The $75 game

Buyin was $69 plus $6 rake, so $75 in total. It was a SNG with 45 players, top 6 would get paid.

KQo as BB does not pay off; I call a minraise but have to fold to a potsized c-bet with only an oesd. Later I raise 88, BB calls but fortunately folds to my c-bet on a KKQ-flop (I was not too happy about betting here, but I had to try it). This put me back to my starting stack of 1500.

A round later I get a free round as BB, the first of what would turn out to be quite many free rides... The blinds are up to 40/80 now and my first steal (QTo in MP) works out: again 1500.

I survive an early scare when the SB calls my steal attempt with T2 (hey, I was the button!) but folds to my c-bet on an AJ9 flop. Here I used the fact that from his perspective, my most likely high card was an Ace. Losing this pot would have put me down to 765, but now I had 1645. It could have been a pretty short tournament for me!

A round later, I pick up A6 in 2nd position (out of 7). The blinds are already 60/120, my stack is 1500 and I decide to just push here - my M was only a little over 8. Fortunately all fold.

A funny hand as BB: we check a hand down until the river gives me a single, lowly pair and the SB minbets. I call and it turns out we both have K5 in our hands, so we share the pot!

Steal with JTs OTB by pushing my 1675 chips: 1855. The next time I am BB, I pick up my first premium hand: AQo. But it is folded around to me! The second free ride, but I was not too happy about this one.

Another round later, I have my first preflop all-in confrontation when I push T9 OTB and get called by a short stack with QTs. Losing this would have cost me half my stack. The board: J 8 J (giving me an open ended straight draw) Q (bingo... quite a cruel card here) 4. Now I have 2600, but this is still well below average at this point. It puts me in about the middle of the field.

Since everybody saw my cards, I decide to lay low for a couple of hands. But when I pick up A8 three hands later in 2nd position out of 6, I decide to do a standard threebet, which works: 2835. A round and a half later, I am UTG and pick up JTs again. There are again 6 players at the table, blinds are 100/200 and my stack is 2500, so my M is again a little over 8. I decide to push and all fold. The blinds actually go up to 120/240 on the very next hand, so my M was actually only 7.

My first race of the tournament occurs when I pick up JJ as SB and the button pushes with AQo. The board is 8 10 10 10 2 and my opponent has 147 chips left after this debacle. (Nevertheless, he would go on to finish in the money! In fact, he would remain seated to my immediate right and gave me quite a few free rides later.

On the very next hand, he beats K9 with A3 on a K3x flop and a 3 turn. Two hands after that he beats ATo with KTs (K on flop). The hand after that he pushes UTG and all fold! He now has 1600 again (blinds 120/240). THEN he gets AK as BB and doubles up when AQ pushes: 3400! The next time he is BB after this, he has AQ and beats JJ from the button: 7000. It was quite astonishing to watch this.)

Meanwhile I was just staying quiet, because I was not getting any cards, so I had slowly dropped to 4770 by this time. I then raised first in as SB with A5 and was not very happy to see the BB flat call. The flop came 3 4 7. I deemed this unlikely to have hit my opponent and pushed my remaining 4k into the 2k stack: he folded. (The blinds were 150/300 by this time.)

On the next hand, I called a raise myself with AQo, but missed the flop: 5k. I then got JJ in 2nd position (out of 6) and raised to 1000. The next player pushed and I had to call: my second race! Board 9 5 3 6 10 and now I had 10k... This was clearly above average and put me in the top 3 of about 12 players remaining.

I lose quite a bit of this stack a few hands later however, when my opponent refuses to fold to my steal as well as to my c-bet: 7700 chips left. Next time I am BB, I pick up 55. Only the button calls for 400, I make it 2000 to go and he folds. I pick up 55 on the next hand as well. This time I decide to just limp in, the flop is Q44 but the BB bets out before I get a chance. I wisely fold but the SB raises! Phew...

I raise with ATs against the same player who refused to fold before, this time he fortunately wisens up and folds immediately: 8500. With this, I reached the final table, which I reported on before (see earlier post).