David in the Mega Satellite...
"The 7 Clans Mega satellite started Sunday at noon with 267 entrants. The round were 30 minutes each. I started out playing pretty loose like everybody else and my stack dwindled down quick because of it. At the first break at the conclusion of the 100-200 round, I was already short stacked--about $1200 in chips and I'd started with $4000. I started thinking about the tourney in terms of just make it to the next break, and that's all I did.
After the second break the blinds went up to $600-$1200. I kept catching shitty cards, nothing to go all in with, the big blind got to me, and I got dealt a 3-5 offsuit. Everybody at the table was telling me to throw in the last $500 chip, and I said no, I can't go all in with this, I want to see the next hand. The dealer said I could go all in on the small blind, so I mucked the 35 and looked at another hand. I got a suited king in the small blind, 3 or 4 callers, and I made the flush with it. 2 hand later I went all in again and stole the blinds with a pocket pair. The blinds got back around to me again, and everybody folded around to the small blind. Small blind put me all in, and I agonized over calling with my pocket 8's. I called and the small blind shows pocket 5's, so I doubled up.
The rest of the tournament, I stayed as uninvolved as possible, raising or pushing in with pocket pairs only, 9's or better. The tournament director announced that they'd be paying the top 13 the total package. 14-20 would also get free entry into the main event on Saturday. When we got down to 22 players, the other table started stalling, so the director announced the 2 tables would be dealt "hand-for-hand" until the 21st player busted out. It was like a pressure cooker in that room at this point, the blinds were huge.
The players then took up a collection to give to player 21 when he busted out. 21 times $20, as a consolation prize, to basically pay back the entry fee. I didn't have a big stack at that point, but I wasn't worried about getting put out either. After the collection was gathered for the 21st player, he busted out about 10 minutes later. About 30 minutes after that, with 14 players left, I caught pocket queens in middle position, I was at a new table with no info about the other players, but I still went all in because it was folded around to me, no real big stacks to act after me. It folded around to some old man, and he said "call", and suddenly I heard somebody at the table behind us say "That's it!"
Everybody at our table stood up, started asking questions, looking at the players at the other table, me and the old man stayed sitting, asses glued to the chair. I looked at him and I said "Just wait, don't put any chips in yet, just wait." He said yeah, nodding his head, the tournament director called the tournament and said everybody get in line it's over, we're down to 13. I flipped my queens and left them on the table. Awesome! That satellite tournament went from 12 noon until 11:30 that night. It was a real roller coaster, and I felt more like I was "getting through it" WITH the other players than playing against the other players. I spent most of the tournament at table 25 with Jared from DeQuincy, LA. We talked quite a bit, and Jared is the friendliest card player I've ever sat at a table with. Jared got to 20 or 19 and got a spot at the main event."
After the second break the blinds went up to $600-$1200. I kept catching shitty cards, nothing to go all in with, the big blind got to me, and I got dealt a 3-5 offsuit. Everybody at the table was telling me to throw in the last $500 chip, and I said no, I can't go all in with this, I want to see the next hand. The dealer said I could go all in on the small blind, so I mucked the 35 and looked at another hand. I got a suited king in the small blind, 3 or 4 callers, and I made the flush with it. 2 hand later I went all in again and stole the blinds with a pocket pair. The blinds got back around to me again, and everybody folded around to the small blind. Small blind put me all in, and I agonized over calling with my pocket 8's. I called and the small blind shows pocket 5's, so I doubled up.
The rest of the tournament, I stayed as uninvolved as possible, raising or pushing in with pocket pairs only, 9's or better. The tournament director announced that they'd be paying the top 13 the total package. 14-20 would also get free entry into the main event on Saturday. When we got down to 22 players, the other table started stalling, so the director announced the 2 tables would be dealt "hand-for-hand" until the 21st player busted out. It was like a pressure cooker in that room at this point, the blinds were huge.
The players then took up a collection to give to player 21 when he busted out. 21 times $20, as a consolation prize, to basically pay back the entry fee. I didn't have a big stack at that point, but I wasn't worried about getting put out either. After the collection was gathered for the 21st player, he busted out about 10 minutes later. About 30 minutes after that, with 14 players left, I caught pocket queens in middle position, I was at a new table with no info about the other players, but I still went all in because it was folded around to me, no real big stacks to act after me. It folded around to some old man, and he said "call", and suddenly I heard somebody at the table behind us say "That's it!"
Everybody at our table stood up, started asking questions, looking at the players at the other table, me and the old man stayed sitting, asses glued to the chair. I looked at him and I said "Just wait, don't put any chips in yet, just wait." He said yeah, nodding his head, the tournament director called the tournament and said everybody get in line it's over, we're down to 13. I flipped my queens and left them on the table. Awesome! That satellite tournament went from 12 noon until 11:30 that night. It was a real roller coaster, and I felt more like I was "getting through it" WITH the other players than playing against the other players. I spent most of the tournament at table 25 with Jared from DeQuincy, LA. We talked quite a bit, and Jared is the friendliest card player I've ever sat at a table with. Jared got to 20 or 19 and got a spot at the main event."
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