Donkley 10.28 Chips that start together want to end toghther
I won some pots early and built up my stack a bit. Southpaw Rounder, Tex and his friend Merle were also in the field. So too, Dave Anderson. I saw Alex Wood as well so I knew that there were some real players signed up, that plus the normal 10 to 20 folks that usually make the final table, and it wasn't your typical donkley. Fewer and fewer weak spots. The field had swollen to over 100 which I love but many of the extra players can play, so that's not necessarily a good thing.
Early on Davey busted out I believe it took a two or three outer for his opponent to pass him. He came over and we caught up. I looked down at KK in the Big or small blind. There was a hefty early raise, a quick call from early position and then Larry Price, a very good tournament player who came in second in one of the New Orleans main events recently (I think), who paused and put in a bigger reraise. I considered just taking it down with a shove or at least isolating Larry.
I mulled it over. I had everybody covered and I like to take bigger risks in these things early with a chance to build a chip stack. His raise might just be big enough to get the other two out if I call. Larry was liable to be stealing with a drawing hand or as he had almost exclusively shown on that day playing a genuine hand for a stiff price maybe a middle pair.
Larry isn't opposed to putting his chips in when the flop looks like it'll miss people,so I figured I could flat him, and check call him if the flop looked like it missed, or check-shove depending on the texture. I called, and apparently that offered the right price to the other two. I didn't love that, but I was willing to gamble in this spot so... oh, well. Sometimes you want to be on a poker island for two and sometimes the whole boat comes shore.
I also like my call for another rationale because if the early raiser bumped it again and possibly Larry shoved I can give one of them aces and get away from it (4 and 5 bets in that tournament are rarely anything but rockets) Now, I only had Larry to worry about for the aces after the other two declined another raise.
I checked dark, which I do with drawing hands and so I had this opportunity to balance out those checks with a huge pair I'm probably going to show down to the table, plus I'm pretty sure Larry ain't going to let it check around and I'll get to act after him. Flop came three ragged babies. The two in between us checked and then Larry shoved. I had already decided I was fine with calling off if somebody flopped a set or he had aces. So I quick called.
The other two got out of the way and Larry turned over jacks. I loved my spot. Jack hit the turn. Davey said he heard somebody at the table disparaging my play, if I hadn't hidden my hand I wouldn't have dumped 2/3rds of my stack (still left with just under what I started with). Funny. In that format I'll put my money in having to fade two outs every time. I thought I played it great. I didn't like the turn but I got exactly what I wanted in terms of maximizing value.
Probably would play it more straightforward if we were deeper or in a different spot in the tournament.
Somehow, I rebuilt and with under half the field left I get moved over to Larry's table. I make a joke about my old chips trying to pull my new ones in as I spilled a stack and they rolled toward him. Later on, and I'm fuzzy on the exact details from playing so many hands wednesday, I believe I was in the blinds with a multi-way limped pot. Larry limped from the button so that would make me sb. I had I think a suited QJ or Q10. I popped it to three possible reasons, 1 for a little steal 2 to trim my opponents or 3 to play a multi-way pot with a drawing hand. I like all those results especially demonstrating strength.
I don't like this play because I'm out of position, but if I can steal or c-bet steal vs a lot of weakness I don't hate it. And again, it also balances out the raise I'll put out with a legitimate hand in that spot. I don't do it often but it wasn't a terrible spot to do so.
Of course everybody called. Flop came queen high with two babies. I push out a bet to see where my kicker is at and it's folded to Larry. He smooth calls. I don't like that especially as Larry is an aggressive player and fond of raising. Maybe he has a middling pocket pair and wants to see what I do on the turn. Queen ball hits.
Hmm. Less likely he has a queen with a higher kicker. Also, I rethink and probably he raises those hands, so I push out a bet, he raises all in. I call way too quick and he shows a baby pocket pair he made a set with on the flop and turned a boat. I got outs but none come. Good night.
In retrospect, his shove indicated he could care less about that second queen and it had to help him more than it helped me. I don't think I could fold based on chip stack and bet sizes but I probably could have checked the turn. He'd check behind and maybe I check call the river. Clearly, the problem here is position, pretty simple and straight forward.
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Early on Davey busted out I believe it took a two or three outer for his opponent to pass him. He came over and we caught up. I looked down at KK in the Big or small blind. There was a hefty early raise, a quick call from early position and then Larry Price, a very good tournament player who came in second in one of the New Orleans main events recently (I think), who paused and put in a bigger reraise. I considered just taking it down with a shove or at least isolating Larry.
I mulled it over. I had everybody covered and I like to take bigger risks in these things early with a chance to build a chip stack. His raise might just be big enough to get the other two out if I call. Larry was liable to be stealing with a drawing hand or as he had almost exclusively shown on that day playing a genuine hand for a stiff price maybe a middle pair.
Larry isn't opposed to putting his chips in when the flop looks like it'll miss people,so I figured I could flat him, and check call him if the flop looked like it missed, or check-shove depending on the texture. I called, and apparently that offered the right price to the other two. I didn't love that, but I was willing to gamble in this spot so... oh, well. Sometimes you want to be on a poker island for two and sometimes the whole boat comes shore.
I also like my call for another rationale because if the early raiser bumped it again and possibly Larry shoved I can give one of them aces and get away from it (4 and 5 bets in that tournament are rarely anything but rockets) Now, I only had Larry to worry about for the aces after the other two declined another raise.
I checked dark, which I do with drawing hands and so I had this opportunity to balance out those checks with a huge pair I'm probably going to show down to the table, plus I'm pretty sure Larry ain't going to let it check around and I'll get to act after him. Flop came three ragged babies. The two in between us checked and then Larry shoved. I had already decided I was fine with calling off if somebody flopped a set or he had aces. So I quick called.
The other two got out of the way and Larry turned over jacks. I loved my spot. Jack hit the turn. Davey said he heard somebody at the table disparaging my play, if I hadn't hidden my hand I wouldn't have dumped 2/3rds of my stack (still left with just under what I started with). Funny. In that format I'll put my money in having to fade two outs every time. I thought I played it great. I didn't like the turn but I got exactly what I wanted in terms of maximizing value.
Probably would play it more straightforward if we were deeper or in a different spot in the tournament.
Somehow, I rebuilt and with under half the field left I get moved over to Larry's table. I make a joke about my old chips trying to pull my new ones in as I spilled a stack and they rolled toward him. Later on, and I'm fuzzy on the exact details from playing so many hands wednesday, I believe I was in the blinds with a multi-way limped pot. Larry limped from the button so that would make me sb. I had I think a suited QJ or Q10. I popped it to three possible reasons, 1 for a little steal 2 to trim my opponents or 3 to play a multi-way pot with a drawing hand. I like all those results especially demonstrating strength.
I don't like this play because I'm out of position, but if I can steal or c-bet steal vs a lot of weakness I don't hate it. And again, it also balances out the raise I'll put out with a legitimate hand in that spot. I don't do it often but it wasn't a terrible spot to do so.
Of course everybody called. Flop came queen high with two babies. I push out a bet to see where my kicker is at and it's folded to Larry. He smooth calls. I don't like that especially as Larry is an aggressive player and fond of raising. Maybe he has a middling pocket pair and wants to see what I do on the turn. Queen ball hits.
Hmm. Less likely he has a queen with a higher kicker. Also, I rethink and probably he raises those hands, so I push out a bet, he raises all in. I call way too quick and he shows a baby pocket pair he made a set with on the flop and turned a boat. I got outs but none come. Good night.
In retrospect, his shove indicated he could care less about that second queen and it had to help him more than it helped me. I don't think I could fold based on chip stack and bet sizes but I probably could have checked the turn. He'd check behind and maybe I check call the river. Clearly, the problem here is position, pretty simple and straight forward.
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