I just got back from a very interesting tournament at my local casino in Plymouth. It was a private tournament for the members of the plymouth universty poker society, 41 entries I ended up 7th. The payout was top 6.
Anyway I start of getting terrible hands and folding, eventually I look down at J3 suited and decide it's the best hand I've had all day and I call. The flop comes and I hit a jack it's 3 handed and a player bets into me, I call and everyone else folds. On the turn the bettor checks to me and I take the free card, I decide his hand can't be that strong if he's not going to bet again and when I river 2 pair I know I'm ahead. He bettor bets again and I raise 3 times his bet, he pays me off. Despite a decent start I got shortstacked when I made a very risky bluff and it didn't come off.
I raised pre-flop with JJ about 3 1/2 times the big blind, I get one caller who has Q9 (loose call in my opinion). He hits his queen on the flop and I'm sure that he's hit in so I check and he bets. I check raise him a very high amount committing a lot of my stack to make it look convincing, I know I'm trying to push him off a better hand than me but it does not work. It does get me 2 free cards but I don't hit my J and I'm left shortstacked.
Anyway I manage to rebuild I won a couple of decent pots, I got aces limped it then after I got a pre-flop raise I went all in and got called and knocked out someone holding AJ. I had the aces UTG so I was confident I could trap someone as it was an aggressive table. I get to the final table shortstacked, I get in a position where I have to move in the next 2 hands because the blinds would pass me leaving me with almost nothing. I fold 104 UTG hoping to get something better on my big blind. I do, I get Q2 suited, someone raises before it gets to me, I go all in and fold myself against a pocket with 1 overcard which I hit on the river.
The hand that I went out on was a very risky call by me but I think it was worth the risk. I am still very short and there are some huge stacks on the table, I know I am one position away from the money but I'd rather go for the win so when 2 people go all in pre-flop and I look down at 44 I go all in too. I expected to be up against 3 overcards and I was right. This is what I was up against:
Player 1 - A9 - more chips than me
Player 2 - AK - less chips than me
If I win this pot I put myself in a position where I have a big enough stack to give me a chance of winning and where I can play normal poker, this is why I took the risk. I obviously expect one of the overcards to hit but each different overcard gives a different outcome.
9 hits - Me and Player 2 are eliminated but as I have player 2 covered I come 6th place he comes 7th and I make the money.
K hits - Player 2 wins but I win a lot of chips from player 1 giving me more than what I had.
A hits - Player 2 wins but Player 1 also beats me leaving me with no chips and no money.
Then of course there is the small chance I make a set or the 4s hold which leaves me with a very good stack.
The A hit on the flop and I'm hoping that either I hit a 4 or that the 9 comes down so at least I get some money but it was not to be. Even so I'm still quite happy with a final table.
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