So I went into day 3 with almost 1/10th of the chips in play and was just waiting for the blowup. I started with Dario on my right with a decent number of chips, and a Scandi who looked agro on my left. I didn't do much before our table broke when they got down to 27 players(this took under an hour).

At my next table I didn't recognize too many player, but the same Scandi was a few to my left, and on my direct left was a Bwin qualifier who by how he acted at the table seemed like he knew what he was doing better than most of the other Bwin qualifiers.

My first real hand of the day, I open the SB with J4 to 16k at 3k/6k/500, BB defends

Flop: J98 rainbow, I check planning to basically bet if he checks the previous street, and check call any bets that don't look too fishy.

He bets 20 at 37, I call
T
Turn: blank, I check, he bets like 35 at 77, I call

River: blank(possibly an 8 actually), I check, he checks behind with K9 and I hold

In this hand I don't think he'll be as straightforward as a lot of people and could potentially raise at some point with like T8, KT etc or could potentially make pretty big hero calls after I check the flop and bet turn and river. If he were to have shoved this river(he had a PSB back) I'd have most likely folded but been a little confused as to why he bet under 1/2 pot on turn and potted river rather than going like 2/3 pot, 2/3 pot

An orbit or two later, I open AK in the CO, he 3bets the button committing himself(he was fairly short now) I get it in, he had AJ and I hold to get up to like 740 or so


The very next hand, I open the CO to 15k with 44, and the Scandi guy from my old table 3bets the BB to 46.5k about 600k deep (average is under 250 at this point I believe)

Folding here could likely be right since his range is FARRR from just big pairs and my hand plays pretty miserably postflop, but I think its good for future value to get the image of not folding to 3bets since in actuality I always fold to 3bets and don't want people 3betting me too much.

Flop: KT8cc, he bets 45 at 99 and I just don't ever see him sizing his bet like this with T9cc, AJcc, AA, TT etc

I feel like this is usually like JJ, QT, air, Kx something that basically doesn't want to play a big pot. I hadn't picked up this bet-sizing tell off of him specifically, moreso off of everyone who has ever played tournaments.

I raise to 125k, he thinks a while before calling.

I figured this call was likely a hand like KJ or QQ or something, possibly a draw that isn't that strong(like Q7cc), occasionally but very rarely a big hand that he was trapping with where he super-owned me with bet-sizing. I thought the most likely candidate was that it was something of the KJ/QQ variety where he realized my range is likely stronger hands and decent draws and wanted to give himself the opportunity to soulread if draws miss.

Turn: 5c, he checks with about 420 in his stack and about 349 in the pot. I bet 150, and he folds after a little bit.

I don't do stuff like this with complete air often, but at this stage of the tournament(both of us have like 1/10th of the chips and I'm fairly confident he doesn't have a monster) I felt it was a decent time to spaz out.

At his point I had about 900 and was a pretty sizable chipleader with 17 left where average was about 400.

Now Dario Minieri got moved to my right again and another young Scandi guy. I didn't do a whole lot since my cards were pretty mediocre, but basically let the 3 of them go nuts against each other.

A couple typical hands

I raise in EP to 21k at 4k/8k/1k, SB (Scandi who is new to the table) makes it 57 after making it super obvious he has a hand(counted out his chips as if to call, played with them a while before announcing raise), Dario makes it 150, Scandi shoves like 450, Dario folds

Scandi raises HJ to 17.5k, other Scandi makes it 42 on the button, call

Flop: T66r, check, 56k, 120k, jam for 400k, call, 86>A5

So basically I was just trying to get hands, and at this stage didn't really succeed at that.


I went into the final 9 about 3rd in chips with near a million where average was about 650k. Since day 4 was super short, I'm gonna include playing from 9 to 6 in with my day 4 trip report

On day 1b, ch0ppy and I wandered all over Venice, it was pretty funny to be in such a major city and still run into people we know all over the place. We were looking for the people we came with, but failed at that and ended up running into just about every other poker player in Venice.

On day 2, I got seated at a table with Samuel Chartier on my left whose a good french Canadian player but I don't think I recognized anyone else. There were a ton of bwin shirts at the table which was nice.

Like 1 orbit in they said they were moving BB to a new table, and I was going to be UTG, but they decided to move me anyways. My new table sucked, Ludovic Lacay was on my left, Imalucksac was at the table, there was like 1 bwin shirt, one young scandi guy 2 to my left, and eventually DMMikkel, Ch0ppy, Mike Binger, Samuel Chartier, David Steike and probably one or two other decent people I'm forgetting were at the table. In all honesty probably 1/2 the good players in the field managed to get placed at our table.

For the first 2 or so hours I was fairly card dead, but had a few nice spots to get up to like 115k, I then got KK against AK against someone with like 60k to get up to like 180. Shortly after that HJ opened to 5k at 1k/2k/300, I 3bet the button to 14k with TT, Ludovic jammed 63k in the SB, and against most people I can fold this quite happily, but even if he is tight in this spot, hes loose enough in every other spot that I don't think I can ever fold to him.

I call, crack aces, and am up to like 250 or so.

Shortly after ch0ppy and Sam get moved to my left, so I need to continue to be pretty tight, I get JJ v TT against a short stack and bust him to get to around 280 or something and am fighting for chiplead with Dario(average is maybe like 100) with like 75 left.

I don't really win any pots for a little while and get into 3rd at dinner break(48 were remaining)

I lost one interesting pot where I would always lose more but made another one of my hero folds

Blinds :1500/3000/300, I raise the A2o in the CO to 7k, David Steicke calls in the BB

David and I have played a bunch, hes a recreational player with better results than just about every pro player(hes been playing more lately, but he still plays pretty low volume and has won the 100k in Australia, 8th in the Monte Carlo 25k, has a 5th and a 3rd in the Macau 20k, 10th in APPT Macau, and 4th in a WSOP 2k, and he played poker for the first time like 18 months ago)

Anyways, I am like 300k deep, hes like 180k deep

Flop: AJ2ss, check, I bet 11k @ 18k, he calls
Turn: 7s, check, check, I bet this sometimes, check it other times, I think that on non-spade rivers I'll really be able to play pretty optimally against him
River: 6, and he bets 32 @ 40, I really feel like hes the type of guy who is floating like KQ with a spade very rarely and not the type of guy who'd turn like a J into a bluff, and the bet size really doesn't look like AT or something. I'd never fold AJ here, but folded and showed

He says "I guess this is when I'm supposed to show my cards" and I sigh expecting him to show like J7s or something, and he turns over 9s8s

I then open the HJ with 88 later that level, and the BB defends

Flop: 982cc, check, I bet big, he calls
Turn: K, check, I bet big, he calls(big = like 80% of pot)
River: 9, he donks 35k at 100 with like 70 left, I shove he folds after tanking a bit(but I'm still like certain he didn't have a 9, I'd say maybe 20% Kxcc, 80% spite-tanking JT or something)

We then go to dinner break and I have like 330 and am 3rd/47 with 45 paying

First hand after dinner, we are 7 handed with the SB sitting out, Imalucksac opens UTG(he just doubled back to back hands and has 390)

I 3bet in mid-position to 27k(he made it 10.4k( with Q8o) he thinks a bit and calls

Flop: Q42r, check, I bet 32k, he calls after thinking a bunch

Turn: 5, check, I check planning to bet most rivers since I think he usually has like 77-JJ

River: 8, check, I bet 65k, he insta-calls and told me later he had QJs, I run alright

So basically I played 3 pots postflop and hit 2 pair or better everything, today was a good day

So now I have like 470 nearing the bubble, and get bounties for bursting the bubble and bounties for first to 500k, so I plan on trying to get them

Someone else busts, and I open 22 in the CO to 10k, Michael Binger Shoves the button for 48k, I'm getting like 1.8-1 and although hes much tighter than most online guys in this spot, I still think I need to call with extra bounty-equity.

One thing that I was kinda afraid of is that he might like fold AT and jam 33 which its beyond retarded, but people like pairs so iono, I called, and outflipped AQo to burst the bubble and get to like 510 or so.

The day ends with 36 left, and I finished the day with 545k with average around 160 and 2nd at like 350.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mike McDonald (Timex) is a guest pro at Cardrunners.com. Visit cardrunners and sign up for their industry-leading coaching videos.

I'll give a spoiler and say I ended up getting 4th for like 110k euro. The tournament went ridiculously well for the first 2 days and kind of coasted to 4th from there.

We(me, ch0ppy, inyaface, pudge, eagles, holdplz and JordanKickz) took the train from San Remo to Venice after Monte Carlo finished. We CCR'ed for train tickets and JordanKickz said he'd buy out, then changed his mind so he obviously ended up paying. We got there and our hotel room was extremely small(like smaller than my dorm room in college) and went to the casino to register and change to day 1a(they majority of online qualifiers were put on day 1a).

This bwin sponsored event was a lot different than your typical stars sponsored event where the qualifiers are decent, and in some cases very good... the online qualifiers here were pretty awful with only a couple exceptions.

Anyways, I get seated at a table with Lee Markholt and 8 people I don't recognize... 6 or 7 who were wearing bwin shirts.

Starting stack in this tournament was 15k and blinds were 25/50, of 22 starting tables, 10 people busted in the first 2 levels, 5 from my table and 2 to me.

1st hand: UTG+1 opens to 375 at 50/100, he and I are each like 20k deep, he seems kinda overly loose preflop and pretty bad, worst player at the table by far calls with like 7.5k, I call with 6s5s, BB calls

Flop: Ts8c4s, check, guy bets 1200, fish calls, I make it 3600, fold, call
Turn: 9, check, I put him in for his last like 3k, he thinks a little and calls
River: J

32ss no good and I'm up to 30k

I never thought I'd win a big pot in a major live tournament with 6 high but theres a first time for everything.

Anthony Lellouch gets moved to his seat, and someone raises to 300 with no SB, Lee Calls, Anthony calls, I make it 1300 with QQ, only Lellouche calls

Flop: T97 rainbow, check, I bet 2100 at 3350, he makes it 5k with 6k back, I shove, he calls with 87s and I hold to get up to like 45k.

I win a couple more pots, stack another guy in a limper pot with 33 against KQ on a Q83 board in a multiway limped pot and am up to like 56k 2.5 hours in. This was by far the best start I've had to a major live event.

Things keep going well, at one point I get down to like 42, before winning a bunch more pots and changing tables with like 65k. At this point I just win a couple small allins(didn't lose an allin all of day 1), and get up to like 90k before changing tables again.

At my new table Daniel Alaie has position and RivermanL is at the table but I don't recognize anyone else. Unfortunately there weren't many bwin shirts here, but that didn't stop the cardracking.

One hand at 300/600/75 as the day was nearing a close, I open JJ on the button to 1600, SB who I played with at another tables makes it 5400 with like 14k back, I Shove and he shakes his head says like "game" (which apparently means "lets gamble") and flips up 99.

The dealer assumed he folded, takes the cards and puts them in the muck. The floor gets called over, I have to keep my cool and act like I still want him to fold while letting him explain the situation in his second language, they look in the muck and his 99 is beside another 9 so I'm really happy. The floor rules that they can't be certain which 9's were his since the dealer didn't remember suits and they rule his hand is mucked.

FML, but an orbit later I outflipped him 88 v AK to bust him and cross the 100k mark(this tournament gave 200 euro to the first person to eliminate a player, 400 euro to the first to 100k, 600 euro for end of day 1 chip leader, 500 euro for first to 500k, and 700 euro for bursting the bubble).

I was the first to cross 100k(a friend of mine had 98.5 earlier and failed to steal the blinds when the BB woke up with AK) so ship the bounty. This was like 30 minutes from the end of the day, so I figured I'd get 600 euros as well, but JJ prodigy and a few others passed me so I ended the day like 5th in chips.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mike McDonald (Timex) is a guest pro at Cardrunners.com. Visit cardrunners and sign up for their industry-leading coaching videos.