Every month or so, the “B’s” hold a poker tournament at their house with around 20-25 entrants and a $10 buy-in. The tournaments are very well organized (kudos to Adrian) and the food is always delicious. The people who come to these tournaments, friends and family members of the “B’s”, are all really nice people but what I love most about them is their passion for poker. They have a points system that awards points for players who make it into the money and the points are tallied up to determine the standings for Player of the Year. I only started coming to these tournaments since June and I’ve never made the money the 3 or 4 times I’ve come so I wasn’t in any kind of contention for the POY honors but with New Year’s eve being the last day of the year, the “B’s” decided to host their biggest tournament yet — a $50-buy in NL tournament.
The days leading up to this tournament, I had gotten second in a $20+2 online sng and a first (8 players), second (9 players), and first (9 players) consecutively at Tiffany’s house so my confidence level was pretty high. On the drive over to the “B’s” house, I told my brother my strategy was not to have one. I wanted to avoid pigeon holing my play and instead, focus on how people were playing and adapt to their style, something I hadn’t done the previous times I played at their house.
The tournament started with 21 entrants (7 players per table), 5000 in chips at 25/25 blinds and 20 minute levels. The blinds then went up to 25/50, 50/100, 75/150, 100/200, 150/300, 200/400, etc. Since the blinds were so low early on, I didn’t see any value raising preflop so I just limped in everytime and saw nearly every flop. For the first couple hours, everyone avoided going all in and the chips for the most part were pretty evenly distributed at our table. Two and a half hours into the tournament, we had our first break and I was down to 3700 in chips with the blinds at 200/400, the average chip count around 9300. When the tournament resumed, we were down to two tables and I got involved in a hand with Tiffany and lost about 700 in chips to her leaving me with about 3000 in chips. Then came the hand of the tournament for me. I was in the big blind with the blinds at 300/600. Everyone folded to the SB but I inadvertently checked my option out of turn, thinking the SB had called. She ended up just calling to see the flop. Knowing she saw me check out of turn, and not being raised, I immediately ruled out a pocket pair or an ace in her hand. The flop came out KK5 rainbow. I’m holding Q8 suited clubs. She checked, I checked. Turn card was a 7. She bets out 600. Now I know that flop didn’t hit her and she doesn’t have the ace and I don’t think she has the 7, so I figure my Q high is probably good here. I call. River card is a Ten. She bets 1200, which is a little more than half my stack. As she was throwing out her bet though, I noticed some nervousness in her face that told me that ten didn’t hit her. Calling here and being wrong would’ve been the end of the tournament for me but I really felt I had a good read on her and if you can’t follow through on your reads, you can’t be much of a poker player so I called with Q high. She showed 9 high and my chip stack catapulted to around 6000.
With chips to play with, I start raising preflop to 1500, stealing the blinds every 3 hands or so, building my chip stack to around 11,000. With blinds at 400/800, I started raising to 3000 preflop and got up to about 16,000 in chips. Then I got involved in a pretty big pot with Tiffany. On the button, I raise to 3000, she calls in the SB. Flop comes 4 6 9 with two diamonds. I’m holding ATo. Tiffany comes out betting 3000 chips, leaving herself with about 3000. I reraise all in. She thinks about it and says something to the effect of “I have a pocket pair but I want to make the final table” and folds (We were one person away from making the final table). She says she had pocket fives, so I show her my ATo. We decide to show the turn and river to see what would’ve happened. She would’ve won.
Now that I was the considerable chip leader at my table, I decide to start bullying. On the button again, I put Tiffany all in with 56o. She calls her last 3000 with A3 suited spades. The flop gives me a straight draw but two spades. Her hand holds up and she doubles up. A short while later, I decide to put another short stack all in with A6o. She calls with 99. I spike an ace on the flop and we were down to the final table. I was second in chips with about 26,000, the chipleader who was conveniently to my direct right, had 39,000 in chips.
The final table started with blinds at 500/1000. I decide to be the aggressor and picked up the first few pots. Then I started bullying the short stacks. I was in the SB with 92o and everyone folded to me. I look over at the BB who probably had like 3-4k left in chips. I reraise him all in. He calls and shows T9o. The Flop comes out Axx, two diamonds. Turn is another diamond. I’m holding 2d. River is an Ad and the crowd erupts in both astonishment and disgust. The chips come my way and we were down to 7. Shortly thereafter, I’m holding 77 and I raise preflop to 2500. Short stack reraises all in, which is another 1200 for me to call. I call and short stack shows A6o. My sevens hold up and we’re down to 6. The announcement is made to remind people that only the top 5 make it in the money so the next person out gets nothing. I get dealt A3 suited hearts and decide to raise it once again to 2500. Father “B” (aka Lolo) raises me to 5000, everyone else folds and I call. Lolo is 3rd in chips and probably has half my stack. Flop comes out 234 with two diamonds. I’m first to act so I check with the intent of check-raising. Lolo bets 5000. I look over and see he still has a lot of chips if he folds. Knowing that 6th place gets nothing, I thought maybe I could get him to laydown. And if he doesn’t, I still have 9 outs (2 threes, 4 fives, and 3 aces — about 36% to win) assuming he doesn’t already have the straight, AA, 22, 33, 44, 55, or 66. I couldn’t see him reraising me there with the lower pocket pairs so the only hand I was afraid of was AA. I decide to check-raise all in. He calls immediately with TT. Turn card was a blank. River card a 5, giving me a straight. The crowd this time is hysterical and boy was Lolo pissed. I felt kinda guilty having sucked out on two people at the final table but in order to get lucky, you gotta put yourself in that position. Can’t win the lottery if you don’t play. Had Lolo commited more of his chips to the pot, I don’t think I would have put him all in but by leaving himself with so many chips, I thought he would be able to lay it down considering he was one away from making the money and three other people considerably short stacked. Guess I was wrong. What I admire about him though is that he wasn’t playing to make the money – he was playing to win. Gotta respect that. After he busted out though, it was revealed to everyone that had he placed in the money, he would’ve overtaken his son-in-law for 3rd place in the POY standings. His son-in-law came by and thanked me personally. Talk about insult to injury.
A couple hands later, the three short stacks go all in. It was only 5600 to call so of course, both of us big stacks call it and check it down. Gerri went all in with 66, Tiff went all in with 77, and Monica went all in with 99. Thomas, the other big stack called with JQ. I called with T3o. Flop was JJx88 and Thomas and I were heads up. Blinds at this point were 600/1200 and I think the chip counts were around 60k/45k with me having the slight chiplead. I took an early lead when I limped in with 67o when Thomas raised 4k preflop. Flop came out 674 rainbow and I check. Thomas bets $4k, I check raise to $12k, he calls. Turn card is a blank and I go all in. He folds. A few hands later, I get dealt Ace with a weak kicker so I raise to $4k. He moves all in. I call. He shows AJ and wins the pot. Now he has 90k in chips and I have 15k. The very next hand, I limp in with T6o. Flop comes 4 6 7. I come out betting $4k, he moves all in, I call. He shows J3 and my hand holds up. At this point, I realize he likes to put me all in when I bet $4k preflop, so whenever I wanted him to go all in, I’d raise $4k. I doubled up once again and had the chiplead. Then we get it all in with my A8 vs. his AK. I hit an 8 on the flop. He hits a K on the river. I somehow manage to regain the chiplead after that and we get it all in again with my A5 vs. his AT. A 5 on the river and the tournament was over. My first final table and my first win at the “B” house. $450 in prize money. I couldn’t have asked for a better time last night and for better people to celebrate the new year with. What was especially rewarding was the fact that the “B’s” had gone through the trouble of buying and engraving a bracelet for the winner of the tournament.
