Freerolling again
So it turns out they do still have the
Sunday $500 freeroll but fewer participants than in the past. Only 236 entrants
tonight with 50 getting paid. Not a bad ratio at all for a free tournament. Was
hovering around the starting stack for the first few levels when I get 88 in
the BB. The blinds were 60/120 with a 15 ante at this juncture. Folds to the
button who jams for 1090 and I call. He has 33 and hits his miracle 3 on the
turn. Same old shit.
Manage to get a blind steal with QJ
and then an orbit later at the 75/150-20 level I’m sitting with Q♣J♣
in the SB. UTG limps, button limps, and I decide to shove. Doubt I’m getting
them to fold but I have a good enough hand multiway that can put me back into
the tournament, so let’s gamble. BB folds, and both limpers call of course.
I have to sit it out while the flop
comes down Q♦9♦2♠, but I do have top pair at least (and at best). UTG checks,
button bets 2050, and UTG calls. Come on. Turn comes 5♥
and the button has just 35 left so they get it
in. River T♥.
My hand is up against two monsters: Q♠8♥
and T♦7♦ but somehow the
site ships the pot to me. In all seriousness though, how bad do my opponents
have to be to not only limp in with this trash but call a shove with it? Ahead
on every street with lowly QJ.
Manage to win a couple of small pots
and get up to 2445 with blinds 125/250-30. Pick up A♦K♦ on the button and
it’s actually folded to me. I think the BB is a donk that will raise a lot of
trash so I decide to be tricky and limp. No dice, SB completes and he checks.
Flop is pretty good though, 8♠7♦6♦ and he bets 250 after SB checks. I figure he
probably has a piece but it could very well be a lower flush draw with no pair
or something with a 5 in it chasing the dummy end of the straight. I shove for
my last 2165 and he calls after the BB folds. He has 9♥5♥. Shit. Turn
comes 3♥
and
the river comes 8♦. Yes, still in it!
Catch a run of bad cards and the few
good hands I catch (like AQ) I get no respect of the raise and have to
check/fold flop when I whiff. Down to about 2500 when I pick up 9♥9♠ 4th to act on a 9 handed table. Blinds 250/500-60 at
this point. I hate this spot because I’m never getting the limpers to fold and
99 is overcard city but I go with the correct play and shove. It gets folded
back to the limpers. UTG calls but UTG+1 shoves on top, and UTG is right there
to call (which puts him all-in). So we’re still going to the flop 3 ways. Rats.
They table their hands, UTG has A♣9♦ (lol) and UTG+1 has a more reasonable holding, A♠Q♠. Fade the flop of T♦6♥4♥ and the turn of K♥. River 5♥ which thankfully
I was the only one with a heart. Ran the
numbers on poker stove and I’m actually only 50% going into the flop (which
obviously is a huge equity advantage 3 handed but from a tournament survival
standpoint it’s a coinflip situation). But I take down a huge pot and by this
point there were like ~75 left and I had an above average stack for the first
time.
Nothing really spectacular happened the
next few orbits. Ended up getting moved a few times and we got down to the
final 50 pretty quickly. Didn’t even go hand-for-hand when it got down to 51
which surprised me. Picked up a few
small pots including a walk in the SB when I had 4♦2♦ and the SB could
have called all-in for like 120 more with 400/800 blinds and a 100 ante at this
point. This was after we already were in the money but I guess he wanted to get
anted out of the tournament instead of taking a random hand vs. random hand
shot. LOL.
Got down under 40 pretty quickly to
move up to the next cashing spot. $2.10 to $2.75. Woopee! There’s ~35 left when
I get into an interesting spot. I got moved to a new table, no reads on anyone.
I get A♦5♠ in the BB. 3rd to act open limps with blinds now
600/1200-150. Folded to me, I check m y option. I started the hand with 9900,
he has me covered by about 8k. Flop comes K♦T♦7♣.
I check and he bets 2100. We’re playing 8 handed so with the antes, blinds, and
his limp that represents a ½ pot bet. Really thought he was just stabbing, it
felt like such so I decided to shove for my final 8550 total. Figured as well
since I had the A♦ that takes the nut flush draw out of his range so this
might just be a total steal.
Didn’t work out. He calls, flips over K♥9♥ and I’m in rough shape. 5♣ on the turn gives me
a pair but the wrong one and T♠
seals my fate. So yeah, the results oriented part of me hates that play but I’m
not sure. I think it’s worth taking a shot at that point of the tournament. My
stack was below average and really trying to win it or at least get to the
final table rather than moving up a cashing spot. Conceivable he could have bet
hands like QJ or Tx maybe but probably needed something a little better like A♦5♦ for instance which would have given me some more equity in
the pot. Similar to the A♦K♦ hand earlier where I actually had a flush draw when I
shoved as a semi-bluff.
But still, good news that I am still
able to cash in this tournament. Have a few more dollars to play with now. Gives
me at least a chance to do something in the GPP tourney where I can actually
take the add-on now.
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