Finally
after about five friggin attempts I've managed to win a seat into the first big poker tournament to be held in Auckland (at Sky). Actually it's not that big by poker standards, but with a $660 entry fee I wasn't prepared to stump up the moolah and tried to get in the cheap way by entering $50 or $100 satellites.
The second-to-last $100 satellite was held yesterday with 55 entries and 6 seats up for grabs. By the start of the second session I was reasonably short-stacked having being card dead and being pushed out of pots so when dealt AJ suited with two limpers in and two to act I'm all-in baby (i.e. putting all my chips into the middle). Well fk me, the bigstack to my immediate left goes allin as does the shortstack to his immediate left. Two limpers can't believe it and fold (one said he folded AQ -HA!) but I think I'm screwed as AJ suited in a 3-way allin pot ain't the strongest hand in the world and I'm mentally putting on my jacket and doin' the walk of shame.
Lately I haven't had a lot of luck in poker, which you do need in tournaments. You need to win your fair share of races and 50/50 coinflips. So when the cards are turned over I'm up against bigstack's pocket 9's (he went allin to push out the limpers, good play bless his soul) and shortstack is dominated by me with his KJ, so I have a chance. Flop 8 7 5, turn 8, and the river is the miracle Jack - for once the gods are kind and I nearly triple up.
That happened with about 30 people left - I could have maybe should have been out but now have a playable stack of chips and shortly after get AJ suited again and raise, another bigstack goes allin and I have to fold - he said later he had pocket Queens and I have no reason to doubt him.
Down to the final two tables (20 left) I finally get some cards. Pocket Queens twice and pocket Kings in the space of three hands - with KK someone with a nice but shorter stack than me goes allin after I raise and I call of course - he turns over AQ; the flop produces an Ace but there is a hand slammed on the table in frustration when one of the two remaining Kings appears on the turn (I felt for him - its what I've been going through lately); then after calling an allin with pocket 8's (he had 67 offsuit; I called as he is an aggressive player who puts on moves like that from time to time - what was funny was an 8 came on the flop and another on the river giving me quads!) I'm on the final table of 10 with an average stack size and all I have to do is not do anything stupid.
Which was achieved - even laying down middle pair in a battle of the blinds with 7 left (i.e. one away from a seat) - the other guy said he only had middle pair as well but with roughly the same number of chips as me and two shorter stacks at the table, it's a fight to avoid with the prize only one place away. Finally bust out in 4th place (kept playing as there was cash prizes as well) when my pocket Jacks got cracked by pocket 2's when a 2 fell on the flop, but quite frankly I didn't care - I had the seat.
So a repeat performance in 2 weeks time at Labour Weekend wouldn't go amiss - they're expecting about 110 entries and a first prize of $20k+, .... dreams are free!
The second-to-last $100 satellite was held yesterday with 55 entries and 6 seats up for grabs. By the start of the second session I was reasonably short-stacked having being card dead and being pushed out of pots so when dealt AJ suited with two limpers in and two to act I'm all-in baby (i.e. putting all my chips into the middle). Well fk me, the bigstack to my immediate left goes allin as does the shortstack to his immediate left. Two limpers can't believe it and fold (one said he folded AQ -HA!) but I think I'm screwed as AJ suited in a 3-way allin pot ain't the strongest hand in the world and I'm mentally putting on my jacket and doin' the walk of shame.
Lately I haven't had a lot of luck in poker, which you do need in tournaments. You need to win your fair share of races and 50/50 coinflips. So when the cards are turned over I'm up against bigstack's pocket 9's (he went allin to push out the limpers, good play bless his soul) and shortstack is dominated by me with his KJ, so I have a chance. Flop 8 7 5, turn 8, and the river is the miracle Jack - for once the gods are kind and I nearly triple up.
That happened with about 30 people left - I could have maybe should have been out but now have a playable stack of chips and shortly after get AJ suited again and raise, another bigstack goes allin and I have to fold - he said later he had pocket Queens and I have no reason to doubt him.
Down to the final two tables (20 left) I finally get some cards. Pocket Queens twice and pocket Kings in the space of three hands - with KK someone with a nice but shorter stack than me goes allin after I raise and I call of course - he turns over AQ; the flop produces an Ace but there is a hand slammed on the table in frustration when one of the two remaining Kings appears on the turn (I felt for him - its what I've been going through lately); then after calling an allin with pocket 8's (he had 67 offsuit; I called as he is an aggressive player who puts on moves like that from time to time - what was funny was an 8 came on the flop and another on the river giving me quads!) I'm on the final table of 10 with an average stack size and all I have to do is not do anything stupid.
Which was achieved - even laying down middle pair in a battle of the blinds with 7 left (i.e. one away from a seat) - the other guy said he only had middle pair as well but with roughly the same number of chips as me and two shorter stacks at the table, it's a fight to avoid with the prize only one place away. Finally bust out in 4th place (kept playing as there was cash prizes as well) when my pocket Jacks got cracked by pocket 2's when a 2 fell on the flop, but quite frankly I didn't care - I had the seat.
So a repeat performance in 2 weeks time at Labour Weekend wouldn't go amiss - they're expecting about 110 entries and a first prize of $20k+, .... dreams are free!
Labels: poker
posted by Rob Crawford at 9:26 AM
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