Final Table

In tonight’s GPP roll. Mostly happy with the way I played. Got my starting stack to 2k with a few pots during the rebuy period and took the $.10 add-on to get 3k more. At ~5500 at 75/150-20 level and I get T♠T♣. 7 handed table, UTG folds, UTG+1 makes it 400, next to act flats, and then a fold before it gets to me in the cutoff. I make it 2000 and it’s folded back to the original raiser who respects the reraise and folds, but the next guy calls for the rest of his chips (only had 1400 behind). Has A♦5♦ and flop comes with no diamonds thankfully, 8♠5♥2♥. Turn is 7♠ cause we can’t let him be drawing dead, can we? And of course the miracle on the river, 4♠ for the bullshit straight. 

Still have some chips to play with though and manage to get back to 5k by raising a limper from the button with A♣7♦ to 800 with blinds now 100/200-25. SB comes along for the ride too and after they check to me I shove the flop of 5♠4♣2♥ and they fold. Then a level later (125/250-30) I get Q♣5♦ in the BB. Defend a minraise from the SB with position. Flop comes Q♠Q♦8♦. I bet ½ the pot after he checks and get a call. Turn 3♦. He checks and I check back. Not sure if this was a mistake or not. River A♦ and now he bets 1200 into me. So my trip queens turns into a shitty flush and bluff catcher. I make the crying call and he has A♥T♦.

I was close to steaming at that point but luckily the break came a few hands later and luckily I was able to regain my composure and reassure myself that I’m still in it and I usually get knocked out by this point anyway. So pretty much in push/fold mode and with 2400 left and A♥J♣ in MP. I stuck it 2^nd to act and the guy behind me insta called. Folded around and he had T♥9♥. WTF? But this time the board runs out with my AJ holding up and I get a key double up. I think this was a level -1 player. 

Shortly after that I get moved to a different table. First hand I’m in the BB with 9♥3♥ and I get a walk. I show it cause I think that should be standard poker protocol. If it’s folded to the BB the BB should show the hand since it shouldn’t influence future action. Very next hand I get J♦5♠ in the SB and it’s folded to me. I have BB covered, he has just under 2.5k left with blinds 250/500-60 at this point. I raise just enough to put him all-in. Don’t know if this is the case or not but in my experience of playing online I’ve felt that betting just enough to put your opponent all-in looks stronger than just shoving. Like you’re pricing him in rather than trying to blow him off the hand. But he ends up folding and I take down another pot.

Very next hand on the button I pick up 9♥9♣. Folded to me again! Of course I raise now, making it 2230 which again is enough to put the player to my left all-in. But he ends up folding and the BB decide he’s had enough of me and puts me all-in. I gotta gamble with him, I gotta figure he pegs me as a maniac at this point and is rearising very light. He was: K♠7♠. But usually I probably have to call here anyway. Flop a set on an A♦T♣9♦ board and he’s drawing dead when he pairs his K on the turn. This puts me in an excellent chip position with over 12000 and more than the average stack for the first time since very early in the tournament. 

Manage to win mostly small pots after that to get to 21k when we reach the bubble. 11 left, 10 get paid. Blinds now 1k/2k-250 and I get a hand I couldn’t care less about in the BB, 8♦3♣, But I get a free look at the flop after a limper up front and the SB completing. It comes K♦3♥3♠. SB checks, I bet 4500 looking to just pick it up but the limper calls. Turn comes 6♥. I shove. If it’s a sick cooler it is what it is. But he folds and a few hands later we arrive at the final table. 

I’m mostly card dead once we get there so have to fold. Had a spot with K♦J♦ in the BB but with an UTG shove I couldn’t possibly call. This guy was showing down good hands as well (same guy that I raised J5 with the first hand at the table and he’s been on my left ever since, managing to accumulate chips). With blinds going up to 2000/4000-500 I find myself with a stack under 20k and A♦Q♣ UTG. Have 27728 left and can’t realistically raise 3 or 4x so I shove. Folded to BB who calls and has JJ! Yikes. I have him slightly covered and manage to spike an A on the flop to take him out. Then the very next hand in the BB I’m sitting with A♣T♣ and the SB shoved on me for his last 17800. Because of my win on the last hand I’m in a much better position to call this vs it being a tough decision so I call and he has 55. Flop comes Q♥8♣4♣, Q♦ turn, and 9♣ to give me a flush. Two flips in a row! Down to 6 and I am the chip leader. 

A few hands later I get A♣T♥ and in the CO open to 19000. BB raises all-in for 9k more and I call but don’t like it. He actually has K♦Q♠ so I’m ahead. But he flops a K and I turn now draws and cannot spike the ace on the river and now he has more chips then me when he was the one that was all-in. Such is the volatility of no-limit hold’em, especially tournament no-limit hold’em. 

We get down to 4 players though and it’s an awkward situation cause there is no SB in this hand on account of the player that would have been the SB getting eliminated and I’m sitting with K♣Q♠ on the button with the BB being 5k and 625 antes. I have 47k left and I am 3^rd in chips. Don’t like the idea of shoving with only the 1 blind but can’t fold this. So I raise to 15k, BB calls and has me covered. Flop comes J♣7♦5♣ and he checks to me. At this point I have one pot sized bet left. So I can try to pick it up or check back and effectively give up on the pot. I go all-in and he calls. I get the bad news, he has 5♠5♦. I actually pick up some outs on the turn with the T♦ but another one right behind it with the T♣ comes on the river and GG me in 4^th. I think I played it correctly and was just unlucky to be up against a set there but I still hate those spots. 

Collected $3.75 for my efforts however and I’m sitting with $8.50 in my account. Definitely have some money to try cash again and hopefully not get unlucky but not sure how I want to approach it at this point.