Survive and Advance

Onto Step 3 and in the most improbable fashion. Started with 3000 in chips and did not get much above the 3k the entire time. That's me with the 1927 left at the end. Tourney actually started with 15 runners but by the end of the late registration/re-entry period we had 79. Because this was not a freeroll and had a buy-in attached to it each subsequent entry added to the prize fund and they ended up giving $16 Step 3 tickets to 28 players while there was $11.72 left for 29th. Truth be told the 29th prize would have been better for me since I could have used it in a cash game or SnGs, but I'll take the tourney ticket given my small stack the whole way.


Nothing really spectacular happening was not getting much for cards, had a few hands where I tried to steal the blinds and got repopped and had to fold, other hands where I got pushed out of the pot postflop, although I did win a couple of pots as well. One particular hand however I was close to steaming when we had an all-in player and I called out of the BB with 66. Another player was in the pot as well and it went check-check on the flop and the turn. With a board of QKKxx with no flushes or straights possible I check river expecting to show it down but he pots it. I fold and he shows A7o for no pair and the all-in player wins it with ATo when I would have scooped that and knocked the guy out. Motherfucker bluffing into a dry side pot.

A little later against this same villain:
Seat 2 is the button
Seat 1: seat1 (9783).
Seat 2: seat2 (5800).
Seat 3: hero (1932).
Seat 5: seat5 (2445).
Seat 6: seat6 (5330).
Seat 7: villain (2990).
Seat 8: seat8 (2297).
Player hero ante (10)
Player seat5 ante (10)
Player seat6 ante (10)
Player seat7 ante (10)
Player seat8 ante (10)
Player seat1 ante (10)
Player seat2 ante (10)
Player hero has small blind (50)
Player seat5 has big blind (100)
Player hero received: 9♥️6♦️
Player seat6 folds
Player villain calls (100)
Player seat8 folds
Player seat7 folds
Player seat2 folds
Player hero calls (50)  semi-steaming at this point
Player seat5 checks
*** FLOP ***: [A♣️ 4♠️ 6♣️]
Player hero checks
Player seat5 checks
Player villain bets (185)
Player hero calls (185) I got a pair and not giving him credit for an ace after only limping. Going to take a card off.
Player seat5 folds
*** TURN ***: [A♣️ 4♠️ 6♣️] [5♦️]
Player hero checks
Player villain checks
*** RIVER ***: [A♣️ 4♠️ 6♣️ 5♦️] [A♦️]
Player hero checks
Player villain bets (740)
Player hero calls (740) I instantly clicked call. Now I know that motherfucker doesn't have an ace and he almost certainly does not have a straight. I figure him for a busted flush or air-air offsuit.
------ Summary ------
Pot: 2220
Board: [Ac 4s 6c 5d Ad]
*Player hero shows: Two pairs. As and 6s [9♥️ 6♦]. Bets: 1035. Collects: 2220. Wins: 1185.
Player villain shows: One pair of As 9♠️10♦. Bets: 1035. Collects: 0. Loses: 1035.

From there started playing all-in or fold'em hold'em and expected an all-in confrontation with 2 big stacks behind me but it never happened. Actually was struggling to be in a position where I was first into the pot so had to raise J♠️9♠️ UTG and fortunately everyone folded. Then had a K♠️9♠️ hand that I wanted to open with in MP but someone opened the pot prior to my action. Very next hand I get K♠️9♠️ again(!) and of course I shove with it. No callers. Another hand I had AK in the SB, someone opened for 600 and I shoved. We had around the same amount of chips and he decided to fold.

From there we had ~35 left so I started to play more cautiously, especially with big stacks still on my left. But still planning to open with a big hand. Then it got down to 31 and I'm sitting at 2800 with 150/300-50 and UTG opens for 9000!!!! The player two seats to his left shoves and everyone else folds back to UTG who has ~1250 behind. He folds!!! Dunno if he misclicked or what but that's a really dumb play. Another player on another table busts so we're down to 30 and there's 1 other stack under 1k at another table. I observe the other table and change my strategy to fold everything. Have a little insurance in case one of the tiny stacks does happen to double up.


It worked. The short stack at the other table eventually let himself be all-in in the SB when he could have taken a chance in the BB for a couple hundred more. Ended up 75 against another guy's AA and the aces thankfully held up. Our hero that put in 9k then folded actually busted a few hands later but got the money and the rest of us got the ticket. Not sure how it's mathematically possible for me to survive with so little but I'll take it.

Off to Vegas tomorrow so hopefully the ticket is still in my account when I come back. This is fun.