Yesterday started off pretty slowly for me....At the first break(after 2 one hour levels) I was at 2700 after starting at 3000 and had won only one hand. In that hand there had been one limper at 50/100 from MP and I limped with QTos, blinds completed/checked. Flop came AT4 rainbow. Checked to me. I decided to check and fire the turn if it bricked and was checked to me again.
Turn was a Qs giving me two pair and putting a spade draw out there. SB led out for 175, BB folded, MP called, I made it 500, SB folded, MP called.
River was a total blank...something like a red 2. MP checks. Does anyone value bet here?
I thought that there was no way he had an ace with the way the flop/turn(and even preflop) played out. I was pretty sure he either had a draw or some pair+draw. Any way I could get paid off there? I decided the risk just wasn't worth it. I checked, he showed TJ and I took it.
At the first break, I was pretty resigned to not doing much this tourney, as it just didn't seem to be my day. But I went on a run as soon as the play resumed. I won the first hand with a weak ace out of the blinds when I check/called down on an ace-rag-rag board. I stole quite a few blinds. I tried to steal once more with TJs by raising to 500(blinds 100/200) and go reraised all in by a shortstack(1300). I called the 800 more hoping to have two live cards and I did as he had AKos. My TJs won.
I raised to 500 with AQos UTG, folded to the blinds who both called. Flop comes J82 with 2 spades, checked to me. I check. Turn is a Q of diamonds, putting a diamond draw out there with the spade draw. SB checks, BB bets 975, I call, SB folds.
River is a total blank(forget what it was exactly though)...just a low card that completed no draws. He checks, I make a pretty big value bet putting him nearly all in...I think 2000(he only had about 2500-3000). He called and later said he just had an 8 but never thought I had that strong of a hand. I was very happy with my betting there, but I failed to look at his stack size, otherwise I would've just put him all in....probably an "internet player" mistake, lol. Oh well, I was quickly up to over 10K, which was probably top 2 or 3% in chips.
I changed tables, and things were going smoothly until.....Cutoff raises to 600 at 100/200(25 ante) level. I have AKos in SB and reraise to 2600. BB pushes all in for about 6500 and cutoff folds. Now its 3900 to me with 9950 in the pot...I do the "let me pretend to think for a while" thing, but in reality this was as close to an insta-call there is imo getting over 2-1 with AK. You have to welcome a race here and if he happens to have AA/KK then oh well. Well he had KK, and no ace came.
I was down to just around 3000 at this time and it was push/fold time for me pretty much.
The last hand before the break I had 2375 left and picked up 99 in MP. With 525 in the pot preflop this was an easy push. LP big stack called. SB shortstack thought for a while before calling and leaving himself only 200 chips behind.
Flop came A45, SB checked, LP bet 200 to put SB all in. And heres the tough part for me: SB thought for literally over a minute. "You have to have an ace, I know it", he would say. I have absolutely no clue how he was even considering folding with over 7000 in the pot. The guy next to me was wondering the same thing out loud, and I fairly politely told him to shut up.
After what seemed like forever, as everyone else was pretty much out of the room on break now, he called and showed QQ. Of course LP just had 77.
Its not so much that my 99 ran into QQ, but just how close he came to making a horrendous mistake of folding there and giving me the pot. His QQ held and I was out.
My roomate Eddie is still alive though with 45K after day 1, so hopefully he'll have a deep run in him here. As for me, I went home and got a really long rest(12+ hours), as I've been playing a ton. I'm gonna play the Sunday online MTTs today. Tomorrow is PLHE, which I don't mind but usually doesn't attract as many poor players. The $1000+rebuys is Tuesday, which is probably too big for my bankroll, but I may play and just give myself $3000(one initial rebuy and one add on)....not sure yet. I think I'll definitely try to play the $2000 on Wednesday.
I've been playing $5/10/25 PLO and I think I'm going to move up to $25/25/50 perhaps even tomorrow.