I do not really consider 4th place a win but when you play in a 37 person tournament and cash, its a win. I was also very happy with my play overall. There was only one hand that I really did not feel like I played well. When I busted I had around 9200. A good player who I never met before raised to 3200. He had about 14000 left and blinds were 600/1200. I had 66 and I instantly pushed allin. Even though it was only 6000 to call, I did not think he was big enough to call and he seemed good so I figured he did not want to leave himself shortstacked. I was correct about everything except for the fold equity. Its happened to me at the loft before and I even discussed with one of the dealers as to why there is no point in pushing into raises at the final table because there is no fold equity.
He called with KJ which won the race on the river against my 66. I felt if I won that hand I was going to win the tournament. I am still not upset with the push because there was not a lot of fold equity at the table anyway so winning with an M of 5 was going to be tough without a double up.
This was again another night of big pot poker. Early on I limped with TT in the co. It was a 5 way pot after the button raised to 120. The flop came KQ5 rainbow. I was ready to muck after checking to the button and the button checked. The turn was a J and the 4th suit. The SB came out betting 220 into a pot 600. I had this sense that he had JQ, 55, KJ, KQ, a hand that would tough to laydown. He was also out of position. I was certain he would come out betting big on the river so I called. The river was a 7 and he came out be 2/3rds of his stack. I was right he had 55 so I think that was a great call with TT there because I was sure I was busting him if I hit. Unfortunately the button called so I knew if a Ten hit I needed to let go of the hand which took 2 of my busting outs away.
My next hand was unfortunate. I kind of pride myself in always being in ahead when my tourney life was on the line. Jinman....Mr Lag himself had been in several pots. The blinds were 40/80. He had 1100 and I had 1590. Jinny UTG + 1pushes allin after a UTG limp. I am sitting there thinking...what? Then I realize its Jinny, he might be pissed and he just wants to win a pot or he has Aces. The player next to him flat calls and has about 6k behind him. Its folded to me and I needed to make a very tough decision. I have QQ. I know Jinny does not have AK, it has to be either AA or random nothing. But the key is I know I have the other play crushed. If he has AK, he instacalls, he did not insta-call and the only had I am worried about here is AK. I know if I push overtop he has to call and I win a pot of 1000 bringing me back in the game. If Jinny has nothing I hit a huge pot. Even if Jinny has AA, I am paying 500 for a 20% shot at 2500 so I have the odds to make the push, I do. I say to Jinny "you have AA"....Jinny turns over AA....yikes. Other player turns over 55 and the player who was BB says oh, I folded 55. The flop came Q high and Jinny never improved and neither did the 55 and I took a pot of over 4000. I think the logic behind my push makes sense but I hate being crushed when I pushed....I guess I was only half crushed.
I then played the next biggest stack the table with AA. I raised a little weak for AA (only to 170 at the 20/40 level) but even with 5 players in the hand I saw the perfect flop, 233. I bet pot and got 1 caller. I knew the guy was dead unless his pocket pair hit. The turn was a 9 and he did not look like it did anything for him so I went all-in. He insta-called and I flipped over AA and he never showed his hand so now I am up over 8000. For the next hour or so I stayed around the 8000 chip count and then tried to re-raise a good player from the cutoff with ACKC. I do not really ever re-raise with AK but I sense weakness and thought he would fold when I came back over the top for 2/3 of his stack. Blinds were 150/300 and he still had 3800 if he folded but he could not call as it would leave him with just 2000. He made the decision to push and he flipped over KJ and said he needed to gamble. Very confusing play when you have 1200 in a pot and you put another 3600 in thinking you need to gamble and you have a hand like KJ. But I want that kind of call everytime but again like at WNP, I made a move on a good player expecting them to fold and they pushed all-in when they were crushed and then sucked out... So onto the final table shortstacked.
They started the final table with 11 handed. The final table usually plays so slow anyway and out of complete boredom not wanting to play with a small stack. I pushed all with 9S10S and got called by 88. I flop a pair and a straight draw and hit the straight on the turn and doubled up. I then waited patiently for a hand and for people to bust. The poker was horrible it was crazy for a final table but I am not anyone had ever played one before. People were limping with sooted connectors and 43os. Just the limping was crazy. Down to 5 handed and the bubble I pushed with QJo UTG and got called by the big stack who had J10o. I held up and had some chips again. The play was so bad 5 handed it was scary. I pushed allin 4 orbits in a row from the SB when the action was limped to me. The first time I had 93 sooted. The last 3 times I was huge...I had pp all 3 times and the last time I pushed with QQ. I wanted a call so bad but never got one.
Finally with blinds still going up, the new player who I met had been playing aggressive. I laid down so many hands to his raises and I was sure I had a good read on when he was strong and when he was weak. Finally he raised to 4000 with the blinds 600/1200. I only had 9500 left but he only had about 18000 so I felt with the size of the blinds he would need to fold any weak hand as losing the hand would cripple him. Again with a weak final table fold I looked for fold equity where there was not any and I pushed with 66. He did not think long or even count his chips and he called with KJ. I was good until the river when he hit his jack and I busted 4th. Considering the field it was disappointing but when you consider, I chopped the go further bet and had my buy-in paid for me because someone owed me $60, I went home with a $210 gain.
Onto to renfrew on Saturday....
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