"Four!"
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
An interesting thing happened last night in the BBTwo Hoy. I got all-in with a player and lost the hand, then was immediately moved to another table. I still had about 1000 in chips remaining, but it almost felt like I had just been knocked out of the tourney. I'm pretty sure since I lost the all-in and was moved, it looked to some as if I had been knocked out - I seem to recall someone typing "gg." For a moment I even thought I was knocked out since a new table did not pop up. Turns out I had simply been moved to a table I had been watching earlier, but had minimized on my desktop.
Once I realized where I was, I found myself in a hurt up situation. As many of you know, last nights tourney was a turbo - something near and dear to my heart - but something that was tough for a guy with only 1000 in chips and ever increasing blinds. Not long into my stay at that table, I push all-in for my final 1200, I think it was, and found 2 callers. The flop came, T J A and suddenly my 66 is looking pretty abysmal against 2 players - one of which had raised prior to my push. The initial raiser bet the dry side pot and the other player begrudgingly folded. I was delighted to see the initial raiser with only a draw and even more delighted to see it not hit. Of course, the 3rd player noted that had he not been bet out of the dry side pot, he would have won the hand. Woot!
Suddenly I was back over 4k and had life. I nearly made the comment that I was just gonna have to win the tournament now. I refrained as usually when I call out how I will do in a tournament, I instead donk quite undramatically. So instead I just kept my chat shut. Only a few hands later I pick up KK and decide to play them rather soft. Of course the flop comes out with an Ace - the second time it had done that for me while holding KK - and the player pushes all-in for his remaining chips. This is the same player that bet the dry side pot earlier and something just felt fishy about his all-in. Yes he could have been pushing with an Ace there hoping to induce a call from someone over thinking things, but I just didn't feel it. I called and it turns out he was again on a draw and my KK held up for another nice post. Suddenly I'm up to 8k and above average.
From there I just played what I believe to be pretty damn solid poker and caught some primo cards at the perfect time. Another example is another all-in by one player and a call by another when I'm in the BB. I see a flop with low suited cards and flop an open-ended straight flush draw. Other player bets small and I call. Turn does me no good and player, I believe, pushes all-in for the remainder. I call getting good odds on my OESFD and I hit my straight flush 3 to 7 in clubs. Talk about sweet.
From there I rode my big stack to the final table. I was the chipleader numerous times at the final table, but at one point I had a great chance with over 100k with 5 players remaining. Not long after hitting 100k I took another final table tough hand loss that I felt kept me from a TOC seat. In the BB I hit trip tens and jamyhawk and I get it all-in on the turn. He has an open ended straight draw and hits his J on the river to take me down to 5k in chips. Looking back on the hand, I had considered pushing all-in after he bet 15k on the flop. I instead called and it turns out it wouldn't have mattered. I think jamyhawk calls my all-in on the flop and the outcome is no different. I ended up getting knocked out in 4th place as the picture above shows.
He ended up playing very well in the end there and I'm really glad to read how excited he is on the win. I'll just have to wait another day for my TOC seat. I now have a 2nd and 4th in the BBTwo and I can just taste a win.
This is a tad on the personal level, and not to be taken the wrong way, but in my deep runs I feel like I've been the personal springboard for the players that eventually won. That is to say that I seem to remember playing in key hands against jeciimd, huntvegas and now jamyhawk on the way to their wins. With jeciimd, our heads-up match was really tough and he won some key hands that I felt killed my chances at the TOC seat. Numerous times I was a card away from taking it down.
With huntsvegas, we also had a hand that propelled him into a nice chipstack (AA over QQ late in the tourney). And now, with jamyhawk, we had a huge hand that really set the tone for his chipstack and win. If I take that hand down I am the big chipleader with 4 remaining and poised for a nice chance.
Like I said, all the above is more on the personal level, having experienced the hands from my angle. When you win a tourney, you don't necessarily look at every hand you win and who you get the chips from. That said, when you DON'T win a tourney, but run deep, you tend to reflect on what hand/player kept you from the win.
For the most part, this type of attitude and thinking is bad. Numerous times in my deep runs I had to get lucky early or have the right scenario play out to even be in a position to have a chance at a TOC. I have to learn to do a better job of not having selective memory. How soon we forget our suckouts or monsters holding up, but never seem to forget being sucked out on or our monsters losing.
I was on 4 different Sucko horse lists last night and eventually helped K.O.D., every ones new best friend, to a horse win. He did a good job of picking 4 players who finished 20th, 16th, 9th and 4th. Not too shabby.
As a final note before I must go, I'm hoping last nights finish will push me back into the top 10 of the BBTwo standings. I can't view Al's leaderboard from work so I'll just have to wait and see when I get home (or someone can comment and let me know please). I was in 14th prior to last night. I do know last nights finish pushed me over $1000 in overall money won for the BBTwo. That coupled with my overall money lead in the BBT1 is really giving me the confidence I need to continue to push forward towards a TOC seat.
Until next time, may the felt be with you.
posted by TripJax @ 11:44 AM,
5 Comments:
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At 12:22 PM,
said...
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You've moved up to 6th on the list.
Great run last night...tough KO hand but you'll be back. -
At 1:47 PM,
jamyhawk said...
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Great job last night. I am a sucker for OESD's. It kills me a lot of times. I actually was puting you on AJ, since you didn't push in right away. Lot's of shoving going on then. It just worked out for me.
6th overall on Leaderboard almost half the way through. I'd say you are doing really good. Get your TOC seat, you will young TripJax (you hear the Yoda voice?) -
At 2:05 PM,
KajaPoker said...
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You were the only one other than me to move around the top. I think you get 103 points which gives you a total of 366 which should be good for 5th right now. The leaderboard has not been updated though so it's just a guess.
You touched on an interesting point that I just heard/read about recently from a poker pro. There is usually one big hand that determines the outcome of a tournament that happens right before or early at the final table. You see it all the time. I also remember an AK vs KK for dynasty13 (I think) in last week's mookie that gave him a huge lead on the rest of the players and helped him take it down.
Good job Trip. You're going to get one of those seats - we all know it. -
At 2:07 PM,
KajaPoker said...
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dang nabit - I didn't refresh. You are in 6th with 367.9 behind me (516), jamyhawk (420.9), Astin (420.5), LuckTruck (409.1) and TwoBlackAces (372).
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At 11:01 PM,
lj said...
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you are so gonna win one of these things soon. i am one who definitely thought you'd busted!
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