Turning Stone week

I went to Turning Stone for the Tournament week and it started off pretty good. About 5 hands in, i doubled up at blinds 25- 50 with AA vs KK to pick up a 40K stack, yes 20K starting stack. That put me in good shape early and allowed me to keep building my stack. I got my stack up to 60K until this hand ...

I raise to 2200 with 99 UTG and i get 2 callers. Flop is 9c 6c 4c. I lead for 4800, first player calls, and next player shoves for 26K total. I'm never folding here, and i get my chips in there and other player calls also. They show Ac Qs, and Kc 8c. I boated up on the river to pick up the early chip lead at around 125K. At the first dinner break, i had 158K in chips, the closest i heard of was at 90K.

I kept chipping up without show down to 180K, then i would lose a race for about 30K and start over, i did it 3 times until i finally won a race.

This is the biggest hand of my tournament.

My stack is at 225K, and i raise to 11K with Qd 10c at blinds 2K- 4K and get called by the BB who has a big stack. Flop is Qc 5d Qs, he checks and i bet 18K, he raises to 68K. At this point, he either has somekind of pair, maybe a 5 or a Q. I think that if i shove here, he's only calling if he has me crushed or if he's setup himself and has a worst Q. If he's on a total bluff, he will shove his last 65K ish on the turn in probably hopping he can bluff me off. If he's got me beat, well, he doubles up and i get cold decked. So i decide to flat call to make sure i get his chips where i can have him almost dead on the turn. Turn is 6c, he shoves and i snap call. He shows 9c 5c. River is 7c for a flush. That pot would have brought my stack to about 380K in chips when i was already the chip leader at the start of the hand. Thats just to show how much of a chiplead i would have. The next biggest stack on my table was about 50K and i was already running them over.

I finished 15th. Kinda pist at myself for not shoving when i should have, but still happy with the start.


I went on to bust about 80th in the 200 the next day when i got really short. Busted real early in the 6 max on a total bluff with K high when the other guy flopped 2 pair on a 7 4 2 flop rainbow. I then got coolered with JJ vs QQ in the blinds at the 200 - 400 blind level and i only had about a 8 K stack vs a 5K stack. I ended up making a sick shove vs a guy on tilt who raised UTG with 2c 3c and I insta shoved with Ks Js because i knew i was so ahead of his range but he flushed on my 2 pairs.

I then busted 37th in the 500 ME. I played really solid all day, making plays. I only had 2 big hands all day, the rest was all making plays and stealing with position. Bust hand was K 7 in the BB when i check raised a 8 7 6 flop from a button limper, he had 8 7 and i missed.

The next tournament was like the first tourney, and i got my chips up early with alot of small pots. Got my stack to 37K until this hand. Cut off limps(once he limps, he never folds) button limps(old man, new to the table), SB limps(always limps and ends up folding to my raises), i look down at Ks Jd, now this is ahead of the first limpers range, and i don't mind gambling with an A 10 or something like that. I decide to make it 2200 more at the 300 - 600 and the original limper goes all in for 4100 total, button calls and i call. Flop is Js 10d 9d, i bet 5K and the button shoves for like 13K more, I decide to gamble for a huge pot, and if i lose, i'm about the starting stack and not in horrible shape. Button shows As Jx and other guy shows AxAx no diamonds, so i got Kings, Q's and back door diamonds, i brick everything and would have been around 70K. Instead, back to 20K.

I grinded my 10BBs for about 3 hours making different kinds of steals with stop and go's without ever getting called. When we got down to 3 tables, i was down to about 5.5BBs when i was UTG and decided to SHOVE BLIND, i did the Fake look and shoved it in, and i got called and the player says "your way ahead", i then proceeded to respond, "i have no clue what i have" he shows 9c 10c, and i show ...... AA. WOW Flop is Kc 7c 9s, turn Jx river blank and i hold up.

I get my stack to 240K until this hand, I raise to 44K at 8K- 16K with AA from cut off, button calls and he has me covered by about 40K. Flop is Qs 10d 5s, I decide to make a big bet to price out the flush draw and to make any pair believe i have AK and maybe push me in for the rest of my stack, so i bet 100K when i have just 200K left, so half my stack into about a 130K pot, he thinks for a long time and finally puts me in with KQ, i call, Turn Q, river brick .... I bust 24th when top 20 cash, and worst of all, i would of had over 500K in chips and would have been CL or really close to it. The tournament was so weak, there was 2 players that were aggressive, the rest were really passive.

Maybe next time i can run good late in theses things.