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 :-)