Pittsburgh Poker Open Event #22

I played in Event #22 Friday night.  Wow, was that room packed!  Between the 7pm tournament, the 5pm satellite, 9 pm satellite and lots of cash games going on I think at one point, every table was in use and almost full.

I started out at seat 9, I was a few minutes late due to Pirate game traffic, however I only missed 9 hands as I sat down right after my first BB was folded away.  14950 starting stack.  My table dynamics were a LOT of loose calls.  I expected this would probably be the case, more so than other nights, as it was Friday night.  Lots of hands had 5 players, either limped or 4-5 callers of a preflop raise.  I was going to play tight and have to be more picky about spots.  The guy to my left was a particularly determined calling station.  I don’t think he found a hand he could fold the whole time he lasted… The guy across from me, was the “pro” guy everyone has played with, who talks all about having the odds and a few times berated other’s play.  He had a “partner in crime” who he must play with in other games that they were both talking back and forth about hands and pretty much thinking they’re the best.  I never saw these 2 guys make any “good” plays, just watched them standardly lose chips, probably because it just wasn’t their day, not that they’re playing badly because they are soo much better… Oh well, it was entertaining for me, anyway…

In the first couple orbits and levels I actually had Jacks once, 10s three times and every time I raised I’d get 4-5 callers and I never hit a set and I’d pretty much have to fold after maybe a c-bet.  I was all the way down to about 7800 when I looked down at Ks.  With so many players looking to see flops and calling so much my first instinct was to just shove all-in(13 blinds) and hope someone just called me and I could double up.  I also didn’t want to waste my hand and have everyone fold.  So I raised(300-600) to 2200, almost 4x the blinds.  Guy 2 to my left shoves all in for 1600 and 2 players call.  I wish he’d had enough to open the action…  My hope at this point was no aces on the flop and I can shove.  The door card, however was the Ace of spades, I saw it the whole way from the dealer’s hand to the felt…flop was A-K-6, AHA! This is even better than a no-aces flop.  I can shove here and possibly get called by an ace that might talk themselves into believing I’m one of those guys that doesn’t know the “check it down to eliminate a player” unwritten rule.  I love exploiting this “rule”.  Remember, anytime anyone has a general notion of how you will probably play a hand, you open yourself up to be exploited, and lose your advantage…checks to me and I shove.  So the pot has 1600*4+900=7300,  600*3=1800 in the side-pot and I shove for almost 6K.  Next player tanks, to the point I know she’s got a mid-ace and doesn’t know if I know what I’m doing.  After almost a minute she calls, it’s probably ¾ of her stack.  “Pro” guy was the other caller and he folds after mowing it over a few times.  She flips over A-7, shove guy has A-Q and my set holds up and I’m thinking I’m back in the hunt with 22K in chips. 

 

A few of the looser players at the table were starting to felt off and so I was able to play a little more of my style of poker, plus I was on the stronger side of the chip stacks now so I was able to bully a little bit around.  I had my stack up to about 30K+ when I was in the hijack with K-10diamonds and the pit-boss or whoever comes over to break up the table.  Everyone folded to me and started to leave, so I raised it up to 1600(300-600 50 ante) “pro” guy’s cohort called and “Pro” guy called.  Flop was Qd-9-9.  “Pro” guy checks, I bet out 2200, cohort calls, “Pro” guy folds. I was actually thinking about either bluffing the turn or giving it up if a brick hits, when the Ace of diamonds hits the turn.  I felt like this is a really good card for me.  I can rep the Ace, all while putting out more chips with the nut flush draw and a gut-shot straight draw in case they hit.  Granted, I still have to be careful of the possible monsters this guy could have, but his most likely holdings are mid-pairs, 8-9, 9-10 and A-9.  The Ace hit so it’s less likely that’s his hand.  I’m not favored against a 9, but if I get my draw I’m going to get paid.  Also, the back-door nut flush draw is so hidden that I can get paid off with a lot more than a 9.  I bet out 2800 and he calls…  The river, was an unexciting 5c, I possibly should’ve given up there, but 3-barreling is so often an unused play by anyone bluffing that I’m finding it’s very profitable in most cases so I put out a small “value-ish” bet of 3600.  Cohort actually thought for a few seconds and then just decided to call, flipping over 8-9 and taking the pot.  I wouldn’t have lost that much if the Ace didn’t show up, and I probably just needed to give up on the river, but oh well.  I think if he doesn’t have the 9 there, he’s probably folding… Now I’m sitting on 22K and I’m at a new table.

 
This table... was... awful...  I sat down, looked around to see who had all the chips and it was nobody…I wondered how this could happen, everyone basically had their starting stacks or less.  I would’ve been the chip leader had it not been for another guy from my previous table who sat directly to my right, who only had me slightly covered.  The reason this table was so awful wasn’t yet evident to me.  I just figured the entire table must be playing pretty tight and I figured myself, and probably the guy to my right, who played pretty decently at my other table, would be taking advantage.  Here’s the problem, 2 to my left was a guy I can only describe as a shorter version of that scary family’s kid from The Burbs movie…the one with the sinus-thing going on…he just looked like that guy mixed with Duck Dynasty.  I could smell the beer emanating from his thoughts… First hand after the break it folds around to him.  He stared blankly out into the abyss of his own mind…At first I thought he didn’t know it was his turn.  Then he picked up a few chips, set them down, picked them up as in to make some kind of game-play movement, then to sit them down again.  He then asked what the raise was…there wasn’t any… Then, peculiarly, he just folded… Now this progression of movements and thought or lack thereof lasted about 2 and a half minutes… then an older gentleman limped, he was probably the LEAST interesting man in the world… He played a pot with the guy to his left that kind of looked like what I think Biggie’s little brother might look like.  Every one of these 2 players actions took what seemed like an eternity… This table was right in the middle of the poker room, and it felt like I was in the perfect storm of looooong decisions….  I figured this must be what a poker player’s hell would look like… After only playing 4 hands at this new table I looked up at the clock and we had 3 minutes left(20 minute blind levels)  I was visibly annoyed, looking at the guy to my immediate left a few times as if to ask, is this “EVERY F%$#$ING HAND???” … to his look back at me as if to say “OMG…YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!”  I wanted to make a table announcement that this table isn’t being televised and that not every decision warrants a tanking… I figured I would either be out by blinding down and killing myself or I was really hoping for a miracle that I could be moved from this table.   Something better happened…maybe...  Burbs and Least Interesting Man both somehow folded…  It was like proof of a higher power.  We were all enlightened.  I heard tidings of good Joy… I’m in the small blind, the button, guy to my right who was at my other table, limps.  I felt his pain, he was feeling the same way I was, finally, a hand we can play and not feel super irritated every street!  I thought the fact the other annoyances folded might also get BB to call a raise more often than he normally might.  So I look down at 2 red Aces…nice!!!  I raise it up to 2500 in the small blind, BB folds, button calls.  Flop is 10-8-4 rainbow.  Now instead of playing this pretty dry board slow, I’m hoping this guy reverts back to the hand he saw me 3 barrel bluff at the other table, just 6 hands(and 35 minutes including the break…) prior.  I bet out 3600.  This is exactly the same bet I made on the river of that hand.  I’m expecting him to call monsters(sets) here because he knows I’m capable of a big bluff, raise me with bluffs/semi bluffs or fold.  With a moment of thought, he raises me to 15K and I shove pretty quickly for like 3-4K more.  He calls and flips over a little sheepishly, Q-9.  He did exactly what I wanted him to do.  He’s pretty much dead except for a Jack to complete his gutter-draw.  I feel pretty good, like now I can survive this horrible table probably at least until we’re broken up.  The turn is a 6c and I actually felt a little sick, thinking it would be really gross to see a 7 hit the river…  Just as I thought it, the 7 appeared and as simple as that, I was out in 60^th place…  I don’t know how long I could’ve kept my sanity at that table had I not doubled up or been KO’d though, so maybe it was actually a blessing either way… 

In the end, there were 108 entries, I was KOd 60^th.  I really believe I could’ve made it to top 20 had I won that 88%-12% postflop “race”.  Winner took home 3600, prize pool was 9700, which seems low for 108 entries…but 3600 for 125 is still a really nice score without online gaming a viable option anymore…unless you’re Terri :-)

The Pittsburgh Poker Open: Event #10

Last year, or possibly the year before that...I heard the Rivers casino was hosting what they called The Pittsburgh Poker Open. This is a series of tournaments where they're using a points system, they have trophies for every event and a "MAIN EVENT" with an $1100 buy-in. Well, I swore that I would play in these someday and that day was Monday night. Monday night's tournament was a $100+$25 buy-in NLHE tournament. Blinds are 20 minutes, however they go up pretty steady, giving a decent amount of play. You start with 15K in chips and there's no dealer add-on. 

Well, I was a little weary of playing on a Monday because I thought there might be no players, however, there ended up being 88 entries. This doesn’t mean there were 88 players(I think it was more like 70), however, because nowhere you look says that the Pittsburgh poker open tournaments are re-entries, unless you look at 1 of 2 posters in the poker room… Oh well, re-entries aren’t playing like rebuys, at least that I’ve seen so far. Again, Re-entry is buying in again and getting an already sitting stack that’s been blinded down. The re-entry period is till level 7, so that’s about 2 hours 20 minutes in. Again, I think it sounds worse than it is in actuality, at level 7 you probably have 10 bets or less, not worth 125 buy-in... Anyway, I started off playing well, I had a tournament pro to my right(I bought in behind him and his buddy talking about international poker rooms and they both had a huge roll they were playing from), however, he wasn’t very active and we pretty much stayed away from each other, almost taking turns opening and c-betting it down. He was able to triple up and I was worried he’d start playing big-stack bully but he actually seemed to play a little tighter and more timidly against me. I was pretty glad to be to his left, however, just so that when he folded I was able to raise and I didn’t have to worry about him playing against me. I was up to about 18K and a few flush draws that missed put me down to 15K(starting stack) when 200-400, Construction Bill(that’s what they called him) opens to 1200 utg and gets a caller, I look down at pocket Aces and make it 2800 and the guy 2 to my left shoves for 9 more. Folds around to me and I call, of course. Aces vs Kings and they hold up, actually flopping an Ace was really nice. Next hand folds to me in middle position I raise it up with KQ of hearts to 1k and get 3 callers, flop is 10d-Jd-A, I figured this probably hit one of these guys ranges and there’s too many draws to let anyone get free cards. I also thought check-raising seemed too obvious and I was c-betting most hands I raised pre-flop with. So I put out 2300, 1st caller shoves for like 6K, next guy shoves for 18K, 3rd guy folds and I call, figuring I’m going to have to fade a draw or more. First guy has AJ and flopped top 2, next guy has Ad-6d for a pair and a flush draw. Turn is a K, river is a 6 and just like that I’m up to about 60K in 2 hands! Soon after players started dropping like flies, we went from 70 players to 40 pretty quickly. I got my stack to about 85K at one point. I had a few unlucky hands after that though, but was able to stay at a steady 60K picking a few spots and raising against limping nits when I could. I was moved around a few times, which is sometimes tough because you don’t know the table dynamic right away. Plus I was liking my current table a bunch! The last level before break 2 I was put at table 1, seat 4. It was a nice table, “Construction Bill” was there, lots of guys talking about “PA Poker” were there…some other familiar faces from the other tables. There was this really older gentleman that had a strange accent and a TON of bling…a guy told me at break he owned a few clubs and was one of the richest people in the burgh…that said, this guy was the slowest player imaginable… It was really hard not to tilt having the dealer have to tell him every time to put in his ante and how much and explain so much to him… A redeeming factor was that this guy was a huge foul-mouth, everything was you mother%#%er this and these mother%#$ing cards and that…all with a smile, mind you… I thought he was hurting my chances by taking so long and making every hand really long, at least the ones he was playing in. One hand he limped and 2 more limpers joined and I had pocket 10s so I raised 2.8x and he called. Flop was Q-9-Q, he checked and I bet 4.5x, he called. K on the turn and he bet so I folded. 

I really felt like raising him there, it just seemed like he was repping a Q and it’s just hard to flop trips, however, he definitely didn’t seem to be playing hi-level poker from what I saw, so I figured he wouldn’t bluff all that much, plus all I had was a gut-shot at that point. I think he was getting smacked with the deck a few times.

Sitting at that table, we went from 25 to 14 players in 1 level, 2000-4000, 300 ante. At this point I felt like I should be able to make the final table…Then I was moved to the other table, and now I felt like we were a little handy-capped because we were flying much faster through hands than I was prior, meaning blinds and antes were eating us a lot faster...although the other way to look at it was that I had more opportunity to accumulate more chips at this table prior to the final. I had 60K, blinds are 2500-5000, 500 ante I was able to “survive” winning a few hands preflop uncontested. The guy to my right appeared to be playing to hopefully make the money, and in doing so, was folding even to the point he gave me 2 walks and I once raised on his limp and he folded. He went from almost my stack size 60-ish to 15K just folding his way to the money, hopefully…then he was able to double up with KQ vs A-9, now he’s sitting on 28K. We lost 2 in that level and so now we’re sitting on 12 players, 6 at each table.

3000-6000, 500 ante. I’ve got 53K and just gotten through the BB where short-stack folded to me again. Now he’s the button and it folds to him, he shoves for 28K. I look down at pocket 9s and prior to looking I wanted to just about fold anything, save monsters…well 9s at a 6-handed table where almost everyone’s got about 10 bets give or take I figured I had 2 options, shove or fold. I didn’t feel like calling because it gives the big stack to my left(BB) the option to see a flop cheaper, and I’ll be forced to hopefully check it down or fold to most boards if he bets at any point and now I’ve just chopped my stack in half by calling. I’ll have to shove or fold in –EV situations on just about any flop unless we’d both hit the board. I went with shoving my 58K as the better option. (Fortunately?), Big stack calls quickly and I'm scared until he flips over pocket 3s, which isn’t even in what I thought his calling range in this spot would be, I’m pretty happy with it, though. Even if I lose the flip with short-stack, I will still come out slightly over what I started with (58-28=30*2=60) so even if I lose to k-10, 80% of the time I’m coming out slightly over even. 20% of the time I’m the bubble, and something like 40% of the time I’ll be sitting on a stack of 144K heading into the final table… I think it’s probably very difficult to find as good a spot as this at this point in the tournament, right?

Well, the flop was Q-10-5, giving the short-stack his race-win, however, like I said I was in good shape to come out a little over exactly even, then the turn was a 3 and I couldn’t pull a miracle out of my a$, the river was another 10, giving the entire pot to Big stack 3s… I think 3s make a mistake calling 2 all-ins, however, I can’t complain when someone tries to give me their chips, right?
In the end I probably knocked out 6 players, accumulated at the height of my stack 85K-ish and instead of folding to the money, I feel like I went for a decent shot at winning...and got really, really unlucky...
 
Playing again tomorrow night, I wonder if there’ll be more or less entries? They're also playing satelites for the main at 100+25 re-entry, starting with 5000 chips... I hope they have close to the same amount of entries even with the satellites.

Wish me luck! At least 9s over 3s luck!

FYI: Each event has it’s own “trophy”….I’d really like to get my name on “any” trophy this century…

Almost "Making It"...?

So I played in the satellite to make it into the 550 month-end.  I had to re-enter early($30), however I was playing really well and when we got to top 4(30 players, 48 entries, they paid 3, 2 get entry to $550) I realized these guys were playing way too timidly.  I was able to pick spots to shove while we were all short-stacked and finally the guy to my left went all-in and I had pocket Aces for the first time(Actually 1st time I had anything JJ+ all day)  The rockets held up and a short time later the other 2 stacks tangled and one KOd the other.

I was pretty excited to play in a tournament of this "stature?"  I don't have $550 or anywhere near that lying around to play in a poker tournament(yet...) so I couldn't wait to see what level my competition might be playing at.  I was actually surprised the first couple levels to see everyone playing very ABC and fairly timid.

Blinds in this tournament were 40 minutes(HEAVEN!!), you start with 25K and I put in $5 for another 5K, started with 30K. There were 60 players, I was at table 3, seat 9, Sitting to my left(10) was a guy that had a Brooklyn-esque accent, little guy, and he was talking to who I’d generalize as internet kid gone semi-pro(in Pittsburgh) due to Black Friday about games in AC and how they were both at Borgata, they also talked about playing in the 10/20 that Rivers sometimes has… As soon as I sat down, Brooklyn says, “So, you won the satellite, huh, congratulations!” At first I was like, thanks…now I’ll look like fresh meat to these guys…but it may have worked in my favor as I was able to get respect for my 3bets/4bets and a few(including Brooklyn)times tried to run me over light.

I didn’t really need to force action or anything, it would eventually come if I had the patience to wait for it.So I folded a lot in that first level and a half, watched everyone else, .I 3-bet AQ once and was able to c-bet it down.One other time with A-Q I 3bet in the BB, and had 2 callers, one of which was Internet Kid IK.The flop was K-brick-brick and we all checked, so I was going to bet most turns and it was a K, so my thought was that since we all checked, any pair is going to call a turn bet here, so I’ll bet the river.Unfortunately it was a K and I felt that anyone with a pair is going to still think their hand is probably good (they’re not going to put me on a K…basically) so I checked hoping A-high could still be best.Internet Kid had 3s… In hindsight, if I bet, 1^st caller might call with Ace high and IK has to fold, however, 1^st caller might fold and I lose a bet, too…oh well, it was a small pot, so no biggie I suppose… I was also able to read one guys soul by calling him down with A-high on a pretty dry board.  Hero calls feel good, but I try not to let them get me in trouble...

One hand in particular Brooklyn tried to bully me. I had As-10s in the big blind, I believe we’re at 100-200, I had about 36K, Brooklyn(25K) limped under the gun. A few others limped and I don’t like playing my mid-ace out of position so I raised it up to 425 hoping to take it down. Brooklyn calls, all else fold(I know, right…?Players folding…?) Flop is not too shabby, 9-J-Q rainbow. I think this flop is nice, it possibly hit my opponent’s range well and I’m open ended. I thought I should be able to call a raise so I bet out 750, he raised me to 2200. I called, turn was an 8d, completing my draw, putting 2 diamonds out there. Based on his raise prior I felt like if he’s got a one pair hand he’ll check here as well, 2 pair hand he might bet and/or either way I felt it would be the only way to get value on the river, so I check, he bets out 5K, I thought about raising but I figured I wouldn’t get anything more from him unless he bets the river so I called. River was another 8. I was pretty ok with this card and thought for sure he’d bet any of his bluffs and maybe his 2 pair hands and I probably wouldn’t get a call from anything I was beating…. I wasn’t worried about any sets-turned-boats as I don’t think he’d limp in early position with 9s, Js or Qs, that would seem like a bad idea as the table wasn’t all that raise-happy preflop. I checked and he bet out 9K, I called instantly and he mucked, nice! Then he was somehow livid at my apparent calling of his flop raise with “only a gut-shot…?” That took about ¾ of Brooklyn’s stack and someone else finished him off for me.(seat 10 was no luck for anyone throughout the day there)

Some-time later I tried to pick on a guy who seemed to get a little too raise-happy.  He was in the hijack position with Supercop sunglasses and I was in the BB(68K).  He opened to 1200 and had about 8K behind(I took a lot of his stack earlier as well).  1 caller in the Internet kid and he was playing really tight so I figured him for a middle pair-type hand, to just call like that.  I looked down at A-3h and decided I could probably take this down, or at least put the 1^st player’s tournament life on the line, so I raised it up to 3600.  Unfortunately, Supercop shoved all in for 6K more, Internet Kid folded and I felt like folding, however if I can put supercops range on some 10s,Js,Qs,Ks as well as Aces that have me crushed, I’m not sure calling isn’t an “ok” option.  So I called and he flipped over AK, the board was particularly non-action oriented and I lost pretty quickly.  I’m not sure if that was a mistake or not, but I didn’t really put this guy on wide ranges much afterward.

One hand I made possibly a mistake, I think, on was we’re at 500-1000 blinds, I’m sitting at 65K still.  I look down at Jacks, so I open raise it up to 2600 in mid position.  Player at seat 1(I’m at seat 9) calls, as well as BB.  Flop is K-9-4 rainbow.  BB checks, I’m kind of hoping to take it down at this point and I bet out 3300, seat 1 calls, BB folds.  Turn is a 6, putting 2 spades out there.  I bet out 5K and this guy calls.  The river is a blank and I bet out 6500.  The crazy part is that this guy raises me to 15K and I really can't figure out what he's got that would call the whole way down and only now raise me...AK or nothing... I don't know, maybe it makes sense but it had me fooled at the time so I called and he flipped over KQ.  At this point I realized this guy couldn't be thinking on a high level unless he thought I could fold Aces there... The next hand a guy I'd characterize as Faraz Jaka's possible cousin tried to take advantage of this guy's strange play, except he also tried 3-barrel-bluffing him, which only knocked himself out, bluffing 5s into this guys 10s...he just called the whole way down, almost oblivious to the board...I never got another chance to play against this guy.

So now I'm down to about 45K, 500-1000, 20 players left, and utg(guy recently sat down with 80-100K in chips and said to IK that he'd recently gotten 3rd at HPT) raises to 2500, I reraise to 6K with AKoff.  Folds around to HPT and he asks me how much I got left.  I open my arms to show him my stack and he says "All-in"  I wasn't sure I actually heard him right, a guy at the table behind us was talking loudly about a hand so I asked "You're all in?"  and I got a nod.  He had a weakness about him, I double-checked my cards and I didn't think he'd play Aces this way, it seemed a tad too aggressive with his stack compared to mine, so I called.  He said good call and flipped over K-10suited and I felt like I was in a great spot to double up...until the dealer put out 9-J-Q...HPT said sorry and I told everyone good luck and marched a tired me out the door and back home.  I played from 9am to about 5:30pm and I was surprised at how tired I was...  I hate thinking about the coulda/woulda/shoulda, but when I saw the K-10 I really felt like I was going to make a big splash in my bankroll that day...well, I'll just have to wait...