NL Hold’Em Tourny – at Stratosphere.

I signed up for a $50 + 1 $40 Rebuy at my Hotel in Vegas. I will try to put together the key hands of the day as I remember them. I drank before, during, and after tourny....hence a couple of marginal / bad plays

There were only 20 people in the tourney so I figured I had a good chance of getting ITM…until I realized that only top 2 paid and the casino takes a rake of about 30%. The prize pool ended up being about $900 with $670 to first and $230 to second.

You could rebuy on the first break or any time before that. One guy made his rebuy before the game even started so I decided I would cover everyone on the table and rebuy as well.

Structure: $50 for 2500 chips and $40 Rebuy for 3000 Chips
Blinds increase every 10 mins.

Game Begins.

I have 5500 Chips
Blinds 50/100 My First hand is AQ OTB+1. I raise to 500, SB and BB call.
Flop comes 5JK, SB Goes All In. BB Calls, I fold.
SB Shows AJ, BB Shows AQ. Turn Comes Q, BB Wins.

I just read Caro’s book of poker tells so this was the first time to put them to use. BB acts like he has run up a flight of stairs whenever he has a hand. He breathes about once a second.

I have about 4700 Chips

Blinds 50/100 OTB+2. I flat call with Ad 8d.
Flop Comes Qd 4d 52s. I have a the nut flush draw and one over card.
EP Min Bets 100, EP2, Raises All in to 1600 (He has EP covered).
I am confident EP is going to call this bet. So I call. Pot is about 5500 chips
No Diamonds on Turn on River.
I am down to 3000 Chips.

I know I could have waited…but I wanted to build a stack to push people around.

Blinds 50/100
I have AA in MP. I flat call thinking that the button will raise because he has been very aggressive. OTB+1 goes all in. I go All-In.
OTB+1 shows AQs and doesn’t improve.
I have 6000 chips.

Blinds 100/200.
I have AhKs OTB. I raise to 1000. BB Calls.
Flop comes 9c8c2c. BB checks. I push All in for his remaining 2000.
He calls with QcJd for flush and gutshot draws.
He spikes a Q on the river and takes it.

Blinds 100/200

EP+1 Calls (Guy with the breathing tell), I raise to 1000 from the BB with Kd Jd. He reraises me all in.
I think about it. I look at him, he is huffing…but not as much as before. And I am sooted. My 3 friends are watching from the rail. I tell the table “I am pretty sure I am behind here, but I am going to call anyway”.
Villain shows AK offsuit.
Flop comes Q97
Turn is a 10 for my straight.
I got a lucky suckout! This brings my stack up to 11,000 or so.

Final Table

Blinds 400/800.
I have 44 OTB. Someone moves all in for 1600.
I call. SB goes all in for 300 more.
AJ vs A2s vs my 44
Flop is QQ8. Turn brings a 4 for my boat.

Blinds 500/1000
5 Players
I have KQ OTB+1.
Min Raised to 2000. I call. Flop comes 3QJ rainbow.
Preflop raiser checks. I put him All-In for 5000 chips. He waits and waits and calls with A10.
My hand is good.

That is about it. When it got down to 4, the chip leader knocked out 4th place so it was just me, him and a lucky drunk. I took the drunk out with 10d8d on the button. We checked it to the river where flop had 1 diamond and turn and river brought diamonds as well.
I bet 3000 into a 5000 pot. Drunk guy moved all in and I called.
So I made the money. We decided to split the pot 60/40 and I walked with close to $400. Not bad for my first live tourney.

That is a good result, but you would be wise to sip bud light and lay off the booze. That money you lose buys real things, grasshopper.