Last night was a night where it didn’t matter how I finished in the Dino’s tourney, since it already was a great day. Kelley started her new job that evening (working 8pm to 4:30am will be an adjustment for both of us), and before that I was the true gentleman by taking her out to dinner at Dino’s and letting her use up some of my gift certificate from the week before. I won’t be seeing her much with her new job, but it beats her not working. The last couple of years have been rough for her, but things are looking up for her (on many levels)…just hoping it stays that way.
Start out with 23 players last night, and my table (from my left) is Cheryl (host), Donald, Jay, and Heather. I am thinking that I should be able to accumulate chips here, while keeping an eye on Jay…that dude seems to have my number a lot, for some reason that neither of us can explain.
Even with last week’s win, I told myself that I was going to be more aggressive early on, and bluff a lot more than I may normally do. By the time we got to the end of the 100/200 level and our table break, I was up to 5,300 chips (including a knockout of Cheryl) while rarely having to show down, so I guess my plan was working.
Moved over with Donald to a table with Kid Dave, Pat, Bernie, and Trish – I like Trish on my right, since she will almost never raise me. I took the first 4 hands either pre- or post-flop, and then we were broken down into 2 tables. At this point, I had about 7,600 chips.
Continued to accumulate chips, then I’d start leaking them via doubling up other players. First, gave Ron 2,000 chips (300/600 blinds) when his A-J spiked a Jack on the flop to beat my A-K. After stealing the blinds 2 hands in a row, I doubled Donald up when his 9-9 outgunned my 7-7, and I was down to 4,600 or so chips, and in the big blind (400/800) next hand.
That hand, which was the last hand before we merged to final table of 10, was a turning point for me. 10-6 BB special occurred when I hit my ten on flop, and got called down all the way by Wendy-Donk before rivering trips – the 3,000 chips I got made my stack look good at the merge.
Didn’t get involved much, until I decided to double-up super-shortie Donald with 4-4 against his K-K – down to 5,500 chips when my 4s don’t catch up. I jam a couple of hands later with 10-10 to steal the blinds, and then 2 hands later the hand that set up the rest of the night took place.
Dan (now called “Mr. Vegas” based on his World Tavern Tournament win the week before) open raises all-in for his last 6,100, followed by an insta-shove by me upon waking up and finding K-K. Dan says, “Wow, nice hand”, and shows K-Q. I flop a set, and the hand is over. After the tournament Dan and I talk about his hand, and the various options he had – basically, if you don’t shove there, you make a small raise and get out when I 3-bet you. Then again, Dan was in the blinds the next hand, so the shove option (other than a limp-in call) was about the only option available to him if you’re playing that hand.
Right after this, I go on a mini-heater – stealing the blinds the next 2 hands, then eliminating Mike M when my 5-6 hits bottom part of a full house on a 8-8-5-Q-5 board, and then taking the blinds down 2 more hands in a row after that. At 500/1000 blinds, big time chips to be accumulating.
After Trish is gone in 5th, blinds are raised to 1000/2000 (final blind raise of the day), Donald puts last 1,900 in against my 2K BB, and shows K-K to my J-9. J-10-J flop is great for me (duh!), and my trips hold up to knock Donald out in 4th. The next hand, I knock out Jay when my Q-Q holds up against multiple draws held by his A-10, and it’s Bernie and I are now heads-up, which does not make Bernie happy.
Bernie takes the first 3 hands HU, then raises to 5K. I look at A-Q, and re-pop it to 15K – basically pot-committing both of us should Bernie call or raise. After electing to call and see a flop (leaving us less than 10K each in our stack, a Q-5-7 flop hits. Bernie insta-jams (even though I was first to act), so I insta-call with my pair, and no runner-runner or King is forthcoming…so it’s back-to-back wins in the Dino’s game, #15 for those counting at home!
Self-assessment: Hey, you can’t win a tournament without getting paid off on big hands, and those kings and queens didn’t hurt. But, never got below starting stack, made the right decisions when I had to…and felt in control of my game the entire night. Good stuff!
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