Bubble

We had a stay-at-home day today, in theory so I could get some work done but this didn't go to plan when I started an online satellite for the Poker Stars WCOOP and wasn't done until nearly 2pm. There were 3 seats into the $500 Event #1 up for grabs in a $3 rebuy tournament and I was in for $6 as I took the first rebuy straight away. Places 4-17 got $33 each and $27 for 18th. I decided to play for a money place first before going all-out for the seat and turned on the agression as soon as we were down to two tables and I was just below the average chip stack.

I took a hit pretty quick though and was second to bottom going into the final 9. I clung on and with 5 left I had about $90k compared to everyone else with $250-$400. I doubled up and one more player fell, and by this time it felt like it was my day. Virtually every 50/50 I was in went my way, and I cracked aces along the way too.

I picked up quite a few rounds of blinds with some pretty good hole cards, showing them every time as I thought this would give me some respect. Which is why the way I was knocked out on the bubble made no sense. On the button, I raised with AJs - actually the weakest hand I'd raised since we were 4-handed. The player on BB was only just ahead of me in chips and had been acting pretty weak, so I was a little surprised when he immediately re-raised all-in. Figuring he didn't want a call with such a big bet and hoping that he was making a stand with a weak ace I called.

I was right about him not wanting a caller. He showed 89s, but a 9 on the turn cost me, effectively, $497.

Oh my god, they killed the Plaza tourney

A few days to update here so I'll try not to waffle.

1 August 7pm, Plaza
$50 + $10 for 1500 chips, one rebuy for $50 for 1500 extra
Blinds 20 mins: 25/50, 50/100, 100/200, 100/200/25, 200/400/50 ...
25 total entries, 4 rebuys, 14 addons, $880 1st, $175 4th
Can pay $100 up front and save $10

This is the tourney we really enjoyed playing at Christmas. However they've completely screwed it up now. Instead of a nice steady blind progression, the levels double so the rebuy is virtually useless unless you go out in round one. I took it after losing 300 chips with 88 so my stack of 2675 was just about big enough to play at 100/200 blinds. I saw two flops the entire game, once with KQ and had to fold to an ace on the flop and then I was all-in against QQ before the end of the first hour. I didn't catch. I'd had to fold JJ and 88 earlier in the game and felt I had to take a chance when the opportunity arose. This tourney is not a patch on what it was last time we were here, and I doubt we'll be going back.

2 August 7pm, Orleans
$40 for $300, $5 for 25% extra, $20 unlimited rebuys for $300, 1 $20 add on for 300.
Blinds 15 mins: 10/15, 10/20, 15/30, 20/40
Then 20 mins: 30/60, 50/100, 75/150, 100/200...
123 entries - 10 paid, top prize around $2500
$5 bounty paid for each person you bust out

I intended to take the rebuy early on but missed the boat. I was the first big blind and caught two pair with my T7 which became a full house on the river so I started with too many chips to take the rebuy! Not a major problem, except that I realised after the first hour I never needed to use my entire stack so I could have had 300 more going into the freezeout stage.

You only get a bounty if the person you bust doesn't rebuy. So when I took out A9 with TT on a scary QJ9 board (let's say I was brave, and he was stupid!) I didn't get the bonus cos he took the first of several rebuys. Generally though, the play was pretty sensible. I saw TT twice, QQ twice and AA in the first hour with moderate success. I also folded 99 earlier on to a big raise and one other caller, and with a flop that came AK9 I could have made a lot more!

At the break I topped up to about 1000 chips which should be playable with 30/60 and 50/100 blinds coming up. I didn't really get going though and ended up moving all in with a pair of 6s, called by a guy who thought he was great with QTo and spiked a T on the river.

3 August 12 noon, Orleans
Same tourney structure as above.

Came straight back next day to have another go. About 70 players this time, quite a few gobby old guys but still a fairly sensible game. Took the rebuy up front and got up to 1900 by the break, including beating QQ with AJ by catching two aces on the flop and the jack on the turn (at this point the guy with QQ was at the other side of the room).

My toughest decision yet came just a few hands after the rebuy period ended, blinds 30/60. I had JTo on the big blind with one minimum raise in early position and everyone else folding. I called for 60 more. The flop was a beautiful J98 giving me top pair with an open-ended straight draw. I checked and he bet 120 and I quickly re-raised to 400. He thought for a while and moved all-in. To call would leave me with only 200 chips, or I could fold and hang on to 1200.

I put him on an overpair, and even though I would have pot odds to call (I figure I was a slight favourite against KK or AA, slightly behind to QQ as a ten wouldn't help me, but haven't checked this precisely) I laid it down. I showed the fold, to cries of "he laid down a straight" from one of the gobby old guys, which amused me somewhat.

However in retrospect I wish I'd taken the race. I ended up moving all in with a flush draw (9s3s on big blind) against KT with top pair and didn't make it.

3 August, 6pm Binions
One table satellite, $65 entry, $550 for winner

Claire and I both sat at this table and were joined by a group of three others that all knew each other and clearly wanted to own the table. They were full of talk and played a good game (the dealer commented that the last game he delt was full of novices and this was the complete opposite) but we got the luck. After losing with AJ (top pair, top kicker) to a straight draw with Q9, I came back with a string of big pocket pairs and caught virtually all the flops where I limped or got it for free on a blind! Claire gambled with A7 vs 77 and won when the board brought KK99; then with Q7 vs K5 and made a straight! In the last hand I moved all in with Ah8h and was called by J9 and flopped a straight. The didn't seem keen on letting us play to see who would have won, so we chopped (although I had more chips! :) ).

The long and not very winding road

Although the following, which we found on http://www.laughlinnevadaguide.com/belletournaments.htm sounded very attractive, the two hour each way journey to Laughlin was actually a complete waste of time as there were no such tournaments running.

Sit & Go Sundays Single Table Tournaments. Tourneys start as soon as
a table fills. See podium for registration info. $25 buy-in. $2 gratuity.
75% of prize pool to first place, 25% to second-7-Card Stud (1pm-5:30pm),
No-Limit Texas Hold 'em (5:30pm-10pm)

Got to see lots of desert though, and finally find a stretch of road where cruise control was useful...

So the only poker-related activity today was a trip to the Gamblers' General Store to get some Copag cards to try out, and we picked up about half a dozen books too!