Getting Closer - FT MTT report from last night~ maybe a bit long

Iago

The last couple of weeks I've been playing in the $4.5K game on FT at 11PM Irish time. I'd played it 10 times before last nigh and had made the money on 8 occasions, finishing in various positions from 27th to 9th. Each time I went out I was at least 60-40 when the chips went in the middle but failed to have my hand hold up, cest la vie it happens to us all, as frustrating as it may be at the time.

I hadn't planned to play last night but arrived home just before it was due to start so I decided to give it a go. It's changed since the beginning of the month, now it's a $6.5K game, still the same buyin $24, so it's all good. It had also been attracting between 170-220 players every night, last night there were 320 players at the start...so a marathon rather than a sprint then. Top 36 paid with first taking just over $1.9K.

The early play was surprising, you start with 1,500 chips and blinds at 25-50, 10 minute levels, so you've plenty of time. Normally the play has been fairly passive early on but last night within the first 5 hands on my table we'd lost 4 players. There were no big clashes, just muppets pushing with Ax or in one case a guy who called two all-ins with 33, why?

I doubled up early on when my BB was raised to 300 and called by the CO and Button, I had 77 and called. Flop came down K 7 3 rainbow. Original raiser bet 300, button pushed I called and original raiser folded. Button turned over QQ and didn't improve, good start. Over the course of the next hour I stole blinds here and there, but didn't really get involved in any big hands. Players were falling by the wayside and we were down to 75-80.

I was dealt 87h on the button and with one limper in front of me I flat called for 300 (stack 5.5K) no raise from the BB and the flop came down 9h As 4h.

checked to me and I check behind, turn is the 6h. Limper bets 500 and I flat call, BB folds. River is Kc and the limper bets 800. I raise to 2K and he pushes for 3k more. I call and he turns over KK and I'm up to just over 11K.

Next orbit on the BB I get 33 and with no raise and two limpers we see a flop. Comes down 4h 4d 5s, I check MP checks, CO checks. Turn is the 6s, I check, MP checks, CO bets 900. I flat call, MP folds. River is the Jc, I check, CO bets 1500 and I flat call. He turns over ATo and I'm up to 15K.

We eventually get down into the money places and there are 34 players left, I'm badly shortstacked (28th of 34) and on the BB. Blinds are 500/1000 with a 125 ante and I've just over 10K left.

I'm dealt As Qs, and lo and behold the only two players on the table that I cover (albeit just about) both go all-in before me and it's folded to me. So I call, I'm up against
KcQc
5h5c

ok so way ahead of one and slightly behind the other, should take one pot at least.

Flop comes down K Q 5 no saving A and I'm down to 861 chips and on the SB :mad: once again variance has gone against me.

I'm dealt 9d8d and obviously call the BB, there's just one limper so there's around 3.7k in the pot. Flop comes down 6 4 7 turn 4 river 8 and I win with two pair

Next hand I'm dealt JJ and push one caller with A8o and the knaves hold up and I'm back to almost 10K. Very next hand I'm dealt AQo I push and everyone folds and I pick up the blinds and antes which are worth 2.6k now. Two hands later I'm dealt TT and push, again no callers and I'm up to 15k.

Still quite shortstacked so I was delighted when my BB came round and I was dealt AA for the first time in the tourney, but everyone else folded, including the CL who was in the SB, what a waste. He had to call 500 to win 2.6k what exactly was he folding here????

Anyway players had started to drop off at this stage and my stack had whittled back down to around 10K again with 15 players left. Blinds were up to 750/1500 with a 150 ante and I was pushing with practically any two cards in an unraised pot. The only time I was called I had KQs and was up against AJ. K on the river won the pot and brought me back to 24K. Meanwhile on the other table AA had found KK and AK with the three chip leaders involved and one came away with 120K at the end of it.

Now we were down to 10 players and playing hand for hand for the final table. Shortstack only had 2.5K and when he pushed he was called in two places. His hand didn't hold up and we were on the final table.

We lost two players fairly quickly and with the blinds at 2000/4000 with a 250 ante, most of us where running out of room to manuevere (sp?) I had about 15K UTG+1 and I was dealt TT. folded around to me and I pushed, BB called me with Ac3c?? and although he hit an A on the flop I spiked a T on the river and I was up to 33.5K, two players with slightly less than me on 29 and 27 respectively.


UTG I'm dealt AhJs, I raise to 13.5 (pot size bet) and it's folded around to the SB who raises to 34K covering me. BB folds and I have to decide what to do. This is the guy who just called my all-in with A3c, I've seen him push and call raises with everything from K9s to 33 over the course of the last hour. On top of that I'm about to lose 30% of my remaining stack in blinds in the next two hands. Fearing I'm behind but hoping he turns over TT-99 or something I similar I call. He has Aks and although the flop gives me a gutshot draw I don't improve suffciently to win the hand and I'm out in 7th.

I'd of taken that when I was down to 861 with 34 left, but disappointing to come close again without making the real money spots.

Still I'm getting closer...

Culchie

Ul Iago.

I played that tourney first (and only) time earlier this week as well, and felt " I left it behind me" as well going out in 9th http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054896878

careca

Weeks ban for promoting a tournament Good report and ul in the end. Next time we want to hear about the win.

Hectorjelly

I think the AQ is a definite fold

Iago

Hectorjelly wrote:

I think the AQ is a definite fold

Is this the early one at 34 players left?

Considering the prize structure
36-28 $36
27-19 $48

and the fact that I had less than 10BBs left and losing antes and the SB next hand, I felt it was worth calling here to try and triple up.

or do you mean the AJ on the final table?

Probably, there were two players that I would call this raise from, the guy who made it and the runaway chip leader. They had both been raising and coming over the top practically every hand for the last half hour, the raise could have meant anything.

However I don't have a hand, and should probably have thrown it away. I think having made the initial raise I commited myself to the end unwisely and followed through when I shouldn't have.

Would you have raised and folded to a re-raise?

Hectorjelly

I was referring to the AQ hand - the 2nd guy has to have a real hand and you have an unpaired hand which goes down in value once its a multiway pot. Pushing the next unopened pot with any 2c is probably more profitable. I dont think AK is an auto call here.

The AJ hand you have less than 10 blinds so Im not folding once I put a chip in the pot. I would of probably just pushed but I dont think it makes much difference.

Iago

Good point, I felt I was ahead of the first guy and proabably slightly behind the second. First guy had more chips (about 1.5K more) so I felt if I lost out against the 2nd guy I would still have 4K to play with. I needed chips and I was willing to gamble, but in retrospect I was probably better off waiting.

Gholimoli

Hectorjelly wrote:

I think the AQ is a definite fold

agree.

Iago

309 starters tonight just went out in 67th. Blinds at 100/200 I've 2.5k In the BB with Q3, folded to the button who flat calls, sb completes.

Flop comes down Q 9 3, SB bets 400, I push button folds and SB calls, I've 60 left over.

SB turns over Q4o, turn is a 9 and river a 2 to give him the hand with a 4 kicker, you have to laugh really