I Like The Current Trend

Last night I destroyed the RPT game in Chalfont. It's such a great feeling to only be all-in against a larger stack once for an entire tournament. And I only got my money in bad once, but no way could I see it coming.

Now in true Wellesian fashion, let's go back to the beginning...

It was a pretty small game with only 19 runners as we got started around 7:30. I could tell pretty quickly that my table was going to be content with seeing cheap flops early on, with only the occasional pre-flop raise. Fine with me. As usual, I mostly folded except when I found cards that played pretty well multiway and could see a cheap flop in position. Problem was, I ended up bailing on the flop. Every. Time. Not a problem as I only burned through about 1/6 of my stack.

Until... (2/4 blinds) I pick up KK in the cutoff and raise a limper 4x BB. Then the button calls. And the SB. And the BB. And the limper. What the hell is going on? Anyway, flop comes Jxx (whew) so I only need to worry about a set. And if I'm up against a set, that's the way it goes, but I'm going to play it as if I have the best hand right now. SB checks and the BB shoves for his final 27 chips. UTG folds and I reraise to isolate and/or chase out the draws. After the SB considers and folds, BB shows me J9o (What??). Oh, he also had a flush draw. Thankfully, donkey's hand doesn't improve, he goes home, and I practically double up.

We go to 3/6 and see the JackAce UTG. I make my standard 2.5x BB raise from that position and get called by a MP player. After another Jxx flop, I bet out 20 and he shoves. I have him covered by quite a bit and, in this case, I'm pretty damn sure TPTK is good so I call. This one shows me J8o. Donkey 2 misses his 3 outer with 2 cards to come and I drag another nice pot.

Took a little bit of a hit the next time I was in the BB. A bunch of limpers and I check my option with K4o. Flop comes 567 all diamonds and I have the K♦. After everyone checks the flop, the board pairs the 5. I check call a bet of 12 and am now heads up. River brings the J♦. I'm not sure I made the right play here, but I checked again planning to call any smallish bet and laying down to anything significant. He bet out 16 and since there were many hands he could have had that I could beat I called. I figured he was putting me on either a busted straight draw (in which case I missed) or a flush draw (in which case I am now trapping). Of course, there was also the chance he was value betting on the end, which he was as he flipped the A♦T♥. Not so bad. I think I lost the minimum I could have as I don't think he was getting away from his A high flush draw no matter what I did.

At this point, we have 10 players left and I am moved to the other table to even things out at 5 each. At my previous table, I was second in chips to a massive chip leader. At my new table things were much more even, and I think I might have even been 4th out of 5. Things, though, were about to change.

I have 220 chips (blinds at 20/40) and see QQ UTG in my second hand at this table. I raise 3x BB and get one caller. Flop comes KJT and I figure that if I'm not good now, I still have the oesd to fall back on. In go the last 100 chips which are called quickly, but not instantly. JackAce. He called off over 60% of his stack with second pair and a gut shot. Turn bricks and the river pairs the king. Double up plus the blinds.

Very next hand, the player UTG+1 goes all-in for his last 110 and it folds around to my BB. A9o. Now I've played with this guy many times and know that I could very well be ahead. Pot is laying me 2.5-1 so, unless he's playing a bigger A, this is the right call. QJs. Best hand holds up, and it's time for the final table, with me and another guy almost even and way above anyone else.

A couple of hands later, 3 of the shorties got it all-in and 2 of them went broke. Ok, so we're down to 7, but now there are 3 of us up top.

I see 44 UTG and raise 3x BB to 120. Donkey 3 (JackAce boy) calls off his last 60 chips and the BB calls, leaving himself 80 chips left. Flop comes KJ4 rainbow. Check check. Turn brings a Q and the final 80 go in the pot from the BB. I call with bottom set and find that the Q gave him 2nd and 3rd pair. After the river pairs the K, my fours full beat trip K's and top 3 pair and there are 5 left with half the chips on the table in my stack.

After subsequent knockouts of the 2 remaining short stacks, we have 3 players left. I am slightly ahead of 2nd place and blinds are 50/100. In one hand SB calls my BB and I raise with AK and he folds. In another, he calls my BB and I check with Q8. On a KQ9 flop, he checks and I bet out 250. He calls. Crap. Then a beautiful 8 falls on the turn. He checks and I bet the pot and he folds his Q3 face up.

Now it's my turn with the JackAce as the button calls and, in the SB, I raise to 400. The BB puts in his last 300 chips and flips AK. 88559 and we chop. In fact, we each take back our 400 and I get the 100 from the button being the player to the left of the dealer. Good deal.

Key hand of the final table sees me dealt AQ on the button and I raise enough to put either player all-in. SB folds, but the BB calls with QQ. Thankfully, I find an A on the flop and instead of being in 2nd place 3 handed with 550 chips, I have a greater than 4-1 chip lead heads up.

Blinds move to 100/200, I have 1700 chips and my opponent has 400. I get the button after dealing high card, see K9 and raise. Opponent calls with dismay and flips 83d. He catches his 3rd diamond on the turn and a 4th doesn't come to match up with my 9 and suddenly my lead is cut to 1300-800. Next hand, he is on the button and comes out raising for the first time in about a half hour. I really don't like what I see and fold. 1100-1000.

Finally, I pick up J8o on the button and call the 200. He bumps it to 400 and I call. Flop is Q87 and he checks. I'm pretty sure I'm good so I shove and he calls with J9o. I avoid his 7 outs and score my first RPT win in about 5 months. Of course, when you only play around once a week and don't win for so long you start you doubt yourself.

No money for this one as it was acting as one of the satellites to an invitation only tournament where 6 seats are being given away to a $2000 event at the Borgata. So I get a 1 in 25 shot at a $2000 buy in instead of a $50 gift certificate? I'll take that deal every time.