Deep Stack Recap 2/24/2007

Before I get ahead of myself I need to thank the bloggers who I have played against that have helped me take my no limit MTT game up to the level where I know I'm about ready to crack thru the ceiling very soon (it will probably be live!!)...I know Im going to miss some fabulous players and I mean no slight to anyone I don't name. These folks just come to mind. Some I have watched your play from the rail silently others I have played against in the Mookie, the WWDN, Riverchasers, the blogger tour etc: Smokkee, Surflexus, Iakaris, Hoyazo, Waffles, AlCantHang, Fuel55, Lucko21, Jordan, GCox, Otis and CracknAces. I mean no disrepect to the distaff crew either. There are some mighty fine chicas I play against regularly: Kat, Maudie, Carmen and Summerbabe to name a few. IGGY, Pauly, Change100, you make my day with your posts and its a pleasure when you are in the same tourney. (I would love Pauly and Change100 to give me some good setlists that I can download onto the IPOD since we like the same music).

I had planned for this tourney since the beginning of January. I knew Adirondack Poker League would be wrapped by then and no conflict with a Saturday/Sunday Game time. Scott and Val E, the hosts of the event had run some satellites. I passed on the sats which were cheap but rebuy formats because for me to drive close to an hour each way would be negative EV.

Tourney Structure follows:

Main event structure:

$110 Buy in Event Starting Chips: 30000; 45 Minute Rounds

1 PM Start time Saturday 2/24/07

1. 100/200 (1:45)
2. 200/400 (2:30)
Break 5 Minutes (2:35)
3. 300/600 (3:20)
4. 400/800 (4:05)
Break 30 Minutes for dinner (4:35)
5. 500/1000 (5:20)
6. 600/1200 (6:05)
Break 5 Minutes (6:10)
7. 800/1600 (6:55)
8. 1000/2000 (7:40)
Break 10 Minutes; Color Up $100 Chips (7:50)
9. 1500/3000 (8:35)
10. 2000/4000 (9:20)
Break 10 Minutes Color up $500 Chips (9:30)
11. 3000/6000 (10:15)
12. 4000/8000 (11:00)
End of Day One

13. 5000/10000
14. 6000/12000
Break 5 Minutes
15. 8000/16000
16. 10000/20000
Break 5 Minutes
17. 12000/24000
18. 15000/30000
Break 5 Minutes, Blinds increase 20k/40k, 25k/50k……

{The times listed after each round and break should be used for a reference point for day one play. Actual time will vary depending on official start time, (we ask that every one try to be here a few minutes early) and any pauses of the game clock for any reason. Please be aware that play will end on Saturday at the end of level 12. Chips will then be bagged and the remaining players will receive vouchers as record of their remaining chips after the end of day one play. Play resumes on day two on Sunday 2/25 promptly at 1 PM.)

So this is not Pauly and Change100's Amsterdam. This is Amsterdam, NY about 20 miles west of Schenectady. Most Capital District Residents refer to it as Amsterico because of its high population of folks from Puerto Rico. Amsterdam is an old Factory mill town whose heyday is long past... Cabbage Patch Dolls were once made there. No longer..

I head up out to Scott and Val's house in Amsterdam. Taking the scenic back road thru Ballston Spa out rte 67. Its an easy drive once I actually make it onto rte 67 and I crank Dave Matthews solo album because I havent had time to download anything onto my IPOD yet. I'm fueled with a Starbucks Dolce Cinnamon Latte since they are out of peppermint for a Lepruchan Latte(mint mocha) and Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi.

When I arrive Scott and Val immediately peg me for Lori/IG probably because the other women booked to play were all there already. There were 5 gals and 16 guys. Scott and Val had posted the house rules well in advance of the tourney and I knew no eating at the table and if you spilled a drink on the table You were liable for a fine to replace the felt.. I check out the tables which I knew Scott had built. Turns out there are two of them but just tops. Well done I might add (the cards slid nicely on them). Now I have never met Scot or Val before but they are warm and friendly and great hosts. I ask if he puts the tops on end and stores them when no games are being spread at his house... His reply which made me instantly like the guy..... "No we just put tablecloths on top of them, and use them as a regular table.... We are ghetto like that" This is a family who loves poker....

So two tables, twenty one players... I'm at the table with 11 and the other table has 10. A few folks are late arrivals and are blinding out.I have a dude whose wisdom teeth are killing him on my right. And a girl (Amy on my left). Her dad is across from us. Scott is at my table next too Dad on one side, Nicky another female who turns out to be a damn good player, is next to dad on the other side.. The other guys are all relatively young. My buddy Jim and his friend Gene are at the other table with Val (Scotts wife). One dude tells me he made his living playing poker for a year but is now broke. Not sure if he had a successful year and then went broke or it just didnt work out for him.

First hand I fold.. Second hand AQ.. I raise UTG and get numerous callers.. The flop misses me.. No time to get cute this early on. I check and muck when the pot quickly turns into an action pot...... This is gonna be a long day or a very short one. I have no reads on anyone except Jim who is not at my table. I decide to stay patient and observe. I have great observational skills and quickly pick up on several of the folks hand ranges.

My attempts at small ball arent working. Im getting connectors and gappers the hands I make the most money on out of position and I just hate that. But I keep grinding and I start getting some cards to work with: AA and KK a few times. I get AK two hands in a row which I steal with on one, and then I take a good pot down against Amy when her rag ace is dominated. I probably got down to T20000 chips at my lowest point early on (I had lost a pot with a strong Ace to her weak two pair Ace when I couldnt get her out of the pot-but from there I outplayed her and almost anyone else who got in my way).

A young guy takes his seat. He has game and his name is Josh. I rightfully assume he may turn out to be one of the folks who I have to watch out for. I like his style of play. Lots of small ball. I know he likes to play the hands I like to play. He winds up taking charge of the table. Amy who had been the big chip leader when she stacked the first one out at our table, loses a big stack on AK over played again I believe. She bleeds some more chips to me but her dad makes her healthy again... He likes his rag aces and is the second one out. He is also a flush and str8 chaser. I just lick my lips and bide my time.

Key Hand at Table 1. My first monster pot:

98S.... I see the flop which leaves me an OESD... I C bet it get a caller or two on the turn.. Hit my straight. Nice.... Bet out on the river as Im first to act and get another call from the dude who didnt make it as a "pro". Huge pot. Josh looks at me and I see the respect.. Well played he voices to me.

Our table is becoming the carnage table...One of the late comers arrives. Young kid named Michael... He open raises 3-4x bb to about $3000 at this point. I reraise him to $10000 which he calls (making up for lost time I figure). Flop comes down all baby rags. He bets large leaving him about $6000 chips . I look at him and tell him... I put you all in... He goes into the tank..... Then he looks at me and asks will I show if he mucks. I smile sweetly and say yes... he mucks 99 face up and I show my rockets... I look at him and state. You just mucked the IG... They can crack kk but not too good against AA.

Josh and I chop a pot.. I have A3 in the BB which I hit the str8 on the turn. I try to get him to put more money in so I check the turn stupidly. An Ace on the river gets him to bet and I raise on the end which he calls. we split as he is holding k3 and the Ace gives him his str8... UGH.

Meanwhile at the other table AA vs AA with one of the Aces rivering a flush. Sure Ive seen it online but never live.... Ouch for that dude..

Im grinding my stack up. Love this deep stack format. I send Scott to the rail When I raise with QQ he calls my raise.. Flop again is rags. He pushes all in having lost a bunch of pots to Nicky. I call. His JJ is no good to my QQ... the bitches hold... Another one out. I've now taken out a couple of players. Ive worked my stack up to 80k and probably have the 2nd or 3rd biggest stack at my table. The other table had two big stacks going.

We have a nice turkey dinner at the dinner break and chili..Im healthy. Im playing well. Im loving this format. Im confident in my reads and playing my hands well.... We decide at the rate we are going that we may be able to finish up tonite. Better for me it will save a drive back and forth.

Final table.. All 5 women make the final table. Gene and Brian the two big stacks from the other table and my friend Jim and Val make it. From my table.. Amy, Me, Nicky, Josh and I cant remember the other two guys. Thought one was Caeser a fellow DMB fan but I either knocked him out before the FT or at the FT. So maybe we only started with 9 at the FT.

Amy is relatively short stacked and goes out, Jim goes out, the nonames our out. The final 6 are me, Nicky, Val, Brian, Gene and Josh.. Nicky is the bigstack having taken down a few huge pots. Brian has bled off chips and Gene is blinding away. I take a huge pot to take the chip lead..... I have AQ and raise Nicky calls. Flop comes down A Q Q... Ive hit a boat and the almost nuts. I check ad Amy pushes all in. Now I know she will push in on TPTK.. I figure her for an AceX and am right she has AT.. I double my healthy stack to over T200000.

Gene finally succombs to the blinds and is the bubble at about 11PM est and we are in the money. The big stacks are now me, Nicky still healthy and Josh. From 11 PM EST to almost three AM no one goes out. Josh and I try our best to bust Nicky, Val, and Brian. They are on the ropes numerous times. I lose a chunk when I raise from the button $30000k and Brian moves all in. I have AK and make the call only to find he has kk in the BB. UGH.... That knocks me down a loop. I soon go from chip leader to blinding out. Down to 40k I have fish hooks..... Josh raises to about 40k. I push all in and he mucks. We rabbit hunt the one hand and a k hit the turn... But another J spiked on the river.. Im up to 80k again...

Nicky and I split a pot with J9 me vs JT her and both of us hit a st8. She looks at me and says.. I really like playing with you you are a great player. And I must give her the same respect. Aggressive and fearless she plays. Val is a very solid player too. She asks me what I think of her game as she described herself as weak/tight. I pretty much tell her her hand ranges to a T. (now mind you she wasnt at my first table so I didnt have as much time to get a full read on her). She looks at me and states.. You pretty much summed me up... Or so she lets me think.....

The hand that moves me into #2. Josh and Nicky are the chip leaders... Val me and Brian all have about the same stack size within the 90k to $130k range.... I look down to AA UTG... blinds are 10000/20000. I min raise to $50000. Nicky mucks. Brian calls the raise.. .Josh reraises to 100k.....Val is out. I insta call... Brian is now flusterd and puzzled. He is half asleep or it was a very good act.... He looks at me and states.. "I dont get it. You minimum raise and I call and then you call his all in???". I smile nicely back and state. "I have it easy. I'm all in. My decision is made.. I either more then double up or I go home. Take your time there is a lot of money at stake" Josh has me covered. I could have called the clock on Brian (and should have as that may have induced the call)....Instead he mucks QQ face up... .Josh flips 99 (the IG) and my slowplayed Aces hold... I am now back up over 200k. Man I love having chips but my M is still only like 6-7 with the blinds at 10k/20k.

Finally Josh goes out and gets his entry fee back. I get down to about 160k with the blinds taking their toll and unable to call Brian's and Val's all ins. Finally in the SB with Val and Brian out of the hand. I look at 78h. HMMM.. I love my connectors.... I just smooth call the bb. Nicky states she is checking in the dark. I dont know if I missed a peak at her looking at the cards due to the late hour and if she really was checking in the dark... Its 3AM and we are 16 hours in to this marathon/ironman distance poker tourney..... The flop comes kh9?3?/ check check... turn 9h.. I am now four to a flush...check check... river 3h... I hit my flush and bet. Nicky comes over the top all in. The odds of her having the Ace and another heart 4 way... not good I think... I cant put her on any other hand k9??? quad 99s. I didnt think it thru all the way so I call and....... I'm fucked.. she hit quad 3's....She boated on the river which is when she checked her hand. SHe played it perfectly. The perfect card fell for her to trap. ouch. SHe had me covered by about 50k and vaults into the lead. I GO HOME. In retrospect I should have never called he bb.... But then again. Would I, could I have gotten away from that call that late at that hour?

First prize would have been $840/second was in the $525 range.. 3rd was $420/ I doubled my buyin winning $210 ($10 of the buyin went for food/beer/soda/cards etc).

I think i played very well for 16+ hours. I only played one donkish hand when I got dumb in the sb with Q3 and donked off some chips getting cute late in the tourney and I admited when I mucked that I had no business being in the hand.. The AK vs KK was bad timing but what you expect at the end stages of a poker tourney. I could easily off spiked an Ace to knock Brian out (he went on to win over Nicky headsup.

Scott and Val put on a great tourney. And there was really no bad play. Everyone took their poker seriously. On the whole the play was better then in my live league.

A couple things I must say and would love some blogger feedback on... I tried to take notes but didnt follow thru. I didnt want to miss observing.. How do people do it..? I had my little note book and wish I had taken notes.

Second: The hours of a poker player suck... Long and hard and boring at times. 16 hours is a long time to play and I did it (I guess my tag as a triathlete fits my poker stick to it ness.). I could have kept going had I gotten to heads-up. Of course then I had an hour drive home. Nice gal I am I drove Josh home. He let a friend who was knocked out early take his car. He also lived on one of the three routes I could take to go home so I figured he could keep me awake for part of the drive. I of course couldnt sleep I had so much adrenaline.

My back and arms were/are sore as hell. My lower back is still on the verge of spasms... No wonder they employ massage therapists. Any takers for the position?? I tip well.

That marked my 5th live cash in 5 weeks and in a row... 5th in the APL top tenners tourney, a 1st, 3rd, 2nd last week and I rounded out Saturday/Sunday with a 4th....

Foxwoods beckons the end of March. I already put in for the 26th of March off. After that I will set my plans for Vegas. Waffles, Hoy, Jordan etc get your butts to Foxwoods. And just maybe Dr Pauly will be back in town to do some Tao of Pokering on the Foxwoods Spring Classic.