Make One Good Call...

Played in the 50-50 tonight. As is rapidly becoming tradition, Chad ended up at my table for a while, this time on my right.

I'll confirm he got some absolutely horrific beats laid on him. Thing is, he's still alive with 2 tables left (and now out 15th). Me?



So, a better pay than I got with 4th in the Mookie, and it covered all my buy-ins and attempts at buy-ins last night plus a bit of profit. Which is good, since the Big Game didn't go so well for me. I started both of the tournaments 30 min late as well, which was less than advantageous.

I guess I should explain the title. My last hand of the 50-50:

Dealt 33 in the BB. MP raises as usual, and I call. Flop comes 664, I bet 20k into the 29k pot, leaving me with about 19k. Raiser thinks, and I know I've got him. He pushes, I call, and he flips over AQ. Any guesses what hits?

Nope. 4 on the turn, counterfeiting my 2 pair, K on the river helps nobody. I'm done in 20th. About 5 hours of play, $211 profit. I guess $42 an hour isn't a bad rate.

But here's what you really want to know.

348 hands

AA - 5 times
KK - 3 times
QQ - 4 times
JJ - 1 time

10 other pocket pairs (everything but 88; 33 and 66 twice)

AK - 9 times

AQ - 1 time

AJ - 5 times
KQ - 5 times
KJ - 6 times
QJ - 4 times

So once again, 18% of all the hands were a pocket pair, AK, A-face, or paint. I hope everyone cleaned out their buckets from last time. The sad part? I got almost nothing for the aces. The first one got me a built pot (I raised the limpers, and most called), the second got me an all-in, and after that? Nothing but blinds. I guess I should mix up my play a bit more with them.

Long weekend in some parts of Canada. I love the extra day off. 4 day week, and then 2 weeks off, including 1 week in Iceland. I need a vacation.

How to Cash in the BBT

It's simple, get these hands. Oh, this will be long. And you might want a bucket near you to puke in. You've been warned.

This was my FIRST Hand. Keep an eye on the numbers in the corner.










Two hand earlier I asked where my Aces were. Now seriously, this is crazy, even for me. Look at these 3 CONSECUTIVE hands.






Recess had just won dirty against someone else. Whoops.




This is where the first third level of blinds ended. So that's what? 30 minutes? IronGirl was also the first of 8 people I knocked out.



And then Lightning


And IslandBum


1st break is here.



And Al


2 hands later I got JJ. 2 hands after that I knocked out NightRanger/StB and his pocket kings when my ducks flopped a set. Then I got moved, so I missed those screen shots from the last hand window.

And DDionysus


Now THIS is a lead.


Zeem didn't make it, but played his short-stack masterfully. This is the first of a few he managed. This also starts a succession of AJ and AQ. Look at the numbers in the corner.






Oh, and a 99 in there.


I hurt Garth here... badly.


Still going with the AJ and AQ sequence.




New table, same cards. And LJ.


Haven't seen these in a while.




And we're at the 2nd break. That would be 2 hours in. AA twice, KK twice, and TONS of Ace-Face.


And it continues in hour 3.




And Blinders.


Final table fun.






And the hand that did me in. I was in 4th, blinds were big and coming around quickly of course, so I pushed over the top and NumbBono called. I counted. 17 aces in the deck. I got most of them earlier.


Am I really going to complain?



Here's the final tally:

306 Hands

24 pocket pairs
AA 4 times
KK 3 times
JJ 2 times
TT-22 at least once each (66 & 55 twice, 44 & 33 3x in case you were wondering)

Everything but QQ

AK 4 times
AQ 7 times
AJ (which is GOLD!) 9 times

KQ 4 times
KJ 2 times
QJ 6 times

So out of 306 hands, 56 (18%) were pairs, Ace-face, or faces. I didn't bother counting any medium suited connectors, but those were there too of course.

Are you sick? I thought so.

So, what's my excuse for not winning? I don't have one. I got cards and boards from start to finish in what might be the sickest run ever seen in these blogger events, if not most 56-runner tournaments. I guess it's appropriate for the scene.

I don't blame the 66, I can't. I could have folded, but then I'd either be waiting for better cards or cold stealing. In the end, it was my play before the sixes that hurt me. I didn't maximize value from my Aces at the final table, and while I did steal occasionally, I didn't resteal, and got restolen from far too often. I picked a few spots poorly with cards I wasn't willing to go to war with. But we learn from our mistakes. Next time, I'll be better.

Congrats go to NumbBono for taking it down heads-up against Jordan, who fought back from a REALLY short stack to a hell of a heads-up battle. Way to go both of you guys. Also Congrats to SelltheKids for 3rd, and everyone else who cashed. Yes, even Waffles. It was a hell of a final table.

Thanks to Al, Hoy and Mookie (the only of the 3 to cash!) for all the work in putting the whole BBT together. You guys rock so hard there should be a law.

P.S. - I starting playing with Alt text today with the images. Anybody notice? Go ahead, hover over a screenshot.

Lather, Rinse...

Repeat.

10th in the MATH for the 2nd straight week. Much like the Mookie, I was a total lucksack, but this time I went card dead during the all-in fest that was the final 18. In the end, my all-in reraise with A9o against leftylu's KJo (after he'd been raising my button repeatedly) failed to catch after a J hit on the flop. No regrets. I outlasted everyone but Iggy and Bayne ahead of me, and Newinnov went out right after me, so he only gained a little in the mighty point race

I told Hoy and others that these would get posted. There will be scrolling.



The NEXT hand after the Aces.







Right after the AK


Right after the previous 66


And Then we were on the FIRST BREAK.




This is what I get for slowplaying






That was the last big hand I saw. Stole a few blinds after, and that was it.

As for other "pretty" hands that didn't make screen shots:

1 AQ
2 AJ
6 KQ
3 KJ
1 QJ
10 Pocket Pairs (all but 1 < 77)
4 hammers (+1 suited)

Plus a ton of Ax (including a lot of AT), and suited Ax.

So I'm obviously a complete and total donk to go out in 10th with that rack of cards. Would have been much better timing to get hit in the face with the deck after the 3rd break instead of before the 1st.

---------

Congats to Bayne for taking down yet ANOTHER BBT event. Really, this is getting old now. I believe this now gives him the Mookie, regular Riverchasers and MATH triple crown at the moment. Making him a defending champ in all three.