This is probably going to be another long tournament report - so be warned.

Starstealer's Tournament Report: $10+1 NL HE w/rebuys

Another whim decision to play, but a solid one because I was awake, aware, and ready to play some poker. There's 1300 players in the tournament, and I'm on a good table to begin with (even if a little crazy on the raises...).

2nd hand of the tournament, I pick up AQo in MP. UTG limps and UTG+1 raises to 380 (19xBB?) - I fold (another person reraises allin - the limper and the raiser call...): AA (reraiser) vs TT (UTG+1) vs K9o (limper). Good times. I take my rebuy to put me up to 3k.

I fold through me next few hands and when I'm in the SB, I pick up AA. Here's the best part: UTG+1 (3k) raises to 1220 (61xBB), the button (2920) reraises allin. I reraise allin (another 60) - AND the BB calls as well as the original raiser. My AA vs. 99 (original raiser) vs A6o (button) vs. JJ (BB). My aces hold up and I'm at 10380.

The next hand I play is midway through the 2nd level. I have Q9o in the SB. There are two limpers (UTG 3830, MP 6570) and I complete. The BB (5570) checks. The flop is QJ6 and it checks around. The turn is another jack, so I bet the pot (120) and only the BB calls. The river is a king and we both check. I take the pot and he mucks. Looking at the hand history - he had T3o...

For most of the third level, I was sitting out - as I was walking the dog. Luckily, I didn't miss any important starting hands. Well, except for one pair of kings... I came back in just at the start of the 4th level.

This next hand, I'm on the button with QTs (clubs) and open-raise to 300 (3xBB). Both the SB and BB call (9430 and 2600 respectively). The flop is [Kc][6h] giving me an open ended straight flush draw. The SB checks and the BB pushes all-in.

At this point, there is 3200 in the pot and I have a decision for ~25% of my chips. The player after me has shown to be a complete muppet - so I figure he will call equally with something good or bad - I don't expect him to fold. At the same time - I don't expect him to raise either.

My hand has 6 outs to a nut straight, 6 outs to a 2nd nut flush, 2 outs to the nut straight flush and one flush out which will pair the board currently. With 15 outs twice, I'm getting plenty of odds from the all-in player, even if the SB folds. With him calling, I'm in even better shape. The only thing I would need to be concerned about is if they have the same straight or flush draws.

In any case, I make the call and the SB calls behind me. The turn is the and of no help. The SB checks, and I check behind him. The river, however, is the infinitely beautiful to make my Royal Flush. The SB checks again. Now, I've got him covered by about 500, but I doubt very much he'll call an all-in from me - so how much should I bet and hope to get called with? I decided on 1000 - much smaller than the entire pot, but enough to make him think maybe I'm playing weak. He called.

The all-in player had J8o (no club) and the SB had 94s (clubs) - so I actually had 2 less outs - but a queen would've been enough to give me the pot as well - so it is a wash. Now I'm up to 16150. Although I'm not a big stack at this point, I have plenty of breathing room - that's for sure.

At the break, I decided I would do the addon - boosting me up to 17.5k at the time. I was about 70th out of 900+ overall.

In a BB, I find pocket aces and to my delight the big stack UTG (53k) raises to 600 (3xBB). It folds around to me, but when I put in a vast overbet (to 5k), he simply folds. The overbet was not a good choice on my part, but I wanted to take the pot down preflop or just get in. I figured he might read it as a "PLEASE don't call me" move and call with a lesser hand. It seems like a bad amount now though.

Two hands later, I'm the button and find pocket nines. It folds to a MP limper (26k) and I raise it to 800 (4xBB) - the limper calls. The flop is A39 (which I figure is perfect) and he checks. I bet 2k and he folds.

When the antes start, I'm still doing okay with 16650 in my stack. There are two distinct big stacks at my table (27k and 48k), and everyone else is below 10k.

Two hands later, I'm in the SB with pocket tens. MP (22k) limps and is raised by the cutoff (8k) to 1000 (5xBB). I reraise to 2800 and they both fold. This leaves me at 18k.

Shortly afterwards, I make my first table change of the tournament. A familiar name appears in the chat - it is Mad Genious. And he is on my left. Right next to me. And he's got 26k... I give him some rundown of my royal flush hand (because I was proud of it), but otherwise, we're pretty much back to business.

I had one tough decision which I regretted after I made it at this table: Pocket tens from UTG+1. UTG limped and I raised to 2400 (6xBB). It folds around to the SB who pushes allin for another 5.2k. To me, there's 10k+ in the pot and 5k to call. Calling will still leave me with ~10k - still plenty to work with when the blinds are at 200/400 and a 25 ante. But what to do?

Well, I ended up calling and seeing the SB's rockets. I didn't improve and I was down to 9450. Soon after, I was moved again, and I never saw the genius again...

I didn't play much for the next two levels - stealing enough in blinds to stay right around 9-10k for the most part.

I did find myself getting short (5750) near the end of level IX (300/600, 50 ante), so when I found 44 in the SB - I just pushed - but my opponent merely folded.

Just at the beginning of level X (400/800, 50 ante), I found jacks in UTG+1 and open raised to 3200 (I had 6500 at the time). The SB (8890) flat called. The flop was 278 rainbow and when the SB checked, I pushed my remaining 3250. The SB folded. This brought me back up to 10k.

Shortly afterwards, I found myself UTG+1 again, this time with pocket fours and limped. Only the blinds came along and they checked through the flop of KJ7 with 2 spades, so I bet 1600 and they both folded. 11300.

I then blinded down for a while, to find myself with 6275 in level XI (600/1200, 75 ante) when this hand came up:

I'm in the SB with jacks. UTG limps (23885), the button limps (11258), I push for another 5000 and the SB calls allin (1945 total). The original limper folds and the button calls. The shortstack SB has K9o and the button has A8s. I dodge many cards and take the pot home, suddenly rejuvenated with 16070.

In the next hand, I steal the blinds with a min raise from the button with A3o to push me up to 18395.

Then, of course, there's my final hand. The full history is below. It is not pretty...

PokerStars Game #2077843290: Tournament #9608845, Hold'em No Limit - Level XI (600/1200) - 2005/07/11 - 01:11:40 (ET)
Table '9608845 73' Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: dick tryckle (23960 in chips)
Seat 2: bcrider (29696 in chips)
Seat 3: TARIK01 (53065 in chips)
Seat 4: Karl Marx (69412 in chips)
Seat 5: JORKEN (917 in chips)
Seat 7: LMarmo (68619 in chips)
Seat 8: Starstealer (17420 in chips)
Seat 9: rbick87911 (34463 in chips)
dick tryckle: posts the ante 75
bcrider: posts the ante 75
TARIK01: posts the ante 75
Karl Marx: posts the ante 75
JORKEN: posts the ante 75
LMarmo: posts the ante 75
Starstealer: posts the ante 75
rbick87911: posts the ante 75
rbick87911: posts small blind 600
dick tryckle: posts big blind 1200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Starstealer
bcrider: folds
TARIK01: folds
dick tryckle said, "what's up rbick?"
Karl Marx: folds
JORKEN: calls 842 and is all-in
LMarmo: folds
Starstealer: raises 1200 to 2400
rbick87911: folds
dick tryckle: calls 1200
*** FLOP ***
dick tryckle: checks
Starstealer: checks
*** TURN ***
dick tryckle: checks
Starstealer: bets 3600
dick tryckle: raises 7200 to 10800
Starstealer: raises 4145 to 14945 and is all-in
dick tryckle: calls 4145
*** RIVER ***
*** SHOW DOWN ***
dick tryckle: shows (a full house, Deuces full of Kings)
Starstealer: shows (a flush, Ace high)
dick tryckle collected 33006 from side pot
JORKEN: shows (two pair, Kings and Deuces)
Starstealer said, "nh"
rbick87911 said, "hola"
dick tryckle collected 3726 from main pot
CaUghtUrBluF is connected
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 36732 Main pot 3726. Side pot 33006. | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: dick tryckle (big blind) showed and won (36732) with a full house, Deuces full of Kings
Seat 2: bcrider folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: TARIK01 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Karl Marx folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: JORKEN showed and lost with two pair, Kings and Deuces
Seat 7: LMarmo folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Starstealer (button) showed and lost with a flush, Ace high
Seat 9: rbick87911 (small blind) folded before Flop

Such a well played tourney...you must have been heartbroken at the end of the last hand.

ugh.

That last hand makes me want to puke. Tough break.

Nice royal flush though!!

On the hand with 9s where you flopped a set:

In a few tournaments lately I have raised PF and flopped a set and bet the flop only to have the other guy fold. I've been thinking I have to start slow playing unless there is a big draw. The flop on that hand was A93. It's likely that you have the guy completed destroyed and almost drawing dead, so checking to let him catch something he will call ANY bet with I think is the better move. What do you think?

I know when a pre-flop raiser checks it usually signifies a big hand, but if you can slow play a little bit and get anything else from your opponent.. well.. I say do it.