UBOC5 event #4 - the hands

Patience and poise.

This is a phrase I repeated over and over and over again to myself as I played. In event #1, I played too many pots for too much money. I have noticed that a lot of the raises were less than 3x BB, with some being between 2x and 2.5x BB. This seemed to be giving the aggressors much more slack in their post flop bet sizing to bet opponents off pots. I had been raising 3.5xBB, which is my standard PLO8 cash game PF raise. So, my goal was to be more patient (lower my VPIP from 35 to 20 ish) and show some control in the hands I played while learning from those around me. Also, not to rush into my decisions, and to give extra thought where possible.

Now for the (relatively) condensed version of my tournament showing my critical hands where I was putting myself at risk.

Things didn't look too good when I lost half my stack around the 40 minute mark of the tournament. I raised from late position with QQ, after 1 limper had entered the pot. The SB shoved 1306, limped folded and I called. SB had KT and spiked a K on the turn.
http://twodimes.net/h/?z=2272691

After 30 more minutes of nothing, and watching my chip stack dwindle, I open shove 915 with 7c2h and get called by AhQd from the BB. OOPS! I get lucky and spike a 2 on the river (953K2)
http://twodimes.net/h/?z=7490918

I'm still only at half my original chip stack at this point, but I'm in a less precarious position compared to the blinds.

20 minutes later, blinds at 50/100, I have 1650 and I'm in the BB with 2d5c. This should have been an easy fold (*) to any raise, but it got interesting. MP raises 2xBB, and the cutoff (CO) and SB call. I'm now getting 7:1 on my call. As bad as my cards are, I have to call, so I do. The flop comes 3h 5d 2h. SWEET two pair! I check, hoping to check-raise the initial raiser. The SB checks, I check, MP bets, CO and SB fold and I successfully get to check-raise all-in. He calls me with AsQh and I double back up to slightly above starting stack.
http://twodimes.net/h/?z=7490923

(*) In my friendly NLHE cash games, 2x5x has become a favorite starting hand of mine. I've been winning quite a few pots with it. As such, it's gotten to the point where I play it like AA. Another funny thing is that, according to my stats, it was the hand (along with JT) that I was dealt the most times in this tournament.

15 minutes later, blinds at 75/150, and I have 2912. I'm UTG with TT. I decide a very odd play of open shoving here. It's a risky play, but the table is pretty passive so I'm likely getting called somewhere if I bet anywhere up to 3.5xBB and then I'm scared if any A, K, Q or J flops. Raising any more than 3.5xBB and I think I'm committed to put the rest in on the flop no matter what the flop, so I just open shove instead. I'm hoping that a weaker hand may call because they've seen me open shove with 72o already. So, it folds to the BB who calls with 99 and I am able to successfully double up.

Just after the 2nd break, 2 hours in, the blinds are still 75/150, and I have 6724 in chips. I have KcQh in MP, and I raise 3xBB (450). The button re-raises all-in for 3310. I'm getting 4:3 odds on my money. Horrible odds if he has AA, KK QQ, AK, AQ but good enough if he's got any other pair, AX and smaller. Then there's the possibility I'm actually ahead. Therefore I call. He has AhJh but I manage to flop a K and get my first bounty.

In the next 20 hands, I end up playing 4 pots. I check-raise bluff a flop and win $1200. I raise, and c-bet bluff the turn, but get called and lose $1400. I raise from the CO with 95o, and get called by the button. I flop 2 pair (T95) and I c-bet 1/2 pot and get called. Turn is another 5 and I bet again, this time 1/3 pot, but my opponent folds. This was likely a mistake. I probably had my opponent dead. I could have given him the chance to hit a card on the river to make big 2 pair or a straight and win a bigger pot. As is, I win $1650 in that pot. The exact next hand,
I raise 2xBB with Ac7c, and get re-raised from the SB. I think I'm folding, but I accidentally click call. Flop is 952, and he bets and I fold. Bye bye $2300 on a careless play.

For the next hour, it was pretty quiet. I'd win or lose a couple of hands, but in general I stayed about even. Then after the 3rd break, I get AA in MP, and raise 2.5xBB. I get called by BB and the player to my left. Flop comes Q73, so I bet 1/3 pot (1200), and the player to my left min raises to 2400. The BB folds. I'm either dead or way ahead in this spot, but I'm putting forward 8k if I shove to win either 7k if he folds, or 15k if he calls. So if I think I'm ahead more than 1/3 of the time, it's the right move. He does call with QT. and I win.
http://twodimes.net/h/?z=7492486

I'm now sitting pretty strong with 22k in chips. Over the next 20 minutes I drop about 3k to be at 19000, when at 250/500/50 (50 ante to go with 250/500 blinds), the CO open shoves for 6.1k. I have AdTh and I call. He has QdTd and I win. This is a spot where my opponent is likely to have a very large range and I will be ahead often. Not to mention the bounty incentive compensates a little. I don't re-raise because I only have to protect against the blinds, and if one of them comes over the top, I need to fold.
http://twodimes.net/h/?z=517427

I'm back up to 26k and at this point, it is time to be more aggressive. You can see that some stacks are trying to preserve their chips to make the money. As long as I don't cripple myself by abusing much larger stacks, I have the opportunity to chip up. At 400/800/100 I'm in the CO with 24k in chips. MP with 48k limps, then the player to his left (MP+1) makes it 3333. I'm in an interesting spot with KdQd. Do I raise, call or fold? An argument can be made any way. I decide to call given the pot odds , but will fold to a re-raise from MP. Interestingly enough, MP folds despite the odds. Therefore, I note that he is very tight. Now the flop comes AsJdQc. If he checks, he's likely got a small pair and I'm ahead. If he cbets, I think I'm folding since it's not worth being in this tough spot. Thankfully he checks. Turn is a Jc, and I'm feeling pretty good about the strength of my hand. He checks again, and I bet 1/3 pot, and he mucks. I'm not up to 31k.

It's now 4 hours in, and I believe we are in the money if not very close. The blinds are 500/1k/100. I'm in the SB with Qs9s. Fold to me and I call. The BB has 84k so I don't want to do anything stupid, especially with a hand I want to see a flop with. He checks his option. Flop comes Ac9c6d. At this point, I'm pretty sure I'm ahead. Any hand that beats me, except 96, I suspect he would have raised from the BB with. So I bet 1/2 pot (1400). He calls. Hmm... what does that mean? He hit a 9, a 6? Dunno... The turn is the Qd giving me 2 pair. I make a stronger bet 2/3 pot-ish (3200), and he raises to 7775. I shove the rest (20k) and he mucks. I'm wondering if there is a smaller bet size here I can make that will get him to try and get my chips in, but I'll take the 10k gain regardless. My only mistake was not taking a little longer to think about his hand at that point.

Now that I have chips >40k, and we are in the money. At this stage, you need to be careful of the small stacks that are trying to get big or go home, so they play a lot more looser and aggressive in this spot. Thankfully, I go card dead and only play 4 of the next 20 hands, winning 2 and losing 2 for small amounts <4k. Then, in MP I get 33, raise 3xBB and every one folds. Next hand, I have AcJc and raise 3xBB and everyone folds. I fold the next hand, then next hand UTG, I find AdJs, and raise 3xBB again. This time it folds to the big stack in the SW who makes it 80k! WTF! The bet size is too large to mean a big pair or AK. It is screaming small pair, Ax or big stack push, which is very likely given that I've raised 3 of the last 4 pots. I'm getting the right odds, when all taken together so I call, and he tables AcQh. Oops, bad spot. I get lucky and flop 7dKhJc, and he missed a Q or a T on the next two cards (2d Ks) and I get lucky to win a 91k pot.

Next hand, I have AdTd in the BB, and UTG+1, who has been active raising PF, makes it <2.5xBB to go. Everyone folds and I call. Flop comes 8dTc9c, and I check-raise him off the pot for another 8k. My stack is now 100k.

I continue to be active. Over the next 27 hands, I lose 27k going in and out of 12 of the pots. The biggest mistake I had was targeting a loose player, who seemed to be making all the right plays against me and I lost 14k against him.

I'm now at 73k, and the blinds are 1k/2k/200 when MP raises 2.25xBB and I call from the CO with KsQc, Button calls. The flop comes Qd9s5h, with the pot now 21k. MP checks, I bet 14.5k and button calls, and MP folds. I'm either behind to AQ, 99 or 55, or ahead of QJ or QT. My opponent has me covered, so I'm now basically playing for all my chips after that call. The turn is a 7j, so I bet 1/2 pot, which also happens to be 1/2 my stack, and he pushed me all in at which point I call. He tables QhJd and the river 8d gives me the pot. I'm now at 160k.

Over the next 30 hands, I'm playing quite a few pots, and still making mistakes against that loose aggro player. At 1.5k/3k/300, I find myself with KdTs UTG, and I raise 3xBB. It folds to my nemesis in the BB who 3-bets to 27.5k. Notice how he didn't overbet this time. He likes his hand, and thus it is pretty good. I'm getting over 2:1 to call, so I simply call in position to see what the flop brings. BINGO! AhKhKc. It he has Ax, x not being a K, I've got him. He bets 15k, and I push and he calls, and tables AsQs and I win a 185k pot.

After that, my stack becomes a bit of a yo-yo. Up and down, up and down. Then it starts to go only down. Still at 1.5k/3k/300, on the button with JcJh, loose-aggro raises 2xBB, the CO puts in almost 1/2 his stack at 30k, I decide to re-pop it to 76k, and the blinds fold and so does loose-aggro, and the CO goes all-in. He tables KK. D'oh. I did not read the re-raise correctly, This player was tight enough that his 3-bet should have meant something strong. I did not need to put in 76k in that spot. I miss and am down to 85k in chips.

10 hands later, 1.75k/3.5k/350 blinds, we're 6-handed and I'm UTG with 8c8d. I open for 10.5k and get pushed all-in by loose-aggro in the SB. Again, he has shown that with a hand as good as AsQs he will 3-bet smaller, so I'm thinking I'm ahead, and I call. I'm right, but his hand is still plenty good with AdQh. Flop comes 4cAhKh5c2s and I'm done.

When you look through these hands, I think I made some nice plays, had some places for improvement, and played some of them completely wrong. However, it is clear that I made some hands at some critical junctions which enabled me to survive and/or thrive. So I'm ecstatic with the results.

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