I dumped about $500 a few nights ago playing PLO 100 all night - badly. Also I had to cash out about 1k for bills and expenses, and paid off a $100 debt to a friend with a transfer, leaving me with about $1700, but I started grinding it back up with the $16 and $27 SNG's and was back up to $2200 Saturday night. As Battle of the Planets rolled over at midnight, I checked the leaderboards and I had just barely squeaked into earning a ticket for a last-Sunday-of-the-month BOP triple shoot-out (tenth place, high orbit Neptune - $20-$49.99). While I hadn't received the ticket yet, cashing in BOP reminded me that I had an old unused ticket, so I signed up.
Since there's a potential for a huge payday by just winning two STT's in a row, I decided to play no other tourneys in order to maximize my chances in the shoot-out.
Although I had some Internet connection problems during the first table, thus decimating my timebank, I did catch good cards. I think a lot of the luck of BOP is your table draw. $1 players rub shoulders with $1000 players in this tourney, and as far as I can tell, the distribution is random. My first table had six players, another nontrivial piece of luck, as some tables had seven. One of my five tablemates was winning middle stakes reg and 2+2'er juandadi. With three players left, I stealraised his BB on my button, the unknown in the SB made a resteal, juan shoved with AQ, and I folded, but the SB turned up with AA and juan was out. I jockeyed back and forth with the remaining player for a while, until this hand gave me a > 2:1 edge. I had been three-betting him a lot, so I figured he was highly likely to be simply getting fed up with me, making it a pretty straightforward fivebet shove.
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48848367540: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round I, Level IV (50/100) - 2010/08/29 12:34:09 PT [2010/08/29 15:34:09 ET]
Table 297422451 37 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 3: modragons (4684 in chips)
Seat 9: Hero (4316 in chips)
modragons: posts small blind 50
Hero: posts big blind 100
Holecards
Dealt to Hero  
modragons: raises 100 to 200
Hero: raises 500 to 700
modragons: raises 950 to 1650
Hero said, "gl"
Hero: raises 2666 to 4316 and is all-in
modragons: folds
Uncalled bet (2666) returned to Hero
Hero collected 3300 from pot
Hero: doesnt show hand
Summary
Total pot 3300 | Rake 0
Seat 3: modragons (button) (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 9: Hero (big blind) collected (3300)
Two hands later I made a semibluff CRAI which ran into his overpair, but I'm a lucksack obv.
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48848420754: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round I, Level V (75/150) - 2010/08/29 12:35:05 PT [2010/08/29 15:35:05 ET]
Table 297422451 37 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 3: modragons (2884 in chips)
Seat 9: Hero (6116 in chips)
modragons: posts small blind 75
Hero: posts big blind 150
Holecards(Odds)
Dealt to Hero  
modragons: raises 150 to 300
Hero: calls 150
Flop(Odds) (Pot : $600.00)
  
Hero: checks
modragons: bets 325
Hero: raises 5491 to 5816 and is all-in
modragons: calls 2259 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (3232) returned to Hero
Turn(Odds) (Pot : $5,768.00)
River (Pot : $5,768.00)
Showdown
Hero: shows (three of a kind, Tens)
modragons: shows   (two pair, Kings and Tens)
Hero collected 5768 from pot
modragons finished the tournament in 202nd place
Summary
Total pot 5768 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 3: modragons (button) (small blind) showed and lost with two pair, Kings and Tens
Seat 9: Hero (big blind) showed and won (5768) with three of a kind, Tens
$195 locked up. I got a pretty good table draw again. I had noticed SamENole was in the tourney and had also advanced. He's an old time high stakes SNGer from the heyday of PartyPoker, and I was glad not to see him seated with me in the second round. I didn't know anyone at my table, including the Dutch PokerStars pro Pappe_Ruk. Unfamiliar to me. He managed to stack off with A9 on an AQ6 flop with 50BB eff. stacks facing a CR.
With him gone and six players left, this hand came up,
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48852340085: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round II, Level II (15/30) - 2010/08/29 13:48:06 PT [2010/08/29 16:48:06 ET]
Table 297422451 5 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Hero (1860 in chips)
Seat 2: Den Kruchkov (2404 in chips)
Seat 3: Whittamaker (1686 in chips)
Seat 6: Dom2312 (2800 in chips)
Seat 7: 72off27 (3535 in chips)
Seat 9: Nutzflop101 (1215 in chips)
Den Kruchkov: posts small blind 15
Whittamaker: posts big blind 30
Holecards
Dealt to Hero 
Dom2312: folds
72off27: raises 90 to 120
Nutzflop101: folds
Hero said, "the case jack, too"
Hero: calls 120
Den Kruchkov: folds
Whittamaker: calls 90
Flop (Pot : $375.00)
  
Whittamaker: checks
72off27: checks
Hero: bets 180
Whittamaker: calls 180
72off27: folds
Turn (Pot : $735.00)
Whittamaker: checks
Hero: bets 600
Whittamaker: calls 600
River (Pot : $1,935.00)
Whittamaker: checks
Hero: bets 960 and is all-in
Whittamaker: folds
Uncalled bet (960) returned to Hero
Hero collected 1935 from pot
Hero: doesnt show hand
Summary
Total pot 1935 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: Hero (button) collected (1935)
Seat 2: Den Kruchkov (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: Whittamaker (big blind) folded on the River
Seat 6: Dom2312 folded before Flop (didnt bet)
Seat 7: 72off27 folded on the Flop
Seat 9: Nutzflop101 folded before Flop (didnt bet)
which was a nice set up for the very next hand, shoving 2PTK on the river for value against the same player:
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48852389366: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round II, Level II (15/30) - 2010/08/29 13:49:03 PT [2010/08/29 16:49:03 ET]
Table 297422451 5 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: Hero (2895 in chips)
Seat 2: Den Kruchkov (2389 in chips)
Seat 3: Whittamaker (786 in chips)
Seat 6: Dom2312 (2800 in chips)
Seat 7: 72off27 (3415 in chips)
Seat 9: Nutzflop101 (1215 in chips)
Whittamaker: posts small blind 15
Dom2312: posts big blind 30
Holecards(Odds)
Dealt to Hero  
72off27: folds
Nutzflop101: folds
Hero: raises 60 to 90
Den Kruchkov: folds
Whittamaker: calls 75
Dom2312: folds
Flop(Odds) (Pot : $210.00)
 
Whittamaker: checks
Hero: checks
Turn(Odds) (Pot : $210.00)
Whittamaker: checks
Hero: bets 150
Whittamaker: calls 150
River (Pot : $510.00)
Whittamaker: checks
Hero: bets 2655 and is all-in
Whittamaker: calls 546 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (2109) returned to Hero
Showdown
Hero: shows (a pair of Queens)
Whittamaker: shows   (a pair of Queens - lower kicker)
Hero collected 1602 from pot
Whittamaker finished the tournament in 70th place and received $195.00.
Summary
Total pot 1602 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: Hero showed and won (1602) with a pair of Queens
Seat 2: Den Kruchkov (button) folded before Flop (didnt bet)
Seat 3: Whittamaker (small blind) showed and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 6: Dom2312 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: 72off27 folded before Flop (didnt bet)
Seat 9: Nutzflop101 folded before Flop (didnt bet)
The table was tight and passive and seemed to be playing scared money. With stacks at 3k, 3k, 3k, 3k, 1k with five left, I ran mine up to 7k versus 3k, 3k, with three left while seeing very few showdowns. I didn't play perfectly and missed a play or two I think, but things were still working. The hand that set up the HU was a king high flush draw beating an ace high flush draw after they got it in on the flop. Carol, watching, said "that's sick!" I'm so proud.
My opponent asked to swap 20%. He was really passive, so I just said "that's too much". Maybe he could have successfully negotiated some lesser deal, but I was glad he left it at that. Carol was sweating me and I was giving her my thought processes aloud when this hand came up.
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48854817152: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round II, Level V (75/150) - 2010/08/29 14:37:48 PT [2010/08/29 17:37:48 ET]
Table 297422451 5 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Hero (6746 in chips)
Seat 6: Dom2312 (6754 in chips)
Hero: posts small blind 75
Dom2312: posts big blind 150
Holecards(Odds)
Dealt to Hero
Hero: calls 75
Dom2312: checks
Flop(Odds) (Pot : $300.00)
  
Dom2312: bets 150
Hero: calls 150
Turn(Odds) (Pot : $600.00)
Dom2312: bets 400
Hero: calls 400
River (Pot : $1,400.00)
Dom2312: bets 1250
Hero: calls 1250
Showdown
Dom2312: shows  (high card King)
Hero: shows (a pair of Fours)
Hero collected 3900 from pot
Summary
Total pot 3900 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: Hero (button) (small blind) showed and won (3900) with a pair of Fours
Seat 6: Dom2312 (big blind) showed and lost with high card King
Pwn. Opponent just said "I see now why you didn't swap." Grin.
This next one hurt, but it may have saved me; because there was a showdown, I got to see his line when flopping a big hand. Since he cbet and checked the turn, I thought he had totally whiffed and I had the best hand, but I wanted to take it down with a bet in case he had hit a nine or a jack, and I thought it was a good spot because my hand looked exactly like an ace or a seven. ...Surprise!
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48854974839: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round II, Level VI (100/200) - 2010/08/29 14:40:55 PT [2010/08/29 17:40:55 ET]
Table 297422451 5 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: Hero (8996 in chips)
Seat 6: Dom2312 (4504 in chips)
Dom2312: posts small blind 100
Hero: posts big blind 200
Holecards(Odds)
Dealt to Hero  
Dom2312: raises 400 to 600
Hero: calls 400
Flop(Odds) (Pot : $1,200.00)
Hero: checks
Dom2312: bets 800
Hero: calls 800
Turn(Odds) (Pot : $2,800.00)
Hero: checks
Dom2312: checks
River (Pot : $2,800.00)
Hero: bets 5200
Dom2312 said, "if uve got it, best of luk in the final"
Dom2312: calls 3104 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (2096) returned to Hero
Hero said, "bah"
Showdown
Hero: shows (a pair of Sevens)
Dom2312: shows (three of a kind, Sevens)
Dom2312 collected 9008 from pot
Summary
Total pot 9008 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: Hero (big blind) showed and lost with a pair of Sevens
Seat 6: Dom2312 (button) (small blind) showed and won (9008) with three of a kind, Sevens
So, on the next hand posted below, when I bet my top pair for value on the river, and he shoved, I thought about it a little and noted he had played his flopped trips in the same way, so I laid down the ace. When I inquired he said he had KK, which fits. The turn check probably cost him a few thousand bucks; I was check-raising.
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48855232365: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round II, Level VI (100/200) - 2010/08/29 14:46:05 PT [2010/08/29 17:46:05 ET]
Table 297422451 5 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: Hero (5692 in chips)
Seat 6: Dom2312 (7808 in chips)
Dom2312: posts small blind 100
Hero: posts big blind 200
Holecards
Dealt to Hero 
Dom2312: raises 400 to 600
Hero: calls 400
Flop (Pot : $1,200.00)
 
Hero: checks
Dom2312: bets 600
Hero: calls 600
Turn (Pot : $2,400.00)
Hero: checks
Dom2312: checks
River (Pot : $2,400.00)
Hero: bets 1300
Dom2312: raises 5308 to 6608 and is all-in
Hero: folds
Uncalled bet (5308) returned to Dom2312
Dom2312 collected 5000 from pot
Dom2312: doesnt show hand
Summary
Total pot 5000 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: Hero (big blind) folded on the River
Seat 6: Dom2312 (button) (small blind) collected (5000)
Clearly my lucksacking skills needed to be brought to bear, so I mustered up all I could for this double up.
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48855355285: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round II, Level VI (100/200) - 2010/08/29 14:48:33 PT [2010/08/29 17:48:33 ET]
Table 297422451 5 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: Hero (4192 in chips)
Seat 6: Dom2312 (9308 in chips)
Dom2312: posts small blind 100
Hero: posts big blind 200
Holecards(Odds)
Dealt to Hero 
Dom2312: raises 400 to 600
Hero: calls 400
Flop(Odds) (Pot : $1,200.00)
 
Hero: checks
Dom2312: bets 800
Hero: raises 2792 to 3592 and is all-in
Dom2312: calls 2792
Turn(Odds) (Pot : $8,384.00)
River (Pot : $8,384.00)
Showdown
Hero: shows (a flush, Ace high)
Dom2312: shows (two pair, Sevens and Fives)
Hero collected 8384 from pot
Summary
Total pot 8384 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: Hero (big blind) showed and won (8384) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 6: Dom2312 (button) (small blind) showed and lost with two pair, Sevens and Fives
He immediately started raising 4x for the first time instead of 3x, and overbet shoving over my standard raises, so I thought he was fairly tilted, which induced me to call when he shoved over my turn lead here, since he seemed to have started to spew. Besides, fuck, I got top two pair. Turns out it was a pretty solid spot to semibluff, with an ace, NFD, and OESD, but I boated up and moved on to the FT.
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48855551800: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round II, Level VII (125/250) - 2010/08/29 14:52:31 PT [2010/08/29 17:52:31 ET]
Table 297422451 5 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: Hero (7384 in chips)
Seat 6: Dom2312 (6116 in chips)
Hero: posts the ante 25
Dom2312: posts the ante 25
Dom2312: posts small blind 125
Hero: posts big blind 250
Holecards(Odds)
Dealt to Hero
Dom2312: calls 125
Hero: checks
Flop(Odds) (Pot : $550.00)
Hero: bets 450
Dom2312: calls 450
Turn(Odds) (Pot : $1,450.00)
Hero: bets 1250
Dom2312: raises 4141 to 5391 and is all-in
Hero: calls 4141
River (Pot : $12,232.00)
Showdown
Hero: shows (a full house, Sevens full of Nines)
Dom2312: shows  (a pair of Sevens)
Hero collected 12232 from pot
Dom2312 finished the tournament in 15th place and received $195.00.
Summary
Total pot 12232 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: Hero (big blind) showed and won (12232) with a full house, Sevens full of Nines
Seat 6: Dom2312 (button) (small blind) showed and lost with a pair of Sevens
I had two players I didn't know on my right, but they both had their supernova status showing. Two seats to my left was midstakes winning STT reg ucantcscottyg, and across the table was apestyles, who had beaten SamENole in their HU. See what I mean about luck of table draw?
One annoying character at the FT was begging for a chop, but it wasn't happening. That was useful info for shoving over him in some later hands, since he clearly wanted to avoid expensive confrontations.
After a bluff that did not work out, my chip stack was in dire shape.
Seat 1: apestyles (1225 in chips)
Seat 2: I..nobody..l (1565 in chips)
Seat 3: kafelnikovz (2570 in chips)
Seat 4: unctarheels3 (1470 in chips)
Seat 5: vltava (854 in chips)
Seat 6: wcsquad3 (1090 in chips)
Seat 7: cantcscottyg (1460 in chips)
Seat 8: anguila (1405 in chips)
Seat 9: drOppzPT (1861 in chips)
But I mostly waited, stole the blinds a few times, did a resteal, and at 50/100, started pushbotting, and managed to gradually restore several hundred to my stack, until at 75/150 my AK tangled with QQ and spiked the ace on the flop, putting me in healthy shape once more with six left. Meanwhile ape could not miss with AK, taking out JJ and TT, plus he got AA against a C-O raiser with AKhh.
Seat 1: apestyles (5140 in chips)
Seat 2: I..nobody..l (601 in chips)
Seat 4: unctarheels3 (1822 in chips)
Seat 5: vltava (2683 in chips)
Seat 8: anguila (2384 in chips)
Seat 9: drOppzPT (870 in chips)
We got to four players remaining. I had the second lowest chip stack, but I was not desperate, and there were no antes, so I was playing the waiting game. The prize structure for the top four was $12k, $7.5k, $4.5k, $3350. So I felt it was a lot like a single table money bubble, with a huge incentive for making the top three.
Seat 1: apestyles (6513 in chips)
Seat 5: vltava (2233 in chips)
Seat 8: anguila (3151 in chips)
Seat 9: drOppzPT (1603 in chips)
Then drOppzPT doubled up and the situation changed. Now I was looking for a spot to make a move, and then ape pushed on me from the SB. I felt compelled to call because 1) with 9 BB and no antes, I was not yet on life support, so he would probably think that I did not see my situation as desperate, meaning he could shove on me with a wide enough range that KTs should be ahead of it, 2) I was the shortest stack and short enough that I thought it was was better to gamble it up sooner than later.
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48859615523: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round III, Level VI (100/200) - 2010/08/29 16:22:17 PT [2010/08/29 19:22:17 ET]
Table 297422451 1 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: apestyles (5010 in chips)
Seat 5: Hero (1833 in chips)
Seat 8: anguila (3751 in chips)
Seat 9: drOppzPT (2906 in chips)
apestyles: posts small blind 100
Hero: posts big blind 200
Holecards(Odds)
Dealt to Hero
anguila: folds
drOppzPT: folds
apestyles: raises 4810 to 5010 and is all-in
Hero: calls 1633 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (3177) returned to apestyles
Flop(Odds) (Pot : $3,666.00)
Turn(Odds) (Pot : $3,666.00)
River (Pot : $3,666.00)
Showdown
apestyles: shows (high card King)
Hero: shows (a flush, King high)
Hero collected 3666 from pot
apestyles said, "nh"
Summary
Total pot 3666 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: apestyles (small blind) showed and lost with high card King
Seat 5: Hero (big blind) showed and won (3666) with a flush, King high
Seat 8: anguila folded before Flop (didnt bet)
Seat 9: drOppzPT (button) folded before Flop (didnt bet)
anguila eliminated ape in a coinflip, and after a few orbits three-handed I picked up KJ in the SB. I raised and he shoved for about the fourth time in this situation, and I thought this was the right time to make a stand. Part of the incentive was I tend to see this kind of situation as flipping for 1st or 3rd, versus probably finishing second. (Stacks after posting blinds: villain 6.5k, hero 4.5k, other dude 2k.) I think that's a good gamble when the jump in prizes is much bigger from 1st to 2nd than from 2nd to 3rd; it's a flip with a big overlay. Obviously it's not quite that simple because garnering a monster stack doesn't guarantee first, but add that I can also have the best hand, and I'm getting odds from the pot, and I think it makes sense to call often in this kind of situation. Oh, P.S.: BINK!
Submitted by : vltava
PokerStars Game #48859986294: Tournament #297422451, Freeroll Holdem No Limit - Match Round III, Level VII (125/250) - 2010/08/29 16:30:46 PT [2010/08/29 19:30:46 ET]
Table 297422451 1 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 5: Hero (4697 in chips)
Seat 8: anguila (6763 in chips)
Seat 9: drOppzPT (2040 in chips)
Hero: posts the ante 25
anguila: posts the ante 25
drOppzPT: posts the ante 25
Hero: posts small blind 125
anguila: posts big blind 250
Holecards(Odds)
Dealt to Hero 
drOppzPT: folds
Hero: raises 650 to 900
anguila: raises 5838 to 6738 and is all-in
Hero: calls 3772 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (2066) returned to anguila
Flop(Odds) (Pot : $9,419.00)
Turn(Odds) (Pot : $9,419.00)
River (Pot : $9,419.00)
Showdown
Hero: shows (two pair, Kings and Nines)
anguila: shows (two pair, Nines and Fives)
Hero collected 9419 from pot
Summary
Total pot 9419 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 5: Hero (small blind) showed and won (9419) with two pair, Kings and Nines
Seat 8: anguila (big blind) showed and lost with two pair, Nines and Fives
Seat 9: drOppzPT (button) folded before Flop (didnt bet)
anguila picked off drOppzPT and we went to HU with a 9:4 chip advantage for me. I offered to chop up the difference between 1st and 2nd based on that ratio and he declined. shrug. I don't normally make those offers, but I also normally play $16 and $27 STT's, and this FT was like a $3k STT. I demolished him fairly uneventfully in the brief HU, with the net result of the tourney multiplying my online BR by seven.
After Carol and I had a victory sushi dinner and watched an episode of the new season of HSP together, I pondered a bit what to do with the new roll. I actually sort of have a legitimate roll now, instead of just trying to scrape something together. I'm not going to start jumping into MTT's or $400 NL or $100 SNG's. I've played some $1/$2 NL in the past, so that's probably where I'll go when I play FR, and maybe $.50/$1 to work on my 6-max skills. (in before 'nit!') Maybe $300 NL at the Bike, and $10/$20 limit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to hit the rebuys on a regular basis now that school starts and I'll be tutoring there, but I think I can reasonably play anything from the 3R to the 22R now when I can fit it in. As for my bread and butter, since I am a winner over a good sample at the $25+2 and $35+3 levels, but unproven at $55+5, the plan is to mix together $35+3 and $55+5 for a while. Also, I have over five hundred buy-ins for $25+2 and that does seem more than a little silly.
I started off the new plan tonight with a session of nine $35+3 STT and six $55+5 and bagged a $620 profit. Obviously I will not run anywhere near that hot over time, but it was reassuring. The best thing for me was that I could see players making dumb plays and tilting off in chat at the $60 level. It helps me realize it's still the same game, and there are still awful players. And bubble and ITM play showed me that there are still regs who overvalue the significance of ICM and are exploitable. So I think the future is bright.
There's still that Supernova issue. Just for that record, I collected 19.5k VPP in August, leaving me 71.8k to go. Way ahead of pace! Classes start tomorrow, but if I manage not to have some kind of bizarre meltdown, the VPP earning should zip right along at the new level.
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