ACF 100K Guaranteed Win!

I'll keep this post short because I'm sure the people out there are a lot more interested with what is happening in the APPT. I couldn't play the APPT because it was grandma's birthday this Sunday plus I didnt have any chance to play a single satellite. Howell there will be other big games around.

Played the ACF 100k Guaranteed and by far it was THE EASIEST tournament I had ever played. There were plenty of dead fish in the mix and new players that it was as if they were playing with their hands shown. I knew when I was up against the nuts, a draw or a complete bluff.

Split the prize 4 ways to strongly to my advantage since I was the chip leader for a nie 22k win. I will probably play all Thursdays 100k tourneys going forward if the games there are that soft.

Chip and a Chair

Ok ok so it took me TWO chips and a chair....

I had joined the Metro 2K+200 tournament and 32 players came despite the bad weather. The place was spectacular and I think I have found my new home.

It started out pretty well for me when I just went rock-mode for the entire first 2 levels and my "fishing" finally caught not one, but 2 big fishes. I had 44 with 9,000 chips in middle position when loose player raises to 900. I call and so does the BB. Flop comes KsQs4c and I am set to reel them in. Loose player bets 1500, I take my time and re-raises to 4500 and BB calls! To my utter disbelief loose player goes all-in for 12,000 and I instacall. BB thinks and thinks and folds KQ (2 pair). Great fold and loose player shows pocket aces. He didn't hit his 2 outer and I am really in the game!

With a pretty good stack I start systematically dismantling my opponents and it wasn't long when we finally made to the final table 9 handed. I had about 50K chips and was about 3rd in standing.

The very first hand of the final table UTG pushes all in for about 20K and I look down at A7s on the button. I figured that it was a steal and called his push. I was right and high carded him for the win. We were down to 8 players with only 5 to the money.

With the blinds now at 4k-8k stealing was a necessity. I look down at AQs on the button again and raise to 30k. Nickg pushes me all-in and I decide that if I wanted to win then this was the time to gamble. I call and he shows me AJo. I had him dominated but from the last 12 times getting outdrawn in FTP I just buried my head on the table and waited for the cards to be dealt. When I looked up, a jack had fallen on the flop and I was out.

Or so I thought. I looked back and saw two shiny 1 thousand chips still in my place and I took my seat. I had 2k with the blinds at 4k-8k and the average stack at a whopping 45 thousand! Even the 2nd shortest stack had more then 20K to their name. I felt I just wanted to get it over with.... I had half the freaking small blind for crying out loud.

I still had 3 free looks and I rejected the overwhelming urge to just throw my chips on the next hand. I got 10-3 then 8-5. UTG I got QJs and decided this was as good as it was going to get. No raises and a queen on the flop got me back to 6k! Still I was now the BB and I couldn't even complete the 8K. Nickg raises my blinds and gives me protection but turns over K-x and he has me high carded. The flop comes and I miss totally.... Nickg was cheering on the jack to keep me alive. (I appreciate the support bro!) Turn comes and no Queen or Jacks and and river lands an 8. But then I look back and see I just made a straight queen high!

I almost triple up and reraise the BB on the next hand and with his fold i got back up to 20k! With me on the button I was in position to just wait for the other short stacks to get blinded out! That round saw 2 other players bust out and we were on the bubble. Here I just pushed any hand with an Ace, King or Queen. In fact I didn't even look at the other card and when one other short stack called me I had him high carded again to bust the bubble!

Prize payout was as follows:

1st - 24,500
2nd - 15,000
3rd - 10,000
4th - 7,000
5th - 5,000

I was happy but realized that to complete my comeback story I wanted to win the damn thing. I picked my hands carefully and was able to bust a guy from Hong Kong when he shoved with just 1.5BB and I was the BB. 4 handed, I raise Nick's blinds again with K-10 and he shoves all-in. Went in the tank and decided I was pot committed and hoped my hand was live. He made the move with J-8s and I was glad he didn't have any more chips. If the raise was just a little bit higher I would have folded. I hit the King on the flop and we were down to 3 with me as the chip leader.

The 2 other guys duked it out and I was then heads up with equal stacks. I play head's up a little differently this time and it seemed to work for me. I always just called when I was the SB because I knew I had an advantage with the flop out. I didn't like coin flips at this stage and it cost me about 1/3 of my chips to gain some valuable information.... My opponent goes all-in on sub-optimal hands and raises 2 to 3 times when he had a monster.

It was easy enough to set up the trap and whenever I saw an Ace, King or Queen I was ready for the all-in move. First one he made I called with K-x and I high carded him for the win and a 3-1 chip advantage. His second all-in I had K-9 and high carded him again for the championship.

Long post I know but it was one of the best poker tournaments I have ever played. Every hand on the final table that I had played I came in with the best hand (except for the one with Nick where I made a gutshot straight) and that was the only thing I could hope for. I didn't get outdrawn and I was able to make my comeback.

Two chips and a chair. Well now I know anything is truly possible.

Running Bad

Well I lost the $40 that MnlGrind transferred to me and I asked for another $60. Switched my game from ring to SnGs and did pretty well at the $6+.5. Moved up to 11+1 when I reached $100 and was up a good $120.

Then it all went downhill again. Didn't place ITM for the last 8 SnGs and 3 times I busted out on the bubble. The thing was every single time I busted I placed my money with the best hand. Not just higher cards with my opponent live but completely dominated hands!!

AQ vs AJ, A10 vs A8 and pocket queens over pocket jacks. Every single time I was outdrawn and I am losing my belief that FTP is a random site. I know the mantra of the great poker players is to just be able to place in your money when you have the best hand and let the cards play it out.

Still it's enough to put anyone on tilt when they get outdrawn the last 8 times. I am down to a paltry $22 and am back to playing the $6s. Not really a resounding welcome back to online play but I know the variance will iron out in the long run.

Busted 3X in one night on AA!!

This just cannot be happening. I played a 100K guaranteed tournament at ACF last night and it is probably one of the worse poker sessions I have ever had.

I was running pretty good from the start and the fish were all biting. Small pocket pairs hitting the set, good pot bets against drawing hands etc. In short I had built my 5K stack to over 20K on the last level of the rebuy period.

Then tragedy struck. I was on the button and look down at AA. The guy from the cutoff raises to 3,000 and I reraise to 8,000. Action goes back to him and he calls!!! Flop comes Ad 7c 8d and I wish he got top pair or even 2 pair. He goes all-in immediately after the flop for 12,000 more and I instacall with my set. The guy had the balls to play a QdJd and the turn gave him the diamond for the flush. I had a few more outs if the board paired but it was not to be.

OK I rebuy and add-on and my 20K stack was reduced to 15K (and P2,000 less too). I play my usual mid game and was able to come back very well. I had around 60K when I ONCE AGAIN look down at AA. I raise 3X the BB and this foreigner guy calls me. The flop was K J 10. I felt weary of an AQ but it seemed doubtful since I already held both aces. I decided the pot was big enough to take and push!! He took some time, called me and showed pocket queens!!! I was way ahead with him down to 7 outs. Turn came 9 and that was it for me.

I was so frustrated and it took all of my call to say congratulations and good luck everyone. I strongly believe that poker is a gentleman's sport but my patience was being tested by busting out both time with pocket rockets.

I then saw a juicy ring game and sat down. Fish galore especially a Japanese guy to my right who kep raising to P300 every single hand. He had about a 20K stack so I made it my goal for the money to go in front of me. I managed to get my P3,000 buy-in up to around P8,000 and was feeling better from my losses when the Jap guy raises to P300 again (what else is new). I look down and see.... AA!!!

I raise to P900 and he calls me. Flop comes 9 7 2 and I knew there was no way he hit that flop. e checks and I bet P1000. He calls and the turn comes J. He checks again and I bet P2,000 then he check raises me all-in.

I stop to think... there was a possibility that he had 2 pair and J-9 was a hand he was known to play with. But then again he would have bet on the flop if that was the case. an 10-8 would give him a straight draw but with 8 outs, he would be crazy to put me on all-in. I figured he hit the Jack on the turn and was willing to gamble with top pair.

I call and turn over the rockets. He shows J-8 and I felt relieved I was right that he only had top pair. The pot was at a whopping P17,000!!!!

River 10. I forgot that he still had a gutshot straight draw which gave him 7 outs instead of 3. I wanted to vomit but gathered my resolve, smiled and said "good hand".

I think I am now traumatized by the pocket rockets. Last 7 hands and counting where I had the rockets it was cracked and had cost me the game. Each and everytime I had gotten all my money with the best hand and my opponent stuck at 7 outs or less... and each and everytime I have lost.

Currently reading Harry Potter and I am strongly wondering if pocket rockets are cursed for me.

Thanks for reading