Unlucky 13

On Friday, me and tipster, fresh from our Final Table exploits at the MGM in vegas, descended on Broadway Casino in Brum for their weekly £20 rebuy tourney. A decent structure but a bit of a muff fest during the 1 1/2 hour rebuy period as there is only 1000 starting chips.

I started well, only playing two hands in the first hour, both times pushing with AK and getting duly called by the fish with AT and A7. Marc Goodwin, in an article in a magazine recently desscribed the players at this casino as some of the finest in britain, I can only assume that he was on about the cash tables, cos in this tourney, have and Ace is like, well, having two aces. They just can't fold any ace preflop, no matter what the action has been.

I lost a couple of pots, before doubling back up to 2900 when my JJ hit the boat. No rebuys, just the add on and I was comfortable on 3900, which was about average at the break.

First hand back, blinds 100 200 and I found AK utg and raised 600. A shortstacked lady in mid position pushed for the rest of her stack, this would leave me with 1900 chips, so I decided to call, I groaned as she turned over AA, but the poker gods were with me as the flop came KKx and off she trotted, not even acknowledging the "vul" coming from all of the table, myself included (but smugly grinning inside)

A few hands later, I found AK again, but a raise and a rr before me, saw me lay them down, only to find the two of them all in with KQ vs A9, nothing hit and the A9 took it. I decided then, that the next time the buy to my right, who rr with A9, raised, I was going to make a move on him.

I managed to build my stack up to 18k winning a 3 way all in with QQ holding up against AK and KQ. I then made my only real mistake of the game, announcing raise in mid pos with 99, only to find I had not noticed the guy utg had already gone all in for 5k. I was stuck, the table had saw my weakness in my mistake, so I decided to push my stack. Luckly this stopped the Ace raggers calling as the A hit the flop, but the QQ stood, to put me back down to about 12k.

it was the round after that my moment came. I was dealt AT sooted in mid position, blinds were 300/600 now. A short stack limped from early position, which was suspicious and my man on my right made his move. He raised to 1800, I was thinking about Re raising him, when I noticed the player on my immediate left, who had me covered going for his chips, he normally did not do this. His movement and the suspicious short stack, I decided to fold. After a bit of a to do, the players all ended up all in preflop. Short stack flipped over QJ, my man on my right, as expected KQ, and the player on my left showed KK (I was right on my tell on him) I thought at this point I had made a great laydown with my AT suited, until the flop came down TTT. I screamed inside as this would of been a 40k pot and put me a 20k+ chipleader. In hindsight, my laydown was the correct one, but I could not stop thinking what could of been.

The tourney carried on, I made the best of my good hands and managed to get away when I was beat, until eventually it came down to the last 13. The blinds were now 1000/2000 and I was down to about 12k. It was folded around to me in the SB and I pushed with K8 sooted. The big blind had me well covered and called with AQ, annoyingly I hit my 8 on the river, but it gave him 4 to the flush and I was out after 6 hours in 13th place, with top 11 being payed.

Strangely I was not disappointed, as I felt I had played really well and only making mistake with the 99 and giving the player on my right too much respect and laying down AK.

Playing sobre (ish) def has its advantage as I can now remember things about a lot of the players who, I know, will be there next time.

Hopefully I can move one step further and make the FT, 3.5k+ for the winner is not to be sneezed at and from what I have seen, I do have the ability to play live at least as well as I do play online.

Just a bit more luck and balls the sized of plum12's at the moment and I will be ok.

Till the next time.
Goth.