Almost "Making It"...?

So I played in the satellite to make it into the 550 month-end.  I had to re-enter early($30), however I was playing really well and when we got to top 4(30 players, 48 entries, they paid 3, 2 get entry to $550) I realized these guys were playing way too timidly.  I was able to pick spots to shove while we were all short-stacked and finally the guy to my left went all-in and I had pocket Aces for the first time(Actually 1st time I had anything JJ+ all day)  The rockets held up and a short time later the other 2 stacks tangled and one KOd the other.

I was pretty excited to play in a tournament of this "stature?"  I don't have $550 or anywhere near that lying around to play in a poker tournament(yet...) so I couldn't wait to see what level my competition might be playing at.  I was actually surprised the first couple levels to see everyone playing very ABC and fairly timid.

Blinds in this tournament were 40 minutes(HEAVEN!!), you start with 25K and I put in $5 for another 5K, started with 30K. There were 60 players, I was at table 3, seat 9, Sitting to my left(10) was a guy that had a Brooklyn-esque accent, little guy, and he was talking to who I’d generalize as internet kid gone semi-pro(in Pittsburgh) due to Black Friday about games in AC and how they were both at Borgata, they also talked about playing in the 10/20 that Rivers sometimes has… As soon as I sat down, Brooklyn says, “So, you won the satellite, huh, congratulations!” At first I was like, thanks…now I’ll look like fresh meat to these guys…but it may have worked in my favor as I was able to get respect for my 3bets/4bets and a few(including Brooklyn)times tried to run me over light.

I didn’t really need to force action or anything, it would eventually come if I had the patience to wait for it.So I folded a lot in that first level and a half, watched everyone else, .I 3-bet AQ once and was able to c-bet it down.One other time with A-Q I 3bet in the BB, and had 2 callers, one of which was Internet Kid IK.The flop was K-brick-brick and we all checked, so I was going to bet most turns and it was a K, so my thought was that since we all checked, any pair is going to call a turn bet here, so I’ll bet the river.Unfortunately it was a K and I felt that anyone with a pair is going to still think their hand is probably good (they’re not going to put me on a K…basically) so I checked hoping A-high could still be best.Internet Kid had 3s… In hindsight, if I bet, 1^st caller might call with Ace high and IK has to fold, however, 1^st caller might fold and I lose a bet, too…oh well, it was a small pot, so no biggie I suppose… I was also able to read one guys soul by calling him down with A-high on a pretty dry board.  Hero calls feel good, but I try not to let them get me in trouble...

One hand in particular Brooklyn tried to bully me. I had As-10s in the big blind, I believe we’re at 100-200, I had about 36K, Brooklyn(25K) limped under the gun. A few others limped and I don’t like playing my mid-ace out of position so I raised it up to 425 hoping to take it down. Brooklyn calls, all else fold(I know, right…?Players folding…?) Flop is not too shabby, 9-J-Q rainbow. I think this flop is nice, it possibly hit my opponent’s range well and I’m open ended. I thought I should be able to call a raise so I bet out 750, he raised me to 2200. I called, turn was an 8d, completing my draw, putting 2 diamonds out there. Based on his raise prior I felt like if he’s got a one pair hand he’ll check here as well, 2 pair hand he might bet and/or either way I felt it would be the only way to get value on the river, so I check, he bets out 5K, I thought about raising but I figured I wouldn’t get anything more from him unless he bets the river so I called. River was another 8. I was pretty ok with this card and thought for sure he’d bet any of his bluffs and maybe his 2 pair hands and I probably wouldn’t get a call from anything I was beating…. I wasn’t worried about any sets-turned-boats as I don’t think he’d limp in early position with 9s, Js or Qs, that would seem like a bad idea as the table wasn’t all that raise-happy preflop. I checked and he bet out 9K, I called instantly and he mucked, nice! Then he was somehow livid at my apparent calling of his flop raise with “only a gut-shot…?” That took about ¾ of Brooklyn’s stack and someone else finished him off for me.(seat 10 was no luck for anyone throughout the day there)

Some-time later I tried to pick on a guy who seemed to get a little too raise-happy.  He was in the hijack position with Supercop sunglasses and I was in the BB(68K).  He opened to 1200 and had about 8K behind(I took a lot of his stack earlier as well).  1 caller in the Internet kid and he was playing really tight so I figured him for a middle pair-type hand, to just call like that.  I looked down at A-3h and decided I could probably take this down, or at least put the 1^st player’s tournament life on the line, so I raised it up to 3600.  Unfortunately, Supercop shoved all in for 6K more, Internet Kid folded and I felt like folding, however if I can put supercops range on some 10s,Js,Qs,Ks as well as Aces that have me crushed, I’m not sure calling isn’t an “ok” option.  So I called and he flipped over AK, the board was particularly non-action oriented and I lost pretty quickly.  I’m not sure if that was a mistake or not, but I didn’t really put this guy on wide ranges much afterward.

One hand I made possibly a mistake, I think, on was we’re at 500-1000 blinds, I’m sitting at 65K still.  I look down at Jacks, so I open raise it up to 2600 in mid position.  Player at seat 1(I’m at seat 9) calls, as well as BB.  Flop is K-9-4 rainbow.  BB checks, I’m kind of hoping to take it down at this point and I bet out 3300, seat 1 calls, BB folds.  Turn is a 6, putting 2 spades out there.  I bet out 5K and this guy calls.  The river is a blank and I bet out 6500.  The crazy part is that this guy raises me to 15K and I really can't figure out what he's got that would call the whole way down and only now raise me...AK or nothing... I don't know, maybe it makes sense but it had me fooled at the time so I called and he flipped over KQ.  At this point I realized this guy couldn't be thinking on a high level unless he thought I could fold Aces there... The next hand a guy I'd characterize as Faraz Jaka's possible cousin tried to take advantage of this guy's strange play, except he also tried 3-barrel-bluffing him, which only knocked himself out, bluffing 5s into this guys 10s...he just called the whole way down, almost oblivious to the board...I never got another chance to play against this guy.

So now I'm down to about 45K, 500-1000, 20 players left, and utg(guy recently sat down with 80-100K in chips and said to IK that he'd recently gotten 3rd at HPT) raises to 2500, I reraise to 6K with AKoff.  Folds around to HPT and he asks me how much I got left.  I open my arms to show him my stack and he says "All-in"  I wasn't sure I actually heard him right, a guy at the table behind us was talking loudly about a hand so I asked "You're all in?"  and I got a nod.  He had a weakness about him, I double-checked my cards and I didn't think he'd play Aces this way, it seemed a tad too aggressive with his stack compared to mine, so I called.  He said good call and flipped over K-10suited and I felt like I was in a great spot to double up...until the dealer put out 9-J-Q...HPT said sorry and I told everyone good luck and marched a tired me out the door and back home.  I played from 9am to about 5:30pm and I was surprised at how tired I was...  I hate thinking about the coulda/woulda/shoulda, but when I saw the K-10 I really felt like I was going to make a big splash in my bankroll that day...well, I'll just have to wait...