This was first published on Poker Verdict in February 2006:
Life since ‘The Big One’ (where I won almost $150,000 by winning back-to-back online tournaments on 25/26 December) has been very pleasant. Among other things I have found time to buy a few presents for my family as well as a new car for myself. For those of you who are interested (please skip the next sentence if you’re not) after much postulating over buying some kind of flashy three-door (BMW Z4 being top of the list), I decided that my main priority was comfort not ‘wow-appeal’ and opted for the (still nice-looking but all-round solid) Mazda 3 Sport.
I have also been featured in the first edition of the new WPT magazine. It’s a great new magazine and I highly recommend you pick up a copy and see for yourself. From my perspective it was a good buzz being involved in the process as well as doing my first poker-related photo shoot.
From a poker-playing point of view, with bankroll boosted and cash in hand, I have been spending less time grinding out profits at the tables and instead hand-picking specific times and tournaments to play – less quantity more quality you might say.
The results have been good. January was highly profitable despite failing to cash in a couple of expensive tournaments. The biggest tournament I played was the $1,000 buy-in main event in Paradise Poker's Masters’ Week. With over 1,200 runners, first prize was $300k and I hoped to go three places better than The Executioner had in his brilliant performance the night before (read his blog of 14 January 2006).
Card dead
Despite being crippled early on and seeing my starting stack of 2,500 quickly reduced to just 200 chips, I battled on bravely and with 300 runners left I had rebuilt all the way up to 35,000 and was near the chip lead! But card dead for the next two hours, and playing at an exceptionally tough and aggressive table (which would eventually yield two of the final tablers), I eventually got knocked out in 130th just 20 short of the money, when my 7-7 got busted by a loose caller holding A-2 in the big blind.
Still playing well and with a profitable January behind me I entered February full of hope, targeting the $1m Guaranteed event on PartyPoker on 18 February as a must-play.
With a $600 buy-in and 1,820 runners the guarantee was exceeded meaning 180 prizes scoping from $800 all the way up to $230,000.
I made an exceedingly good start. Starting with 5,000 chips and blinds of 20-40, in the very first round I called a pre-flop raise of 250 with 9-9 and duly flopped top set. The unlucky original raiser with K-K couldn’t get away from his over-pair and I doubled up. Shortly after, having correctly read a couple of bluffs, my stack was further increased and I reached the first break in strong position with 17,000 chips.
The next two hours went even better, and using my big stack to strong effect I climbed into the chip lead of the whole tournament. With 500 runners left and an average stack of 18,000 I had over 100,000 in chips.
An hour later, despite having lost a big pot with A-K against J-J, I remained at the top of the tree until I picked up Q-Q and clashed with another fairly big stack holding A-K. Again, I lost the coin-flip only this time it seriously dented my stack. A few hands later and I came off worse in a coin-flip once more, this time holding J-J against A-K.
Selectively aggressive
Down to 250 runners and my stack was only just above average at 45,000. Undeterred, I resolved to up my game further. As the field dwindled we got into the prize money finishes. Whilst others tightened up fearing elimination, I was selectively aggressive and managed to make the best of a bad run of cards, preying on a fairly soft table to stay in the tournament nursing somewhere near an average stack.
With just under 30 runners left, blinds were now 10,000-20,000 with a running ante of 500. The average stack was 300,000 and I had around 280,000 when I picked up 6-6 on the button. A fairly loose player with a big stack (600,000) made it 70,000 to go from middle position. I had a bit of knowledge on this guy. He had made this raise a few times and would always lead out strong at the flop whether he hit or not. When he had a strong starting hand, he tended to raise bigger or trap-limp.
So instinctively I put him on two picture cards – K-Q, A-J, K-Js or similar. Having already lost several coin-flips I decided to call rather than raise. The flop came down 8-2-2. Instantly he fired out a random looking bet of 185,294. Effectively he was putting me to a decision for all my chips. Staying true to my initial read I moved in my remaining 210,000 chips – with just 25,000 more to play obviously he had to call. As suspected, he flipped over K-Q and I was well in front. This time my hand held up and now I was in good shape again with over 600,000 chips.
Tenth through to twentieth paid $7,700 but it was the top five I was now gunning for, all of whom received $50,000 or more (with the winner receiving over $230,000). Not only did I have a good chip position, but I also felt in strong command of the table. Unlike the Big One, I did not feel that the remaining opponents were all top quality players. There were some clear maniacs who I could see bluffing off their chips to me and other tight players who I knew I could bully.
Big Slick in the small blind
All in all, it was all looking good when I picked up Ad-Kd in the small blind. My stack stood at 580,000 and when everyone passed to me, with blinds at 15,000–30,000, I made it 80,000 to play. My opponent in the big blind also had a fairly big stack (460,000). After a couple of seconds he made it a random looking 233,426 to play. The raise was so big that calling with A-K was not an option – it was either fold or push all-in.
Gleaning information from his previous betting actions, the size of his raise and the speed of his action, I instinctively felt I was a good deal ahead with my A-K and so I opted for all-in. I guess he must have felt he was pot committed as he instantly called for his last 230,000 and promptly turned over J-10!
Unfortunately, he flopped a Jack and turned another Jack rendering the King on the river useless. I was winded. Instead of taking a commanding chip lead with other 1 million chips, I suddenly had a depleted stack of just 120,000.
I struggled on and increased my stack marginally with a few all-ins, but the cards weren’t coming and when the end came it came quick. In late position and back down to 110,000 chips I had little choice but to push all-in with pocket 2s. I was quickly called by pocket 9s and it was all over – out in 18th place.
A couple of days later, I am satisfied with the payday and very happy with my overall performance. Obviously, I am a little gutted that luck deserted me at such a key stage and it’s pretty tough when I see that the player holding J-10 went on to finish 4th and enjoy a $65k payday! However, overall I have been blessed with some good fortune in recent times when it mattered more. I have also learned an important lesson from the key hand which I have shared with you in this week’s Hand of the Week.
I’ll be back with more soon. For now, happy playing, may fortune be with you, but try to keep smiling either way.
Ciao for now,
David aka The Judge
20 February 2006
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