Final Table Fun

I had a good chunk of free time and decided to play the Poker Stars 20+2 tourney with 1100 or so entrants, so a fairly large prize pool.

Managed to double up early on ... but then lose with KK against TJo, which cuts me back in half. Down to about 900 chips and I call an early position short stack all in ... we both have about the same amount of chips. I have 89s and it's probably not a percentage play, but I really felt like I would get callers behind me as there were several left to act and I could potentially triple or quadruple up with the right flop. Flop hit me square in the face 67T and I double up as the UTG short stack calls me an idiot (he had AJo btw).

I then went on a nice rush, JJ doubled up against a big stacks AT ... QQ dominated TT, and caught a flush to double again, and suddenly I was a major factor again. Amazing how you can go from having 4 blinds worth of chips to being in the top 30 in about 10 hands.

After building my stack, I managed to win enough pots and steal enough blinds to stay around 30th place for quite a while.

I have a tendency to get a little aggressive during the mid stages and I think I might have done so in this tourney. 67s from early and my table was tight, so I decide to put in a raise and see what happens. Short stack moves over the top of me, but it's only 11k more to call and I have 9k in plus the blinds and antes.

I probably should have laid it down, but if he has any non pair hand, I easily have the odds to call. I call and he has 88 and congratulates himself for standing up to the table bully ... which I didn't really think I was doing too much of, but in hindsight the 67s raise was a bit weak. Anyway, I doubled him up and he went on to finish 4th. I still had plenty of chips though and I tightened up a bit after that, plus my cards dried up on me.

I managed to get into the money, top 99 pay, with a decent stack, which I rode to the top 50 or so. I was getting a little short stacked when it is folded to the small blind, who raises me (I'm in the big blind looking at QQ). I reraise him, and he calls, showing K7o. No King shows and I double up and now I'm in business.

I won't belabor things, but I managed to squeak into 7th place after getting short stacked going into the final 27. I was the short stack at the final table, but the action was a bit wild early on, and I folded my way past two others, picking up around $660 for my efforts ... a very nice payday. I still had 45K in chips when the chip leader raises to 32K (4K/8K blinds plus antes), a late position player goes all in, and I have AKo in the small blind and call. Unfortunately, the big stack flips KK (other guy had TT). I don't catch my Ace and am bounced in 7th, but a fantastic result!

I am very excited about my tournament play of late ... I'm really getting a feel for situations. For instance, I had A8o from the button and it is folded to me, I raise to nab the blinds, which are significant at this point, and the big blind calls me. The flop comes TT3 and the big blind comes out betting, a bet that is about 1/4 of his stack and slightly less than half the pot. If I fold, I am left with 30K in chips and have little if any shot at the final table unless I get lucky fast. I decide that his bet looks too much like a steal to fold, and I have just enough chips to force his hand, besides, it's pretty unlikely that a TT3 flop hit his hand and my Ace high has a good shot at being good here. Even if it is not, I might make a better hand fold if the other guy is weak. I reraise him all in and he folds.

Of course that hand could have easily backfired on me and he could have flipped a pocket pair on me, but the bet was just too smelly.

Anyway, a great payday in a big tournament so I am excited. First paid over $5k though and I was reasonably close. An ace that triples me up in my final hand and I am in bizness (of course, you can't complain when your AK loses to KK).