Debo On the Road...
Posted: 2007-11-06 15:31:21By: Debo34
I just arrived back home after 10 days on the road. I went to Reno to meet up with some friends and play a series of small tournaments. I needed to get away for a series like this to work on my live game. The tournaments were pretty small, buy ins ranging from $100 - $1,000 and fields being anywhere from 100-300 depending on the event. Overall I felt pretty good about the way I played cashing in 5 tournaments, with 3 final tables. My one win came in a game I rarely play, limit Omaha 8/b. This is my first live tournament win in a non hold'em event.
Traveling to play in these tournaments has it drawbacks and pitfalls. In places like Reno and Tunica there isn't much to do outside of the casino this time of the year. I need to find things to do outside of poker to keep me off of the casino table games. This is why I always go to these places with friends. It's nice to be able to go to dinners, catch a movie, or do anything with friends to get your mind off the game for a bit.
With me playing live everyday, and the internet connection at the hotel being brutal, I only played 1 online tournament the whole week. This week's UB $200k was the one. I've talked in the past about how having the bounty placed on me can really make it tough. This week was no exception, but I caught a few breaks and had some hands hold up.
It seemed as though this week was going to end just like the past few have. A few hours in I got all my chips in with AA vs. 1010 only to see a 10 flop. Just as fast as the 10 flopped and Ace fell on the river to get me to around 15k. I got very lucky later on to river a flush with AK suited vs. AA after pushing on the turn with 1 to go, I hit the miracle river to stay alive.
With the field getting smaller, I found myself in the middle of the pack with around 30 to go. I had somewhere in the area of 40k chips when the following 2 hands occurred. With the blinds 2k/4k it folded to me on the button and I moved all in with 77. The small blind instantly shoved over the top. Great, I ran into a monster again? Nope it was QJ , unsooooted even. Not sure if this guy really wanted the 200$ bounty that bad, or believed his hand was good enough to risk 50k of his 60k.Either way I managed to win the race. I was now sitting with over 80k The very next orbit it folded to me on the button and I was holding AA. I raised to 11k and the big blind shoved all in for 98k. I was a little surprised to see him flip over 23. My hand held, and I was near 200k, in the top 3 with 20 or so to go.
In good shape and almost certain to make the final table, I played a hand worth forgetting. Not because I didn't like my hand, or the flop, but because of how hard I played this hand. Holding AQ hearts in the blind there was a mid position raise and a button call. I decided to flat call with this hand. The flop was A x x with 2 hearts. Nice flop for my hand .I checked the original raiser bet, the button flat called and I pushed. The button called and had A set of aces.
I'm not sure why I got so involved with this hand, in the way in which I did. If I could go back I certainly play it different, whether it be a re raise pre flop to gather more info, or a flat call on the flop to try to keep the pot small.
Either way I hated the way I played this hand and it possibly cost me a final table as I was out a few hands later in 12th place. Just goes to show how 1 hand can make all the difference in this game.
Friday I'm off to Madison Wisconsin to visit my buddy p0ker h0 and go to 2 football games.
Wisconsin/ Michigan Saturday , and Packers / Vikings on Sunday in Green Bay.
Excited to see both Brett Favre, and Adrian Peterson play.
Stay tuned for pictures from the games.
Debo
