The <Not So> Exciting Conclusion

Saturday was the Riverchasers supersatellite to the Borgata ultimate satellite. And it started off well. I was determined to play my usual tight game, but consciously make the effort to ramp up the aggression when it was appropriate. I think I did that.

Although I don't think I saw a flop other than out of the blinds for the first 1/2 hour, level 2 (2/4) began frantically. I picked up 99 in EP and raised 4x BB. Wow, I actually raised in that spot. For the last month, I would have been content to just limp and see a flop with those cards from that position. Score one for me. Unfortunately, not only did the button call, but so did both blinds. Then the flop came all kinds of connected and suited. And a 9. This was going to be a big pot, one way or the other. So when both blinds checked, I bet around the amount of the pot. This chased away the button and SB, but the BB reraised all-in after some consideration. Now I have 30% of my stack already committed, and the raise was another 43 into, what was now, a pot slightly larger than the starting stack. Okay.... if I'm behind, and I mean IF, I'm still getting the right price to try to fill my boat. I wasn't behind (top pair, 3rd kicker, gutshot), and filled up anyway.

Then a few hands later, I raise 3x BB from MP with AT♠. The player immediately to my left, also the current table chip leader who had been catching an obscene number of quality hands and flops, called and we are heads up to the flop. KQ5 rainbow and I continue, but he calls again. Now, I'm trying to figure out what he might have but, being this is a Riverchasers game, the range is pretty wide. The board pairs the 5 and we both take a free river card. A jack. Yahtzee. I bet out a little less than 1/2 the pot, trying to get value from the made straight. And I get min-raised. Now I am completely perplexed. This is a guy who would have popped me back pre-flop with JJ/QQ/KK and would not have called my raise (even in position) with K/Q/J5. AK? KQ? Discretion won out, so I just called. He says, "Sorry man, I got you on the river." and flips... ATo. Did I play this hand poorly? Should I have led out again on the turn? Did he play this hand poorly? Even though I represented strength with both bets, should he have called on the flop with just one overcard and a gutshot? Who am I asking? No one reads this drivel.

Anyway, I miss a couple of draws, the blinds keep escalating, and anytime I have even a marginal hand in LP, there is a raise and a call before it gets around to me. Sigh. So we go to the second break with 7 of the 8 players at the table with between 1.5 and 12 BB left. I have 5.5 BB and am tied for 5th at the table. After the break, we begin 25/50 and, as expected, the endless string of pushing.

In the first hand, I am BB and the micro stack shoves for another 1/2 bet. The SB and I both call with pot odds and, what it turns out is, KQ (mine) vs KJ (his). The board ends up with 5 bricks and the all-in survives with Ace high. Next hand, all fold to my SB and I shove Q6 into the former chip leader who I actually have covered. He says that he doesn't want to go out on this hand and folds Q8o face up. Whew.

Blinds are coming around again quickly, and I see KJ♣ UTG and shove. I get called by a player in LP who has me covered by 2 BB and pocket 7's. Inevitably, as I can't win either side of a race, 77 holds up and IGH somewhere in the 80's out of a field in excess of 200. What, you say? Someone CALLED for almost all of their chips with 77? It was a Riverchaser, of course they did.

Anyway, I''m starting to read a book that is completely dedicated to playing multi table tournaments with a fast structure. So far, if I'm going to follow the recommendations outlined, my outlook on the game is going to have to change. A lot. But I think I know that, which is why I bought it in the first place. It still doesn't make it any easier to do, though. Once I get through it and am able to implement some of the techniques, I'll log what I tried, what seemed to work against who, what didn't seem to work, and what I haven't been able to get myself to do yet. Should be interesting.