My First Major Tourny !!! CPT Edmonton
Well I travelled to edmonton and competed in the Holdem events this past weekend. Learned alot and had a ton of fun.. Kudos to the CPT and ABS Casino for a well run event..
Thursday Oct 8th
Travel day - Drove down to Edmonton making the 500KM trip in under 5 hours. I got checked into the Super 8 had a bite to eat and headed for the Casino. Figured I'd look around and maybe jump into a cash game for awhile to get comfortable..
One of the 1st people I see at the Casino is a friend from our local home games who's there to play the Omaha H/L event... This isn't one game I can play very well so I watch a bit before heading to the cash games...
Bad News only Holdem Game running is a 10/20 Kill game and a little rich for my liking.. I decided the 4/8 half n half might be worth a try anyways so I sign up on the waiting list. 10 minute wait and the hosts call my name so I grab 200$ in chips and have a seat.
Of course the first 30 minutes I sit happen to be O/H so I play tight and mostly just fold and watch.. Think I limped a couple times and actually played a couple hands to the river but never took down a pot..
Holdem half starts up and things go from bad to worse. I got a few hands to play but didn't do well and ended up walking away from the table dissapointed down $165.
( Not a great start to the week end!
Friday Oct 9th
Limit Holdem event 5PM $300 + $30
Hotel was boring and the TV had nothing on so I decided to hit the casino early and headed there around 2pm.. I signed up for 3/6 kill and 6/12 holdem figuring I might get to play a few hours before the event. No luck my names the only one on the list and no one else seems interested. 3pm - I registered for the limit and and was assigned seat 6 Table 14 in the main room.. Ok not a bad seat .
Getting close to 5pm and hearing that the tourny is sold out! meaning 250 players and a max prize pool of around 75k. I decided to take my seat and first guy I met is a guy from Manitoba and a Pokerforum.ca poster). There's a mad rush of people signing up and long lines so the tourny is around 30 minutes late in starting. Alot of the locals are upset because most assumed they didn't need to pre register.. Glad I did ).
Tourny starts and I sit with 5000T$ in starting chips. Immediatley I find out we have 3 or 4 very loose players at our table and the 2 worst are on my left and right.. I decided early to try and play like a normally do online. I'll try to play strong position a little tight to start and let the maniacs run and see if I can pick up a few pots.. The hands I get are't great believe I limped in with a few the first few levels but never won much and was down after the first break but only by around 800T$.
2nd round is much of the same as the first. Not getting any 3 or 4 hand rushes picking up the odd pot but not really gaining.. 1 Guy in seat 2 "Randy" a fellow who just got back from UB's aruba tourny is very hot getting AA twice and hitting with everything he plays so I decide to avoid him.. Blinds I think where 100/200 and I'm dealt AKs (clubs) in early position. I am first to act so I come out with a raise and only get the BB to call. he states and I quote "This is gunna be a loose call but any 2 can win". The BB the loose guy on my right has had about 6-8 beers by this point and with that comment I know I'm ahead in the hand. Flop hit Kxx with 1 spade he checks I bet he calls.. Turn X but a 2nd spade. BB comes out betting I raise he calls.. I'm thinking he has T9 or 98 suited. River drops the third spade and BB bets into me I no I'm beat(. Top Pair Ace kicker and a decent pot I call to have him show 42s both spades... Ouch!
I continued to battle with my meager stack and actually managed to get up above the original 5000 to 6250T$ before the break and being moved to the other room and a new table. made 1 st mistake in the tourny during this time but it wasn't large one and I won the pot.. I was dealt AK diamonds and got heads up with a guy on the button. I flopped nut flush he checked I bet he folded...!!! James Worth a pro from Toronto otherwise know to UB'ers as KrazyKanuck sits on my left and whispers to me " Dude you gotta check that" He's right I lost a few possible bets not letting him maybe catch a hand..
At the new table I managed to pick up a few blinds and guy here seem to be showing me some respect... A guy guy sits to my left and I get 88. 2nd mistake!!! I come out with a raise from MP for $3000 and the new guy re raises 1500 more.. I check out his chips which are 800$ total after his raise and decide to put him all in hoping he's playing AKs or AQs. Wrong! He calls and flips his Kings I show my 8's... flop misses us both and he doubles off me.
We're under 100 left at this point and they break our table and move me again..
New table and i'm card dead .. nothing for hands for about 3 orbits are blinds are Huge.. I did somehow manage to steal once an orbit to stay alive
8 tables left and people are dropping fast I'm holding A6s in EP and end up pushing on a semi steal attempt.. 2 callers and total miss on the flop and I'm eliminated in 78th place!!! End of Tourny for me! 12:30am 7.5 hours playing!
Thursday Oct 8th
Travel day - Drove down to Edmonton making the 500KM trip in under 5 hours. I got checked into the Super 8 had a bite to eat and headed for the Casino. Figured I'd look around and maybe jump into a cash game for awhile to get comfortable..
One of the 1st people I see at the Casino is a friend from our local home games who's there to play the Omaha H/L event... This isn't one game I can play very well so I watch a bit before heading to the cash games...
Bad News only Holdem Game running is a 10/20 Kill game and a little rich for my liking.. I decided the 4/8 half n half might be worth a try anyways so I sign up on the waiting list. 10 minute wait and the hosts call my name so I grab 200$ in chips and have a seat.
Of course the first 30 minutes I sit happen to be O/H so I play tight and mostly just fold and watch.. Think I limped a couple times and actually played a couple hands to the river but never took down a pot..
Holdem half starts up and things go from bad to worse. I got a few hands to play but didn't do well and ended up walking away from the table dissapointed down $165.
( Not a great start to the week end!Friday Oct 9th
Limit Holdem event 5PM $300 + $30
Hotel was boring and the TV had nothing on so I decided to hit the casino early and headed there around 2pm.. I signed up for 3/6 kill and 6/12 holdem figuring I might get to play a few hours before the event. No luck my names the only one on the list and no one else seems interested. 3pm - I registered for the limit and and was assigned seat 6 Table 14 in the main room.. Ok not a bad seat .
Getting close to 5pm and hearing that the tourny is sold out! meaning 250 players and a max prize pool of around 75k. I decided to take my seat and first guy I met is a guy from Manitoba and a Pokerforum.ca poster
). There's a mad rush of people signing up and long lines so the tourny is around 30 minutes late in starting. Alot of the locals are upset because most assumed they didn't need to pre register.. Glad I did ).Tourny starts and I sit with 5000T$ in starting chips. Immediatley I find out we have 3 or 4 very loose players at our table and the 2 worst are on my left and right.. I decided early to try and play like a normally do online. I'll try to play strong position a little tight to start and let the maniacs run and see if I can pick up a few pots.. The hands I get are't great believe I limped in with a few the first few levels but never won much and was down after the first break but only by around 800T$.
2nd round is much of the same as the first. Not getting any 3 or 4 hand rushes picking up the odd pot but not really gaining.. 1 Guy in seat 2 "Randy" a fellow who just got back from UB's aruba tourny is very hot getting AA twice and hitting with everything he plays so I decide to avoid him.. Blinds I think where 100/200 and I'm dealt AKs (clubs) in early position. I am first to act so I come out with a raise and only get the BB to call. he states and I quote "This is gunna be a loose call but any 2 can win". The BB the loose guy on my right has had about 6-8 beers by this point and with that comment I know I'm ahead in the hand. Flop hit Kxx with 1 spade he checks I bet he calls.. Turn X but a 2nd spade. BB comes out betting I raise he calls.. I'm thinking he has T9 or 98 suited. River drops the third spade and BB bets into me I no I'm beat
(. Top Pair Ace kicker and a decent pot I call to have him show 42s both spades... Ouch!I continued to battle with my meager stack and actually managed to get up above the original 5000 to 6250T$ before the break and being moved to the other room and a new table. made 1 st mistake in the tourny during this time but it wasn't large one and I won the pot.. I was dealt AK diamonds and got heads up with a guy on the button. I flopped nut flush he checked I bet he folded...!!! James Worth a pro from Toronto otherwise know to UB'ers as KrazyKanuck sits on my left and whispers to me " Dude you gotta check that" He's right I lost a few possible bets not letting him maybe catch a hand..
At the new table I managed to pick up a few blinds and guy here seem to be showing me some respect... A guy guy sits to my left and I get 88. 2nd mistake!!! I come out with a raise from MP for $3000 and the new guy re raises 1500 more.. I check out his chips which are 800$ total after his raise and decide to put him all in hoping he's playing AKs or AQs. Wrong! He calls and flips his Kings I show my 8's... flop misses us both and he doubles off me.
We're under 100 left at this point and they break our table and move me again..
New table and i'm card dead .. nothing for hands for about 3 orbits are blinds are Huge.. I did somehow manage to steal once an orbit to stay alive
8 tables left and people are dropping fast I'm holding A6s in EP and end up pushing on a semi steal attempt.. 2 callers and total miss on the flop and I'm eliminated in 78th place!!! End of Tourny for me! 12:30am 7.5 hours playing!
Comments
Again I get to the Casino ABS early and register soon as the table opens.. gotta beat the rush...
I run into a 2nd friend from our local home games and wish him well..
Today we started with 7500T$ and the inform us this is the biggest poker tournament ever in Canada.. 127K total prize pool 32% for first...
Tourny Starts:
Table I'm at has 11 people and all seem to be playing fairly tight with no maniacs at all.. Great this will make things tough!!
Speeding things up I try to play my standard game again and basically trade blinds around for the 1st 7 or 8 levels.. I'm down a bit but by no way in trouble... Afew hands before the 2nd break I'm dealt JJ UTG and I make it 2000$ about 1/3 rd my stack.. folded around to the CO who looks up and says "I'll put you all in". Now he has me covered and Alarm belling are ringing in my head screeming AA AA AA.. I ask for time to think this threw a sec and with blinds about to hit me and almost 50% of my stack in the pot I may have to call here! My Hearts Racing like mad I go over his possible hands in my head from his previous play.. He's been one of the looser guys at the table a strong player and capable of having any thing in his hand. Some how I convice my self he prolly has AKs so I call... AA and I flip my JJ to see a smile on his face... Dunno why but I decided to stand to see the board better and here comes the flop!!! Jxx
Next round of levels I play strong getting AA 2 times but no action either.. I managed to build from 12k up to 19800T$ before the break...
Few new players moved into the table and things started to get a little wild...
After the break Blinds hit me for 4500T$ and with a 200$ ante I'm down another 3800$ 8300T$ in total ... almost 50% of my stack in 19 hands... OHHH NOOO! Here come the blinds again... UTG +2 I get ATo. Guy on my right limps for 1500 so I push all in!! Small stack 2 seats left calls and rest fold including limper.. I have the small stack covered but when we flip he shows his AKS a monster for him...
I loose 65% of my stack and have around 5000T$ left..
2 hands I get J9o on the BB and guy utg raises.. I have 1700$ left and SB next hand is 1500. the small stack from my previous hand Not so small anymore pushes and so do I... UTG guy calls.. it's my j9o vs AQo vs ATo...
UTG hits a queen and I'm out of the tourny in 66th spot...
All and all I feel great about my play... Limit I made top 80 and did well with the few hands I did get...
NL I only made 1 mistake and I managed to get lucky and double up on the hand... Lesson learned but pretty decent play for a tough table and my first tourny events!
The 1st hand I was all in with I felt my heart beating very hard but managed to control myself and keep myself in check.. Thanks CPP magazine .. the article in Nov issue on managing emotions helped a bunch...
any way Had a GREAT time and will try to play another 1 or two if I can... Back to the grind stone to raise a Bank for my next tourny...
Cheers,
all_aces
Once again Thanks for the report.....