chrisjp 1500 NL report Part 3; getting ITM

[chrisjp]

Some time around now we make the dinner break. I think there were about 500+ remaining out of the 2700 that began. The average was about 16K and I think I had close to 20K. I know my Orange Table had broken and now I was moved to Blue # 30. I would spend a long time at this table, all the way into Level 10, the final Level of Day 1.

I loved this Table. Good ol' Blue #30. At least for a couple of hours. We come back from dinner and I have all passive players with relatively short stacks on my left and no good player. The biggest stack is immediately on my right but he is not at all aggro.

I'm in steal heaven. I raise, take it. Raise, take it. Wait a couple of hands. Raise, take it. I creep up to close to 30K. Then I get AKo OTB. One of the shorter stacks, with about 5K, moves in. I push. He shows 99. Off to the races. I river a K! Now I am at about 36K with the average in the low 20s. Life is sweet!

Every time someone busts you pray for a small stack to join the table. Good fortune happens one time, then again, then again. How long can this go on. The rock utg raises. He hadn't played a hand in ages but he had somewhat of a stack. I'm OTB with AQ. Well I folded it. I'd rather just continue stealing from him, and anyway he probably has AK or AA-QQ so why get involved.

But reality eventually returns. We are now in Level 8 400/800A100

An older gentlemen, moves in 3 to my left. He looks good. Then Connor Tate, with a stack of like 50K, moves into my BB. He looks like John Duthie and for a while I thought it was he. He appears very good and starts controlling the table. I go card dead. I lose a couple of small pots. The blinds keep moving around and I'm dwindling. I'm still about average with 25K or so and then this hand comes up. The good older player is UTG and he raises. I'm in the CO and have AA. Nice! But I've been very quiet. What to do, do I raise or just call. Well with Tate in the BB I can't just call, or don't want to. I put in a reraise. The raiser doesn't even think at all and folds. Oh well. I did win the pot. I get 77 and there is a raise. I call in late position. The flop is Td9dx I have the 7d. Raiser pushes, a big overbet. OK he has an overpair. Into the muck mine go.

I dwindle back down to 23K. We are about to go to Level 9 and I figure the bubble will break at this level. They pay 270 and we are approaching 325 or so. I pick up 77 OTB. It folds to the CO who raises to 2400. Now CO is a very timid player, but he's not that timid first in. 77 again. What to do. I start thinking about Connor Tate in the BB. Normally I would call here in a shot and try to outplay a weak tight opponent postflop. But I was concerned about the BB. If I call here, then will he try a squeeze play? What to do. I finally decide to raise, but I only raised to 6800 which will give the raiser good odds to call. Although he might not. But I figured that raise would prevent the BB from doing anything fishy.

So what happens? The BB moves in. Geez. The CO folds like a shot. So now I start thinking. Nice pot odds, but I only have 77. Why did I raise? I talked with Matthew about this later and he thought the raise was ill advised. I do too. I think it's a clear mistake. But this push by Tate is no move. He's got something and I don't want to know what it is. Not for my tournament live. I fold.

Now we are in Level 9, 500-1000/A100 Things start to slow down as the bubble approaches. I make a raise but have to give it up on the flop. Darn I wish I had that 3400 I threw away on that ill conceived 3 bet. Quit thinking about that Chris! I'm down to about 13K and things are slowing down. The average will be 30K when the bubble bursts but who cares about that. I need a hand! There are about 300 remaining. I'm down to 10K. This is torture! I'm in middle position with TT. Gotta push this. I'm all in. Connor Tate goes into the tank. Please fold kind sir. He thinks for a long time ... and folds. I get a one orbit reprieve.

Now there are about 280 players left. Table 31 left to break and then we are in the money! Now Tate with the big stack starts raising every hand. He makes no bones about it. It's bubble time and it's the "duty" of the big stack to raise. He tells the two shorties, shorter even than me, to stall until the go hand for hand. It's for their own good, and they need to do what others are doing. There is another table where two guys agree to check it down. They are both given a one orbit penalty and this penalty is announced to all. No checking down!

We get to 273 and they start playing hand for hand so stalling is fruitless. I get 88 in middle position. I am in Elmo EV mode and fold like a shot.

The play is so slow. We enter Level 10, 600-1200A100. Play is slow slow slow. And I need chips. Break this bubble please!

I liked the last hand for hand. There were 271 remaining so one more to bust the bubble. I have about 9K. For some reason Connor Tate UTG+1 folds. The two real shorties in middle and late position fold. Button folds. The SB, with absolutely no heart at all, completes. Completes? Why didn't he put me in? Because he's too scared that's why.
I have KQo and check. At this point the room starts applauding and so I know someone has busted. Of course all tables still must complete action. If lets say two bust, which is what happened, then they share 270th place and split the $2770. If three would have busted they would have each gotten 2/3 of a full share, etc.
Back to the hand.
The flop is AJT rainbow. There is now 3300 in chips in the pot. The SB bets 2400. I have about 7500 behind. I think for a little bit and say, "The bubble just broke, right. That means the bubble broke, right?" There is some confirmation from the table. A very friendly table. So then I say,
"All in"

SB winces and folds saying he has a ten. We are in the money. And I win an important pot.

The bubble burst and our table quickly breaks. Off to another table. I play about one orbit after being moved into the big blind. I'm on fumes with only 10,100 chips. Plus we draw for new tables. At least I get Seat 9 at my new table. That means I will be the button on the first hand of Day 2. We ended at about 1am, and Day 2 begins at 2pm. 13 hours off, not bad.

Nothing exciting about Day 2. I got a good table draw, no big stacks and passive play. They were dropping like flies. We started with 224 survivors and we lost about 60 of them in the first 30 minutes. I doubled once when A6>AK. I stole some blinds/antes. I pushed from the SB with J3o and BB folded. Twice I stole the blinds with AA.

I survived until Level 13, about 2 ½ hours into Day 2. I got moved to a table with Jean-Robert "Bobby" Bellande. This is the guy who was on Survivor. Let's just say he thinks he is god's gift to humanity, and we all know he isn't.

Being short is so awful. My M falls to about 2+. There is a raise and two calls. I have 64o. I fold. But immediately after folding I think that I should have been in there. Hope they have high cards or whatever. Just take a shot and hope to go from 15K to probably 40K or more. I need chips! The average stack is about 70K now. Anyway I folded and then the flop is J64. Whoops. Not sure I would have won it as there was some heavy action and no one called on the turn. I will never know.

Shortly after that I am dealt JTo. The player on my right raises. I reraise all in, only a small additional raise. I was hoping I wasn't dominated, and also hoping others would trail in behind, and just hope to win it. Well Bellande called and so did the raiser. 3 to the flop: Q97 2 suited. It's checked to Bellande and he bets into the dry side pot. Raiser folds. He shows 87o. I can't complain about that. But I need help of course. The turn is a K. And finally I have some chips! Well not that many but I'm up to about 30K. Average is about 75K.

Finally I get ATo in middle position. I push. Bellande calls and shows AQo. If I can just suck out here I will be fairly close to average. This time I'm not so fortunate.
No ten and I'm out.

105th for $4,063.
It was instructive, fun, sort of depressing, but not disheartening. Good experience.

Chris