Super Bowl Sunday
February 3, 2008 Update
I wake up Sunday morning with an itch to continue the bank roll building. Sunday is also the day of the PokerStars million guarantee as well as the 100k guarantee. I don't have the $215 yet to play the million, but I can afford the $11 to play in the 100k. I buy-in with an hour to spare and within 20 minutes of the tournament it is maxed out with 20,000 players paying out 3000 places and $20,000 for first.
My first table is really tight and I steal a lot of blinds only to lose about a 1000 chips with a real hand (pocket K's). It's okay as I had built up my stack and now am only 100 down from my starting chip stack of 3000. I get moved and start to pounce early on my new table and build my chips up to about 15k and well above the chip average. People are dropping fast and there are only about 11,000 players after the first hour. Blinds increase every 10 minutes and I play aggressive as this is required with short blind structures. We get down to 5000 players and I make a move with AQ under the gun. A standard raise with the blinds around 300/600. Everyone folds except the SB which is fine because I have position. Flop comes K-K-8 with two spades, SB checks and I bet out 4000. SB calls and now I'm a bit worried. The river comes an 8 double pairing the board, SB checks, I check. River brings a spade and SB goes all in for 7k. I think and ponder. I don't believe he has the K or 8 and the only thing slowing me down is wondering if he has a flush. I eventually fold and comment "nice catch on the flush" to which my opponent says "I had a full house". I don't believe him and perhaps he made a nice bluff on the river. This cuts my chip stack in half, then I am dealt pocket Q's and lose another half of my stack as AK hits the flop. These two hands have cost me some chips and I am short stacked now. Eventually I get it all in with the worst and lose in about 4200th place, about 1200 from the money. My thought is I wanted to win and being aggressive and building chips was my only chance at winning or going deep within this tournament due to the blind structure. I could have sat back and most likely coasted into the money as I did yesterday in the $3R tournament, but this was not the game plan today and it didn't pan out. No worries as I was also playing in a .10/.20 limit game and won most of my buy-in back.
Towards the end of the 100k tournament I also registered for a $1/.10 limit Omaha tournament that attracts 594 players. I adjust to the game well and end up getting into the money. With about 50 people left in the tournament I grab the chip lead for a whole 2 minutes with 49,000 chips. With some well timed moves and a few lucky catches I make it to the final table with a healthy chip stack of 135,720 good for second place in chips.
I'm feeling good and planning on taking the first place prize of $148, which would be a nice payday and quadruple my bank roll. At the same time as playing this tournament the Superbowl is playing and I throw out a few "Goooooooo Giants!" as I root for only two teams. The Broncos and anyone that plays the Patriots. =]]
I get involved in a hand with AKKJ and the ace high hearts. The flop brings me my flush and I get into a raising match with one of my opponents. This continues on to where the river brings a 9 pairing the board. I cringe as any pair is bothersome in an Omaha tournament. Sure enough my opponent bets and I call with a huge investment already. Showdown and my opponent tables 9-9-?-? hitting quads on the river! Overkill as I could not come close to competing with my pre-nut nut flop. This hurts and I barely am able to hang on to the rest of my chips. The next break comes and I have built my chips back up a little to 70,720.
My momentum leaves me and I am unable to gain it back. I go out in 5th place for a $37.43 cash and $36.33 profit. At the same time I bust out the Giant's win the Superbowl in the last couple minutes of the game! Wow, what a game. I kept getting beeped at due to watching the game while trying to play the tournament. That's why I didn't win, I was too glued to the television to play my A game..... yeah that's it...
Overall it was a profitable day and at one point the bankroll was about $85. I ended up losing some back in a limit game and another tournament, but all is alright as the day was profitable. Remembering where I was a week ago, I'm fortunate to be where I am today. Actually, I expected it to take a lot longer then a week to get the bankroll past it's highest point previously.
Session Total: +$34.22
Bankroll Total: $74.56
I wake up Sunday morning with an itch to continue the bank roll building. Sunday is also the day of the PokerStars million guarantee as well as the 100k guarantee. I don't have the $215 yet to play the million, but I can afford the $11 to play in the 100k. I buy-in with an hour to spare and within 20 minutes of the tournament it is maxed out with 20,000 players paying out 3000 places and $20,000 for first.
My first table is really tight and I steal a lot of blinds only to lose about a 1000 chips with a real hand (pocket K's). It's okay as I had built up my stack and now am only 100 down from my starting chip stack of 3000. I get moved and start to pounce early on my new table and build my chips up to about 15k and well above the chip average. People are dropping fast and there are only about 11,000 players after the first hour. Blinds increase every 10 minutes and I play aggressive as this is required with short blind structures. We get down to 5000 players and I make a move with AQ under the gun. A standard raise with the blinds around 300/600. Everyone folds except the SB which is fine because I have position. Flop comes K-K-8 with two spades, SB checks and I bet out 4000. SB calls and now I'm a bit worried. The river comes an 8 double pairing the board, SB checks, I check. River brings a spade and SB goes all in for 7k. I think and ponder. I don't believe he has the K or 8 and the only thing slowing me down is wondering if he has a flush. I eventually fold and comment "nice catch on the flush" to which my opponent says "I had a full house". I don't believe him and perhaps he made a nice bluff on the river. This cuts my chip stack in half, then I am dealt pocket Q's and lose another half of my stack as AK hits the flop. These two hands have cost me some chips and I am short stacked now. Eventually I get it all in with the worst and lose in about 4200th place, about 1200 from the money. My thought is I wanted to win and being aggressive and building chips was my only chance at winning or going deep within this tournament due to the blind structure. I could have sat back and most likely coasted into the money as I did yesterday in the $3R tournament, but this was not the game plan today and it didn't pan out. No worries as I was also playing in a .10/.20 limit game and won most of my buy-in back.
Towards the end of the 100k tournament I also registered for a $1/.10 limit Omaha tournament that attracts 594 players. I adjust to the game well and end up getting into the money. With about 50 people left in the tournament I grab the chip lead for a whole 2 minutes with 49,000 chips. With some well timed moves and a few lucky catches I make it to the final table with a healthy chip stack of 135,720 good for second place in chips.
I'm feeling good and planning on taking the first place prize of $148, which would be a nice payday and quadruple my bank roll. At the same time as playing this tournament the Superbowl is playing and I throw out a few "Goooooooo Giants!" as I root for only two teams. The Broncos and anyone that plays the Patriots. =]]I get involved in a hand with AKKJ and the ace high hearts. The flop brings me my flush and I get into a raising match with one of my opponents. This continues on to where the river brings a 9 pairing the board. I cringe as any pair is bothersome in an Omaha tournament. Sure enough my opponent bets and I call with a huge investment already. Showdown and my opponent tables 9-9-?-? hitting quads on the river! Overkill as I could not come close to competing with my pre-nut nut flop. This hurts and I barely am able to hang on to the rest of my chips. The next break comes and I have built my chips back up a little to 70,720.
My momentum leaves me and I am unable to gain it back. I go out in 5th place for a $37.43 cash and $36.33 profit. At the same time I bust out the Giant's win the Superbowl in the last couple minutes of the game! Wow, what a game. I kept getting beeped at due to watching the game while trying to play the tournament. That's why I didn't win, I was too glued to the television to play my A game..... yeah that's it...Overall it was a profitable day and at one point the bankroll was about $85. I ended up losing some back in a limit game and another tournament, but all is alright as the day was profitable. Remembering where I was a week ago, I'm fortunate to be where I am today. Actually, I expected it to take a lot longer then a week to get the bankroll past it's highest point previously.
Session Total: +$34.22
Bankroll Total: $74.56
