Howdy folks!

So, I’ve been on something of a heater the past several weeks, having gotten deep in a bunch of stuff, shipping several tourneys and getting top three in several more. This success has made me thirst more than ever for what I have yet to accomplish—a five-figure score

I’ve been close twice in the past couple of weeks, final tabling the FTP 65K twice, but going out early in both (as I reported in my last blog entry).

The point is that I feel that in the past couple of days I’ve been playing concentrating too much on the goal of the five figure score, and not as much on what has, imo, lead to my success lately: playing a good volume, and playing solid poker.

If you put in good volume, play solid, and put in hours away from the table reviewing hands and such; you should be able to get deep in donkaments. And if you really work on your late game—namely abusing bubble situations, weak spots looking to move up and can spot table conditions that allow for obscene aggression—then you stand a good chance to make a top 3 run and maybe ship le donkament.

The day before yesterday I started my usual grind at 7pm, and quickly ran like garbage, making early exits from everything. I began running pretty well, and by ~1am had decent stacks in everything I was playing: Tilt $10r, Tilt $501r1a, Tilt 11pm $109 6max and the Stars 11pm $109. I busted everything just short of or into the money except the 6max, where I made a questionable CRAI on an AQ7hh flop with QTs after just flatting what was a really active opponent PF from the SB. In retrospect I think I should have just 3bet him PF.

Yesterday was much better. I played well, and felt like my focus was really on, especially late into the night when I started to get deep in the Tilt $501r1a. Around the final two tables stacks started to get really shallow, and I hung around ~23BB by abusing a couple of tight players’ blinds, but was really unable to do anything in the way of resteal, and was completely card dead.

The FT bubble broke, and not too long in I coolered a poor fool with KK to his QQ and found myself in the top 3 with ~6 left. I played really well and was able to get HU, where I began to get absolutely destroyed. Every time I opened the BTN he 3bet. Every time I 3bet his BTN opens, he 4bet AI.

I was able to lucksack a doubleup JT>KJ, and got back to about even. I decided that with how aggressive he was I would just lay back a bit and tarp the fool. One hand I raised the BTN with KQo and he flatted. He checkraised a low dry flop and I shoved. He folded and I took the CL.

At this point he had literally 4bet shoved every single one of my PF 3bets. I finally found a hand to call:

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 4,000/8,000 Blinds, 1,000 Ante, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): 360,267
SB: 281,733

Pre-Flop: (14,000) K A dealt to Hero (BB)
SB raises to 20,000, Hero raises to 62,000, SB raises to 280,733 and is All-In, Hero calls 218,733
Flop: (563,466) 8 7 Q (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: (563,466) 9 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
River: (563,466) Q (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 563,466 Pot
[I]Hero showed K A (a pair of Queens) and LOST (-281,733 NET)[/I]
[I]SB showed J 8 (two pair, Queens and Eights) and WON 563,466 (+281,733 NET)[/I]


Sigh. I won the next hand QJ>TJ, but then shortly thereafter lost 44<55. Whatever, ship the ~$3300 for 2nd.

In a semi related brag, I made what was a pretty nasty call in the Stars 1am $109. I time banked down to about 10seconds, knowing I had to fold, but just knowing that Villain couldn’t have a hand with the line he took. I mean really all I could give him was KK/JT or complete air. And I thought that even KK would lead the turn. Anyhow here it is:

Poker Stars, $100 + $9 NL Hold'em Tournament, 200/400 Blinds, 7 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero: 14,792
BTN: 7,460
SB: 20,175
BB: 8,410
UTG: 23,177
UTG+1: 11,125
MP: 12,925

Pre-Flop: (1,050) Dealt to Hero: 9 T

3 folds, [COLOR=red]MP raises to 1,200[/COLOR], Observer folds, Hero calls 1,200, 3 folds

Flop: (3,450) 8 9 K (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
MP checks, Hero checks

Turn: (3,450) 7 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
MP checks, Hero bets 1,200, MP raises to 11,675 and is All-In, Hero calls 10,475

River: (26,800) J (2 Players - 2 are All-In)

Results: 26,800 Pot
[I]Hero showed 9 T (a straight, Seven to Jack) and WON 26,800 (+13,875 NET)[/I]
[I]MP showed 6 A (high card Ace) and LOST (-12,925 NET)[/I]



So, looking forward to the MSOP ME, a $109 on Tilt with their superstacked structure and a $250,000 guarantee. This tournament is sure to have tremendous value, and if I ship it I’ll probably take Sunday off and do something other than set money on fire.

Regards,

Hagbard