'm confident I will make the final 2 tables and be in the money. After a long and slow process we get down to the final 18, however I've slipped out of the top 10 and really in the bottom of the pool. And now the problem is 11 through 18 pay the same. Can I slip into the final table where the real money is?
I play the short stack and win some hands, hang around and now we are down to the final 12 players. Now playing 6 player no-limit poker for the last month comes into play and helps me out and I make the FINAL TABLE! Yes, I'm the short stack at the table but I make it, I'm happy. I'll find my hand and go with it. The chip leader is to my right 1 seat away, he now has 3 times the amount of chips anyone has at the table. Earlier when we were at a table he had more than double so it was looking good for him. Before I know it 2 guys are all-in and mr. chip leader calls them. One guy has Ace King, the other pocket Kings, and the chip leader pocket Queens. I'm thinking I'll at least move up another spot. but the leader hits trip Queens, they are both out and now I'm up to 7th.
I actually take down a couple of pots and I've put myself 5th in chips. The chip leader has more chips than all of us combined and players start thinking they are playing for second place, which I think is wrong because no one player even has enough chips to challenge for second. The chip leader takes out another player and then another. I'm in the top 5, man if I could do cartwheels I would have. Now the chip leader did get lucky a couple of times by hitting the river card, some loose play on his part. I decide to take advantage of this and start hitting some hands and I start taking down some pots. And before I now it I'm in the final three with a good shot to take second place.
The three of us go back and fourth for a while and the blinds even get up to $1,000/$2,000. The key hand that changes the game is when the big stack battles the other guy when the flop hits jack jack two. They go all the way to the river betting back and fourth and on the river the other guy is all-in, I hope mr. big stack has the jack, but no it's the other guy. Mr. big stack called bets all the way to the river with pocket 8's, he didn't believe he had a jack, and expensive not believe. Now the other guy had a little under $100k. We play some more but now I'm really out gunned playing against 2 big stacks. I do end up taking 3rd place but I'm very happy because I could have really been out at 18 or at 9 when I did make the final table, but patience really paid off this game. I took down $85, not bad for a $4 dollar investment. I've almost trippled my bankroll on Pokerstars, not a bad night.
The tournament started off bad for me early when I got pocket kings, I raised pre-flop and the big blind called, I bet every stage and he called all the way down and he hits his straight on the river. He called 3 times the big blind raise with a six and a three in his hand and held on to the river to hit his one card. So I'm down to my last $300 or so in chips, I'm mad but I cool down quick and wait patient for a hand I can go all-in on now. I hit it and double up. Now I think if I can do it again I'll be back to normal and I do it. Now I'm not doing this with crazy hands but solid play, that's my game.
We get down to about the last 30 or so players and I'm still in it the problem is I really haven't increased my chips I've been surviving staying at about $1,500 chips this whole time. I won some small pots to stay in but no big pots at all. I really haven't had any cards to push. I'm thinking I need to start getting some cards or I'm not making the 18. Well sure enough as time goes by I start winning some bigger hands and now I'm in the top 10 in chips and I never even had to risk the all-in move. So now we are down to the wire but I'm confident I will make the final 2 tables and be in the money. After a long and slow process we get down to the final 18, however I've slipped out of the top 10 and really in the bottom of the pool. And now the problem is 11 through 18 pay the same. Can I slip into the final table where the real money is?
I play the short stack and win some hands, hang around and now we are down to the final 12 players. Now playing 6 player no-limit poker for the last month comes into play and helps me out and I make the FINAL TABLE! Yes, I'm the short stack at the table but I make it, I'm happy. I'll find my hand and go with it. The chip leader is to my right 1 seat away, he now has 3 times the amount of chips anyone has at the table. Earlier when we were at a table he had more than double so it was looking good for him. Before I know it 2 guys are all-in and mr. chip leader calls them. One guy has Ace King, the other pocket Kings, and the chip leader pocket Queens. I'm thinking I'll at least move up another spot. but the leader hits trip Queens, they are both out and now I'm up to 7th.
I actually take down a couple of pots and I've put myself 5th in chips. The chip leader has more chips than all of us combined and players start thinking they are playing for second place, which I think is wrong because no one player even has enough chips to challenge for second. The chip leader takes out another player and then another. I'm in the top 5, man if I could do cartwheels I would have. Now the chip leader did get lucky a couple of times by hitting the river card, some loose play on his part. I decide to take advantage of this and start hitting some hands and I start taking down some pots. And before I now it I'm in the final three with a good shot to take second place.
The three of us go back and fourth for a while and the blinds even get up to $1,000/$2,000. The key hand that changes the game is when the big stack battles the other guy when the flop hits jack jack two. They go all the way to the river betting back and fourth and on the river the other guy is all-in, I hope mr. big stack has the jack, but no it's the other guy. Mr. big stack called bets all the way to the river with pocket 8's, he didn't believe he had a jack, and expensive not believe. Now the other guy had a little under $100k. We play some more but now I'm really out gunned playing against 2 big stacks. I do end up taking 3rd place but I'm very happy because I could have really been out at 18 or at 9 when I did make the final table, but patience really paid off this game. I took down $85, not bad for a $4 dollar investment. I've almost trippled my bankroll on Pokerstars, not a bad night.
// posted by Harthon @ 11:49 AM 
