Another MTT final table

Started out today playing a few tourneys...

$4.40 180 (cashed, finished 15ish)
$16.50 (staked by kentuckyslim, donked out KQ < AQ on Q high board, thx for the stake though!)
$5.50 mtt:

I final tabled the $5.50 mtt and took 8th for $136. A9os< AKos aipf. I hate going out in tourneys like that, but it was folded to me with an M of 4 or 5... No choice really. Oh well, I'm not all that dissapointed, because any mtt final table with that many entrants is impressive IMO. (1369 entrants)

This is my 3rd mtt FT in 2 weeks or so. I'm really happy that I'm finally going deep in tourneys with decent payouts. Sure, $4.40's are bankroll builders, but I'm looking for that big cash.

Summer goals:
1. Win a micro MTT, $2-$11 buyin.
2. Win $1k or more in one tourney.
3. Cash in at least 2 events this summer in the local GSOP (grand rapids series of poker)

These goals aren't that far out of reach, I just have to stay dedicated and, in the words of kentuckyslim, spike a 9 with A9 against AK... lol.


-beaver

Unreal

When we last left you, Beaverstyle was on what seemed to be the tail-end of quite a heater. However, the tides have turned for this young poker enthusiast, and we will pick things up today.

lol, i'm such a nerd.

Anyways, I final tabled 2 $4.40's today. In the first one I took 8th, I can't really remember how I busted, I think I ended up all in w/ like 5 8 os on a short stack steal, and missed when called.

Final Table #2:

Things started out alright, not great, but alright. I was sitting about 4/9, with about 25k. I lost a few pots to reraises, won a couple, and found myself at around 18k. With blinds at 600/1200/50, I jammed w/ AQos to a MP minraise. He called after a while w/ KQ, and took it down on a board of x J 10 9 x... lol donkaments. Anyway, I was left with about 2500 after this hand, and blinds had increased to 1k/2k/100. I folded a couple hands, and founds AKos UTG+1 (ish). I doubled through A3 clubs. I then doubled once more, (i think I won a race, can't remember exactly.) Then a 14k stack open pushed and I called with AKc in the bb. Villain bricks, and I'm suddenly at 32k, and 2nd place.

My stack wavered around that until I won a couple pots and was up to about 46k Then this hand came up:

1.5/3k blinds

Donk UTG minraises to 6k.
UTG+2 calls.
Hero calls with 22.
folds around.

Flop: K J 2 rainbow

Now Donk was infamous at the final two to the final table for making 'heroic' calls, a.k.a. very marginal calls. Because of this fact, I knew if he bet out, he probably wouldn't fold his hand (even though he had about 80k) He bets out 6k, and UTG+1 calls.

with about 40k behind, and the pot being about 46k, I figured this is as good a time as any to get all my chips in. I jam, raising an obscene amount, about 40k. BOTH PLAYERS CALL!?!?! The turn is a 4 or something, and the river is an A. Oh snap, Q 10 just rivered the nuts... but wait! I was up against Donk's AJs... and Utg+1's AK!

I triple up to t150kish, and the rest is history. I didn't lose the chiplead after that, and played a pretty solid aggressive game, and obliterated the competition.

This is the culmination of a great poker week for me. Let's recap:

6 final tables:
-4 in $4.40 180 person sngs.
1st, 5th, 8th, 9th.
-2 in the $10+1 short handed no-limit holdem
2nd (Netted $405 after being staked by KYslim05)
5th, on my own coin, $220 won.

This week, although maybe a heater, has given me a lot of confidence in my micro-low limit mtt play. IMO I've played a very solid TAG game. I've mixed it up quite well in certain scenarios, most of which have worked to my advantage.

I'd like to thank KYslim05 for initiating this heater by staking me. My 2nd place finish in the $10+1 short handed gave me a lot of confidence. $805 (although I got half) is my biggest cash to date. It was also the first MTT i've final-tabled besides a $1+.10 mtt (of which i have 2 second place finishes). After going on to get 5th the next night (which I was a bit dissapointed about, but still happy I ft'd the same tourney two nights in a row) I feel like I am on top of my game right now.

Even with this success as of late, I know I still have a lot of leaks in my game. I've come to realize that I'm too passive in situations where I could take advantage of position, chip stacks and player images. I'm working on this aspect of my game, and have been, and I guess I'm kind of "due" for these types of scores.

Anyway, That's all, I'm done babbling.

'til the next final table....

-beaverstle.

bit of a downswing

So I haven't had any new cashes really to speak of, took 9th in a $4.40, blah, 1010 < AA, then A10 < JJ.... blah.

Congrats to Knollie919 for taking down a $4.40... hard to weed through those donkfests, even at the final table. Guess you don't completely suck.

BR is sitting around a lil less than $100... cashed out a majority because I could use the cash more than play with it.

So basically I'm gonna grind at the $4.40's, $3 45 person turbos, and perhaps a few $5 mtt's... maybe even some .05/.10nl. My BR has taken quite a hit in cash games though... AA < underpair like 3 times in the last 5 sessions... pretty sick. I did take down a $6 6 handed sng.. trying to improve my shorthanded game, because I feel it's one of my best games and I want to semi-perfect it.

That is all.

shorthanded is my speciality.

So i played the same tourney I took 2nd in last night... and I FT'd AGAIN! I took an early exit, however, placing 5th. I couldn't really get anything going at the final table and finally busted A10< JJ.

I'm really happy about my game right now. I've been analyzing situations pretty well, but I think I need to work on my aggression. One thing I've noticed about my play is that I'll usually just call down w/ a hand like tpnk. Thing is, in these short handed tourneys, if villain gets checked to twice, he'll usually always fire a bullet. I've seen it soo often. Ex: I raise w/ A4os in hijack, bb calls. Flop comes A 7 8 all clubs, i have no club. I check, he checks. Turn, x, i check, he bets about 3/4 pot. I call. River is blank, i check once again, and he fires out a potsized bet. I've found that I'm good here much of the time shorthanded. OH btw, don't ever fold A10 or higher to a raise in a low limit short handed tourney. (meh... ok, AJ or higher) Preflop that is. If the ace hits, expect to get it all in against Ax that you dominate, or hopefully not Ax two pair.

+$600ish this week, DO WORK.

Back in the game

04/19/07

Well the past couple days have been really great for me... actually as of about two weeks ago.

I got staked in a $4.40 and TID! $216, $80 of which went to my staker. Sadly, after staking a couple people on my own, I played out of my bankroll and went busto again. At least it was off of a stake and not my own money.

Then, on Tuesday afternoon, I final tabled another $4.40, taking 5th for $48.80..ish. $24.40 went to my staker. I figured I'd just play a few more $4.40's with that and hopefully build something up. Then Knollie919 (who I know from back home, and also posts on FCP) told me he was being staked again in the $10 short handed mtt on pokerstars. I asked if he would talk to his staker and see if he was interested in staking me as well, and he was. Thankyou again,

I think I played well throughout the entire tournament. I must say, I played a bit tight at many inflection points when I probably should have been more aggressive, but it was my first shorthanded tournament. Some big hands early included doubling up w/ JJ on a Q 5 x x x board, after the short stack pushed on the river. I had bet each street and checked the river either hoping for him to push, or just check. He didn't have much left but I figured checking the river might show a missed draw and he could jam. He did, showing 5 7, and I 2x'd. It's also great flopping 6 2 2 w/ 66 and getting it all in against 77, yeah, did that, which brought me to top 10 in chips. I made some disciplined laydowns as well. on a board of 7 8 9 4, holding 910os, I folded facing a 3/4 pot bet (or so). Villain showed 77 for the set. Sure, I had outs, but I was out of position and was relatively sure I was way behind.

When we got down to 18ish players, I don't recall any real meaningful hands. I re-popped a couple standard raises to build my stack. I had this very aggressive player at my table that I was player rather tight against. I knew that if I could pick up one or two hands against him, I would get paid off or he would at least build the pot for me. (I ended up busting him w/ 10Jsuited > AQos, board x x 10 10 x, I had raised, he jammed, and I called getting over 3-1.) While mr. aggro was at another table, every single orbit when I was on the button, i would 3x raise and I would take the blinds basically every time. This fact helped me out very much, having two tight players in the blinds on my button, because if it folded to me i would raise w/ ATC. Therefore, if I actually picked up a playable hand in other positions, I had a little cushion, stack wise.

To be honest, I played pretty weak at the FT. kidpkrjr (fcp) got knocked out first, I'm not sure what his thinking was during the hand that he busted on, but hey, getting that far, and being like 3:30 in the morning, we all make mistakes. GG though buddy. Anyway, I didn't even play a hand until 3 handed.. The CL was destroying the field, I think he ended up taking out every player at the FT. Luckbox doesn't describe it. Regardless, he seemed like he had a general grasp of shorthanded play which vaulted him to such a high chip lead. After beating the 2nd place chip stack 48os>AJos... I was HU against him with about a 10-1 chip deficit... yeah it was bad. I basically called all in the next hand w/ Q9os... his K6 held. 2nd was $810, which $405 of which went to my staker. He didn't even win and he made 4 bills! Nice investment, I'd say.

Overall, I'm glad to have finally made it deep in a reasonably worthwhile tourney. I'll definitely play this tourney again in the future (perhaps tonight) as I think my shorthanded game is one of my strengths, but there is always more to learn.

THX to the railers, etc... much appreciated.