Today I played Event #11. I woke up early without the need for an alarm, even after going to sleep some time after 4am. I guess I was anxious? I got to the Rio and bought in using the chips I won yesterday, $2000. I got seated in the Amazon Room on table Blue 31, Seat 9. I started off so well, I even hit a set on the river while calling down a guy whom had hit a set on the flop. I had chips. Then they started to go down. That was my day in a nutshell, up – down – up – down.
The biggest piece of info to pass along was that I knocked out Allen Cunningham . He got moved to our table and had a little less than the average stack. We ended up in a hand that played out as follows. Allen was 5th spot. 3rd spot limped(t200), as did Allen, along with button and me in BB. I had AcJx. The flop was Jc7c3d. I lead out with a t700 bet, 3rd folds, Allen calls, and button folds. Turn was Kc. Now, I’m scared. If he called with flush draw then I’m done. I decided to check to him and he bet (t1300 or t16000, forgot). For whatever reason, my read was he didn’t have flush but wanted to represent it. I also thought he might have called flop bet in hopes of being able to do this if it hit. So, I tanked and eventually called. The river was a 4d. I figured if I check and he goes all-in, then I’m probably good, otherwise he would defiantly bet something I might call for value on his turn made flush. I checked, he shoved, I tanked for less than a minute and called – Allen Cunningham tabled QhJd – I won with AcJx – bye bye Allen.
Then I got moved to another table. This table had Thomas "Thunder" Keller in the 7 seat. Wow, he sure looked haggered. He continually was nodding out and completely unaware of what was going on sometimes. Coming from me, he looked fucked up. Pharmies all the way. I even mentioned it – I asked, "What no sleep last night or did you eat a bunch of pharmies?" He replied, "huhhh?" – lol
This is where tournament poker becomes hard. I literally sat at this new table and played ZERO hands for 1.5 hours before the dinner break. I think I may have stolen the blinds/antes twice. I shit you not. Un-freaking-believable! I had over t14000 when I got moved. By the time dinner break hit, I had under t11K.
When we got back to play after dinner break, of which Keller was late over 10mins, I got moved to another table. Things changed around right away. Within the first 20 hands at the new table I ended up shoving my now under t9K stack, blinds 50/200/400, with AhQh from late position. The BB was shorter than me, started tanking for minutes, staring me down while I gave me weird eyes, and he called. I was glad, I felt confident it was good. It was a race with his 77. I won the race and out he went. Next hand I get dealt 99. I opened for a raise to t1100. It went around to an all-in shove for t1250. Then the blind shoved all in for t4200. I through up my arms and proclaimed, "I just got these chips, ahhh". I thought for a little and I figured, I gotta go with it. She dealt us all pairs and they had a bigger one, then whatever, but I really thought they were so low that they might just have a big Ace. I called and tabled my nines. The original all in held AxKx and the other held AxQx. Board came out 8TQJJ. I took the side pot which was t6000 and the original all in got the main pot of t3600. Now, I’m sitting with over t20000. I was looking good. Then I made a terrible mistake and folded TT when the same scenario happened about 10 hands later. Bad move. I would have won. The way the hand played out was almost exactly the same, but my read was that one of them had a bigger pair, JJ-AA, so I laid it down. They tabled AQ vs 77. The Q did hit and sent the other packing, but the T also hit and I would have won a huge pot to put me in the realm of t40000.
From then on it went downhill. Any pot I got into, it had massive action from other clashing player, and I started to lose chips. Then I made what I thought was a huge mistake, but ended up being just a mediocre mistake. There was a limp, then a shove for t3900. It got to me with AQ. I thought about it and figured, why not, it was hot so far, lets gamble and only called. Then the limper reshoved over the top back at me, having me totally covered. I threw it away and the reshover tabled QQ. The original all in had A9, hah. No Q hit, but neither did an Ace. I only lose t3900 instead of everything.
Now I’m back to floating in the t10-12000 area. Then came along another hand that really sucked. I raised late one away from button with AsTs and the BB, whom is the table chip leader and a very aggressive foreigner, called after looking at his cards in a manner that made my read go right to the thought of, he is going to try and but this pot no matter what. Sure as shit, the flop was Q high and he lead right out. I called following my line hoping to hit or possible get away with showing down A high. Then the turn brought another blank. Again, right away he bets. I called again and this is where I went wrong. I could have surrendered here, but I truly thought my read was right and that he had missed the board. The river was again nothing. Now I started to realize that even though he may have called earlier with intent to push me off or buy it, he was in the BB and he may have actually hit something on this very dry board. I folded on the river without finding out, because he ended up putting me all in and I could pull the trigger for my tournament life on my read with Ace high. Damn, now I’m down to t8-9000.
The last break of the day is seconds away and in the SB I held As9c. Two limpers plus myself in the SB and the BB see a flop on Ace high, two clubs. I check, BB checks, Aggressive Foreigner bets, limper 2 folds, I shove all-in, BB folds, Aggressive Foreigner laughs and says, "I call, I’ll double you up for break, your ace is good, I only have flush draw." Of course, the flush hit on the river and out I went in 389th place (or so I’m told from a dealer friend). It sucked. I played for 10+ hours straight and still lost. It hurt. But I need this, I need to embrace this hurt and be able to channel it. Example this blog. Longest entry so far and the first thing I really did. I left the Rio immediately after busting and went straight back to the room and hopped right on here.
The best part was the experience… and to prove is all actually happpened: check out this link http://bit.ly/MMmg2
Bankroll Update: -1775
What a disappointment. I was really looking forward to playing that event. However, it might have been a blessing in disguise. Based on some reports floating around the Twitterverse (lol), the field is so big and full of donks that I am sure I would have had a -EV going into this event. Hell, they have even nicknamed the event the ‘Donkulis Special’. So, instead, I am going to play the Venetian Deep Stack tourney tomorrow. Its a $550 buy-in. Had I not stayed up so late last night I probably would have played it today, but that gives me time to do some other things around town today.