I'm glad rooty got me back into the game. I've posted before about the WSOP satellite qualifiers that one of the local casinos puts on. It's basically a point system, smaller weekly tourney's, and a larger monthly tourney. Higher points to higher place finishes, and on the Monthly tourney, first place is automatically eligible for the WSOP Satellite, and top 45 point holders.
The field was smaller than normal, being it was on Easter Sunday, with about 75 players. Took some bad hits early on, down to as little as 5X the BB on several occasions. But I played smart, stayed out of trouble, and built my stack back up each time.
Retreat to Fight Another Battle
I kept telling myself retreat to fight another battle... Case in point, last hand before 2nd break, I'm in late position with pocket 4's (no clubs), raise 4X BB, usually enough to get the blinds to fold. SB Calls, BB folds. Flop gives me the set, but with 3 clubs. I check, and SB goes all in. This guy has been pretty cordial, and we've played with each other before, and have a tendency just to stay out of each others' way. So I figure he's on the draw. Why call 4X BB, then go all in if you've already got it, I put him on a big club draw. So here I am, I know I've got him beat, but he has me out chipped. Call and he catches, I'm done. I could boat up... maybe quads.. maybe. I lay it down, showing my set of 4's, he turns his Kc rag over. On to fight another battle.
Building the Stack
I keep working on building my stack, and the the field gets smaller and smaller. Before I know it, we are down to 3 tables and play tightens up considerably as top 20 receive points.
Down to 2 table's, 21 players left. Everyone really starts to tighten up their play, they don't want to risk busting out, Only top 8 get paid today. I get more aggressive, and steal blinds, and bluff. I get caught a few times, get lucky a few times, but never risk more than 1/4 of my stack.
Final Table
Finally, down to the final table and play goes quick. A couple double eliminations, and weeding out of the low stacks, and we are down to 4. I play hyper aggressive, 5-7X the blinds, betting the pot on Top pair, flush draws, targeting those that I have out chipped, and calling their desperate all in's in early position before the blinds gobble them up, usually to find they have rags, and I have them dominated, until there is only 2 of us.
Final Two
Heads up, and we are going on 7 hours of play.
This is where I think I'm pretty strong, heads up, but he's got me out chipped by at least 2 to 1. So I do what I do best, and play hyper aggressive. I keep chipping away at his stack, taking more and more, my stack grows, his shrinks.
Pretty slow play, no big pots, and lots of blinds swapping. I raise preflop, he folds, If I call, then bet out the flop, he folds, if he comes out firing I fold. But I'm the aggressor, and the more aggressive player, and I keep taking chips. Thought I had him, but he's apparently got more luck than me. Over and over again, he gets a monster, and we either are back to even, or he's got me out chipped again.
I go for the kill when I'm about 3:1 over his stack, and we actually manage to go all in pre-flop. I have AQ, he's got 10J.
Flop hits us both with 10 J K, and I just smile, as we wish each other luck. Finally, this thing could be over, turn is a rag. River is a 10! A 10! 4 outs, and he nails it on the river for the boat! After an hour straight of heads up, we are right back to square one, even chips.
I start back in, playing aggressively, and building towards a good chip lead, and moving in for the kill, and 2 more times, he ends up coming out on top.
But I have 2 things going for me, aggressiveness, and endurance. I think the later is what finally did it, I was wired and ready to go, much more so than he was I think.
I take a huge pot, and he is is seriously crippled now, I have a mountain of chips in front of me, and a I keep pushing on him. No limping, if he doesn't raise it 4X BB, I make 6X BB. If he doesn't bet the flop, I bet the pot or put him all in. He's getting tired, and cant make anything happen.
Blinds are huge now, 8,000/16,000 w/ 1K ante. Any Face or Pair, and I make it 60K, if he makes a play, I shut him down coming over the top. He cant last long...
He pushes all in shortly before the next blinds level, I look down to A10o, call.
He turns his 78o.
And oh how beautiful the flop was, A 10 rag. He needs runner, runner for a shot, turn is another rag, and the river is the boat Ace.
After over 2 hours of heads up play, I finally take down 1st place, securing my seat into the WSOP Satellite in June.
April 17, 2006
Back in the game - Longest Session Yet
Despite some success early last year in ring games and tournements, things turned bad quickly.
I played some online low limit and SNG's online, and some of the local free bar tourneys. Neither of which helped my game. In fact, I believe they further eroded the waning skills I had developed.
I had all but given up for a while, resolving myself to be a casual player. Maybe play a small game with friends, and suffer through those free bar poker games.
But how could I resist when long time poker buddy Rooty IM's me, and gives me a great salesman pitch on how he NEEDS to go play. How can I refuse a friends sincere request for some company on his trip to the B&M.
I usually hit 6/12 when at this particular B&M. I'm comfortable with the stakes and the players, occasionally bumping to 8/16 for a challenge. Rooty just wanted to have a nice easy day, so we both get on the board for 4/8.
Thanks to a new table opening, me and Rooty get on the same table. In my typical play style, I started loose and aggressive, dumping my first $100 within the first hour.
Second rack, I tighten up to tight/passive, then the cards started coming, and moved into tight/aggressive. Along with the cards, the chips came too, soon I was even, then $100 up. As the night went on, my stack grew, players came, busted, and went. Eventually, the influx of fresh fish resulted in our table breaking. We got re-assigned, Rooty and I get the same table again.
It's late, really late, and as I survey the table, there's some young guys, but the majority of them just seem to be those few that are trying (way paste their bed times) to re-claim some of what they have lost. I keep up my tight play, watch for weakness, and push aggressively.
The night drags on, a few more bust out, and finally call it quits, while the fish keep buying rack after rack. This is one of the first times I looked around a table and felt absolutely confident I was the best player there, and had every sucker picked, evaluated, and attack plan orchestrated to take every one of their chips.
They start getting tired, and I'm getting wired. It's like the chum in the water. Night time is my time, always been a night person. I can smell their fatigue, and I push, I get more aggressive, keep the stress on them, let them keep making their mistakes, and pull in the chips.
I didn't want to leave! But the game was drying up, and it was getting early, in the morning. I could get little action, and decided to call it a night, with 4X my buy in to cash out.
It was a 16 hour straight session, and I wanted to go on forever!
Big thanks to Rooty for getting me back in the game.
I played some online low limit and SNG's online, and some of the local free bar tourneys. Neither of which helped my game. In fact, I believe they further eroded the waning skills I had developed.
I had all but given up for a while, resolving myself to be a casual player. Maybe play a small game with friends, and suffer through those free bar poker games.
But how could I resist when long time poker buddy Rooty IM's me, and gives me a great salesman pitch on how he NEEDS to go play. How can I refuse a friends sincere request for some company on his trip to the B&M.
I usually hit 6/12 when at this particular B&M. I'm comfortable with the stakes and the players, occasionally bumping to 8/16 for a challenge. Rooty just wanted to have a nice easy day, so we both get on the board for 4/8.
Thanks to a new table opening, me and Rooty get on the same table. In my typical play style, I started loose and aggressive, dumping my first $100 within the first hour.
Second rack, I tighten up to tight/passive, then the cards started coming, and moved into tight/aggressive. Along with the cards, the chips came too, soon I was even, then $100 up. As the night went on, my stack grew, players came, busted, and went. Eventually, the influx of fresh fish resulted in our table breaking. We got re-assigned, Rooty and I get the same table again.
It's late, really late, and as I survey the table, there's some young guys, but the majority of them just seem to be those few that are trying (way paste their bed times) to re-claim some of what they have lost. I keep up my tight play, watch for weakness, and push aggressively.
The night drags on, a few more bust out, and finally call it quits, while the fish keep buying rack after rack. This is one of the first times I looked around a table and felt absolutely confident I was the best player there, and had every sucker picked, evaluated, and attack plan orchestrated to take every one of their chips.
They start getting tired, and I'm getting wired. It's like the chum in the water. Night time is my time, always been a night person. I can smell their fatigue, and I push, I get more aggressive, keep the stress on them, let them keep making their mistakes, and pull in the chips.
I didn't want to leave! But the game was drying up, and it was getting early, in the morning. I could get little action, and decided to call it a night, with 4X my buy in to cash out.
It was a 16 hour straight session, and I wanted to go on forever!
Big thanks to Rooty for getting me back in the game.
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