So Many Choices... I Fold. Again. And Again.

Now I usually fold preflop more than just about any poker player alive, save Phil Hellmuth in the first 15 minutes of any tournament. Last night, though, I started barely looking at my hands before throwing them away. For a good reason...

Last week, my wife got home too late for me to make it to the riverchasers freeroll I was planning on playing. So, conveniently, I found another league that happened to be having an event that same night that I could still get to. Long story short, that night I finished just off the final table which awarded the minimum number of points for a single event. However, evidently, as long as you have any points at all, you qualify to play in a satellite type semi-final tournament. The top 14 in points for the quarter get a bye directly to the finals, but the rest of the folks who donked along all quarter only to find themselves a bit short had to show up to play their way in.

Fast forward to last night. I arrived at the venue fully expecting 70 or 80 people to be there, but was quite surprised to only find around 35. Since the final 10 would go through to the finals, I felt pretty comfortable that I had a good shot. Then I found out that your starting stack was going to be based on the total number of points you had recevied. I got 1000. A paltry 20BB to start with. The leaders got 3000. Uphill battle to say the least.

My feeling right away was that I was going to try to see a couple flops real cheap at the first blind level and try to double up early. Otherwise, I would have to try to find a good spot and just push. The very first hand I received two red tens. I just limped, hoping to mine a set, but when a Q came on the flop and two other players seemed very interested in the pot, I let them go. Didn't really find much of anything for the rest of level 1 and finished the level with 825.

Level 2 saw the blinds double to 50/100 and I knew I would probably have to take a stand during the first orbit at that level. I picked up J4o in the BB, checked my option, and saw 744 on the flop. 4 people saw the flop, so there was already 400 in the pot. After the SB checked, I shoved for my last 725 which was called by a big stack who flipped 56 for the oesd. A turned 3 was a disaster, but my night was not ready to end as a beautiful J came on the river to fill my boat.

Not long after that, blinds were at 100/200 and I was in MP sitting on 1600 chips. UTG limped as he almost always did with ATC. Next player then went all-in for 100 more. I look down at 77. Now, there is already 800 in the pot with a player who is going to be BB next hand for 2/3 of his stack. He could literally be playing any 2 high cards, any A, connectors, the range is pretty broad, so I come over the top for all 1600. Unfortunately, the BB felt he was priced in (??) and he called. So my 77 was up against QT (shorty) and KJ (BB) . I needed to dodge like half the deck. The flop brought a ten and the turn was a Q, so the shorty now has two pair, and the other guy sends me home with an A, K, J, or 9. I would have been ecstatic to just win the side pot and stay alive, but the river was a 7. Yes a 7, and I scoop.

I started the night with only 20BB against players who had upwards of 60 and now I had practically quadrupled up with half the field already eliminated. At this point, my table tightened considerably. With blinds at 200/400, it was just too costly to speculate when there was no need to do better than just survive 6 or 7 more eliminations. I paid a few blinds, and then got another BB special. K7o. And for some reason there were 2 others in the pot, including the shorty at our table. Just before the flop came out, a player was eliminated at the other table and were are down to 11. Oh yeah, the flop was KK4. I really hoped that an A would come as I was in a perfect spot to stack the bubble boy. I didn't think that he would have called pre-flop without an A, or perhaps a small pair. There was nothing I could do about the small pair scenario; he wasn't going to lose any more chips if that was what he had. But the A... I checked. As did they. Turn and river were blanks and we checked it down and I picked up another 1400 for my stack.

That was the only hand I played during the last 2 blind levels. I had enough chips to survive, and I knew these people couldn't get it into their heads that survival was the key, not winning. The final player went out around 5 minutes later and the tournament was stopped as everyone was awarded their seat. This Saturday, 3 tables, $500 winner takes all. They've never had someone in their final tournament before who had played so few events. I guess this record is mine forever, at 1 event. You can tie me, but 0 events played will never even get you into the semis. I have absolutely no expectations for the finals, but I just hope to be able to play my best game. Whatever that is.