UBOC #10 here I come

Finally won my seat to the PLO8 UBOC tourney (event #10, 100k guaranteed) on the third try. I started out a little too aggressive (again!) but this time, since it was the only table I was playing, I re-focused and targeted the weaker players only. Man that strategy worked well! It worked extremely well when the weak player to my right hit a 1 outer high redraw against a decent player (AA68 vs KK27 on a AK8 flop), and then scooped the other good player two to my left for all his chips. So now my mark had the chips to give away, assuming I don't suffer the same fate as my other two opponents.

I clawed my way back from 750 chips to my starting stack of 1.5k when we got to 4-handed.

I found myself at that point with Weak to my right (7k in chips), uber-tight but aggressive (UTBA - 3.5k in chips) to my left and generally tight-passive (TP-3k in chips) across from me. My plan: UTG, I'm calling with any 4 low cards, 4 high cards and raising with good high/low hands (A+234+KQJ+X), and folding to a raise from UTBA and TP. On the button, raise with anything decent to isolate against Weak when he limps UTG (which was always). Complete in my SB when no raises, if there is a raise, play normal blind protection hands. Same thing from the BB.

If I did manage to isloate against Weak, then I'd simply try to value bet any hand with potential on the flop. If I hit on the turn, I'd continue betting, if not, I'd check. There was no fold equity there, so pot control was a must. Then, I'd play the river the same way. I was fortunate enough to get some great river combinations, which *almost* assuredly got me half if not all the pot, which allowed me to bet strong. For example, I bet a QJ4 flop with only a A2J9. Weak called. Turn came 3. He checked, I bet, he called. The river was a J, and I was able to get a value bet of 2/3 pot on the river paid off with only a Q. He had a weaker low draw on the river too, so if a low comes, it's a split pot. In the span of 6 hands, I was up to 5.5k, and he was down to 3k. I then knocked out UTBA when I limped UTG, and he raised from the button. TP and Weak folded and I called with A34K. The flop came K68, I checked raised him all in expecting him to show me AA, and he obliged with AA67. I was happy to see his weak low. Turn was a 5, guaranteeing me 1/2 the pot, and the river 2 gave me the scoop. You rarely win these tourneys without a little luck. :D

A few hands later, I knocked out Weak, and was HU against TP with a 12k to 3k chip advantage. Since we started HU at 30/60 blinds, there was a lot of play left. My strategy was similar to my regular HU SNG strategy: Raise from Button/SB for almost every hand until he fights back and then figure out what sort of hands he's willing to fight with. Let's just say there was a lot of raising on my part. I would dwindle him down to 1.25k, then I'd gamble with a weak hand and he'd double back to 2.5k, but generally, I was constantly trending his stack downwards. During the break, he was calling me the "luckiest ***** in the world" (UB censorship, not mine), and said "You probably don't even know what game you're playing!" to which I replied "Yes I do. It's called bet and fold!" First hand after the break, I raised from the button/SB totally expecting him to re-raise, but he folded, and I knew I will win this easily.

10 minutes later we were done. I'm now registered for 4 events in 8 days. I'm stoked and looking forward to it!

As for the "all-you-can-satellite" contest I mentionned in my last post, I looked at the results page right now, and there have been a few people who already have won over 10 seats, including multiple seats to the same tourney (extra seats paid back in tournament dollars), so there's no way I can win that contest. Ahh, to be young with lots of time on their hands. Hmm... I guess they could be old, never really thought of that, but I guess it's a lot less likely. Probably some student, and potentially an online "pro". <- I quote that because being a "pro" means you make a living from the game, but does not necessarily mean that they make a fortune from it. I probably make more in my day job than they do from their poker.

Anyway, got friends coming over tonight to play. Should be fun as usual!