Late night report from a 500 FPP tournament:

It gets really exciting so read on.

Well, actually the first bit was pretty tame as I ended up folding the first 40 or so hands. FPP tournaments are notorious for extremely loose and bad play, so I need a hand to play early. I finally pick up a somewhat decent hand, and it plays out like so;

NauticaMCP2: posts small blind 25
flu0618: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [7c 7d]
RikkiDee: calls 50
SwoopWH: folds
RealAzteca: folds
A+TNT=$: folds
pedzing: folds
Skilled G: folds
NauticaMCP2: calls 25
flu0618: raises 100 to 150
RikkiDee: calls 100
NauticaMCP2: folds

At this point, this raise could mean anything, but since the size of the raise wasn’t too small (the type to just gain control of the hand) or too large (doesn’t want a call). I was on alert.

*** FLOP *** [7s Js Ad]
flu0618: checks
RikkiDee: checks

At this point, I don’t love my hand as aces are a very real possibility. But I do have trips and maybe he has AK and is “slowplaying”

*** TURN *** [7s Js Ad] [4h]
flu0618: checks
RikkiDee: checks

This check is actually pretty weak in hindsight, I figured, if he just had one ace, he would be the turn no doubt. If he has aces or maybe AJ he is still checking here. Really, I should bet this as he could have nothing but hope and wants to see the river.

*** RIVER *** [7s Js Ad 4h] [7h]
flu0618: checks

With his final check, and my four of a kind, I figure, I’m either doubling up through this guy or nothing.

RikkiDee: bets 1360 and is all-in
flu0618: calls 1360
*** SHOW DOWN ***
RikkiDee: shows [7c 7d] (four of a kind, Sevens)
flu0618: shows [As Ac] (a full house, Aces full of Sevens)
RikkiDee collected 3045 from pot

Hilarious. For once in my life, my instincts in poker are actually right. Granted, I don’t think I could have gotten away from an all in if it came to that and I still only had trips, but still, my read was dead on, and that is sick. Side note, this guy played his hand so badly it’s not even funny. But people think aces are indestructible, and I guess trip aces must be even better.

So I float around for another 50 hands or so, donking off a few hundred chips here and there to various hands. It is then where I make the ultra donk play of calling off all my chips facing a big re-raise with TT. Normally, I can fold that pretty easy, but something was telling me that I had him. Well I was wrong as he flips over KK but after the turn gave me an open ended straight draw, it was completed on the river and I’m doubled up after a stupid play.

After that double up I’m sitting at about 5k in chips with the blinds at 100/200. I tell myself that the TT double up was my only suckout allowed, and from here on in, just play normal solid poker and make the final table.

A few hands later, blinds 100/200 still with 25 antes, I pick up QQ on the button facing one limper (super fish station). I pop it up to 800 and everyone folds but the limper who insta-calls. He is the chip leader at our table and has me out-chipped about 3-1. The flop is an ok 6d8sTs. Not my choice of flops with this fish as my opponent but hey, I still got queens. So he bets right into me, indicating to me that he is somewhat weak, so I push, he calls with JT and doesn’t improve and I’m up to 10k in chips. Very nice.

At this point I do another brain check to make sure I don’t do anything stupid. I’m in good shape, lets be selectively aggressive, make sure to have a hand most of the time if possible and make the final table.

I end up calling a relatively short stacked player’s all in with AT while I was in the BB. They had threes and I didn’t improve. I’m down to 6.5k. Blinds at 200/400. Urmghph.

Few hands later, I have Jacks, opponent has eights, we get all in preflop, I win. Back up to 10k.

I end up chipping myself up by stealing a few blinds and flops, and find myself with 13.5k when I’m faced with a min-raise from the SB. I play this one so badly it deserves a hand history.

Mit-Mer: posts small blind 400
RikkiDee: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Qh 8d]
chaseee said, "i will catch u eventually mikey"
mikey16455: folds
Ch@rmed: folds
sevup: folds
simplye: folds
chaseee: folds
slimfast: folds
Mit-Mer: raises 800 to 1600
RikkiDee: calls 800
*** FLOP *** [5s 6c 9h]
mikey16455 said, "catch me if you can"
Mit-Mer: bets 1600
mikey16455 said, "big boy"
RikkiDee: raises 5600 to 7200
Mit-Mer: calls 2915 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [5s 6c 9h] [Qc]
*** RIVER *** [5s 6c 9h Qc] [Qd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Mit-Mer: shows [Ad Ac] (two pair, Aces and Queens)
RikkiDee: shows [Qh 8d] (three of a kind, Queens)
RikkiDee collected 12630 from pot

Terrible, I know. First of all, I can’t fold to a min raise from a short stack if I’m in the BB. It’s just not mathematically correct. Secondly, people min raise with 2 things, junk and very strong hands. I figured, well, I can beat nothing if I raise here, and hey, I got that gutshot draw. But basically, this play is so bad it’s not even worth justifying. Even if he has nothing he is almost compelled to call simply due to pot odds. I mean, of course he had aces, why should I be surprised, but aces just don’t beat running queens like they used to. GG!

So after that unpleasantness I decided that there is no way I’m making any more moves with the shit that I just pulled off in front of everyone. But at least I kind of established that my blind isn’t going to be fuxord with. I’m up to 20k and feelin good with blinds 400/800 and about 30 remaining.

Of course, I don’t listen to myself and a few hands later, I decide to attack the only calling station at the table’s blind. I raise with 9Ts, he calls. Flop is K66, he checks I bet, he calls. I’m done with the hand. Turn is another K, check-check. River check-check, he wins with A5. Nice calls. I’m down to 10k with blinds 600/1200, not good.

With 20 left and me short stacked, I’m pretty much in push or fold mode. Stealing the blinds/antes: good. Getting called: bad. But I end up pushing like 5 times and end up stealing every time, chipping my way somewhat back up. I end up getting from 7k to 25k by just stealing blinds, no calls at all. With about 14 left, I pick up the definitive mediocre hand, AJs and faced with an all in raise from a short stack in front of me, well, lets view the hand history.

Seat 1: ericfish (31817 in chips)
Seat 2: Snomankw (19515 in chips)
Seat 3: JKoff86 (24329 in chips)
Seat 4: REKIMOTO (37647 in chips)
Seat 5: koolzie (6572 in chips)
Seat 6: scrulnik (28430 in chips)
Seat 7: RikkiDee (25169 in chips)
Seat 9: Glider1 (33152 in chips)
ericfish: posts small blind 1500
Snomankw: posts big blind 3000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Js As]
JKoff86: folds
REKIMOTO: folds
koolzie: raises 3422 to 6422 and is all-in
scrulnik: folds
RikkiDee: raises 18597 to 25019 and is all-in
Glider1: folds
ericfish: folds
Snomankw: folds
*** FLOP *** [8s 5h 3d]
*** TURN *** [8s 5h 3d] [2h]
*** RIVER *** [8s 5h 3d 2h] [3h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
koolzie: shows [Ts Ks] (a pair of Threes)
RikkiDee: shows [Js As] (a pair of Threes - Ace kicker)
RikkiDee collected 18544 from pot

I decide that my opponent could be moving in with any range of hands here since he only has about twice the big blind, and that I’m a favorite to many, especially if he has an ace, which I basically put him on. My only fear is that someone behind me will pick up a hand, but we’ll have to take that chance. Normally I might just call here, hoping to get the blinds to call as well, and check the hand down to maximize the chance of busting the short stack, but I need these chips desperately and if I win this hand I’m pretty much golden. So yea, I’m golden after this and with 13 left, I steal 1-2 more blinds and pack it in for the night sitting in third place.

So there you have it. From a field of 250, down to 9, and I’m there. Always a good feeling. So what did I win? Well, with what was essentially a free entry (500 fpp) I gained entry ($215) to the $500,000 guaranteed tournament that runs on Sundays. Generally these things get like thousands of entrants, so I’m not overly excited about actually competing in it. I have unregistered from the tournament and I now have $215 in “tournament $” that I can use for any tournament or sit&go. Which is great really, since I need money for sit&go’s. So essentially, I won $215, since it is going to future sit&go entries that I would pay for anyways. Pretty freaking sweet if you ask me.

I've joined about 6-8 of these 500 fpp tourneys in my life, and this is the first I've won. Earlier this week I made it to the final 15, when I went out with AA vs QQ preflop. I had the aces, and a nice chip stack, but couldn't dodge a Q so I was out in 15th place, just missing the final 9. If that hand held up that would be 2 this week, so it is safe to say that I'll be joining these at every opportunity. And since I've become a SILVERSTAR VIP player at stars, those FPP's come in even quicker.