DataMn's Mohawk TR
Well, I finally had a free Sunday so I decided to head to Mohawk to play in the $100 Sunday tournament. Tried to get DrTyore to go and he couldn't. Neither could itsame or TwoThree. So, I went by myself but agreed to sell 40% of myself as a BAP to DrTyore.
Got there plenty early and registered. Found out that I really didn't have to be that early - they usually have spots. 20 players is the max, but they do re-buys until the extra seats are used up or the end of the 2nd level. 17 players started but they used up all of the re-buys, so the prize pool was $1,800 (10% rake - not bad for an Ontario tourney - especially one with this low of buy-in).
Play fairly conservatively towards the beginning - or at least that is the vibe that I give off since it is my good hands that are hitting and my speculative hands are whiffing huge. This becomes an advantage towards the end.
10,000 starting stack. I chipped up to 15,600 by the first break. Good enough for 5th out of 13. One huge stack was starting to form, but 2nd through 4th were right in my range.
It wasn't long after the break that we lost the next 3 players. People were dropping like flies! The final table was set and I was at 16,000 (average 20,000) good enough for 5th. One thing that stood out at the final table was that 4 out of the 10 were female. I don't think any of them were younger than my mother so no falling into the flirting trap!
Also, I found out at the final table that pretty well everyone in the tournament other than myself and a fairly young/inexperienced guy they were all regulars there.
The stacks at the final table were one guy at 40,000K one at 30K, 5 of us around 20K, and 3 short stacks.
I was able to take out 2 of the short stacks. Once with AK preflop against AQ, and another with Aces against QQ. The woman sitting beside me raised over the top of me when I raised with KQs. Her stack was small enough that I had to call. She had AQo, but I was lucky enough to hit the K. After these 3 takeouts I had moved up to 3rd place.
Soon afterwords the 2 big stacks had a big clash in a hand, and the big stack came out on top. He had over half the chips in play, I had about 40,000, 3rd had 30,000 4th had 20,000 and 5th 10,000.
The 4th place person called my bet when I hit my straight on the river on a hand where I had a flush draw and a straight draw (because I was "only supposed to play high cards"). We were down to 4. Leader 105K, Me 70K, 3rd 25K and 4th 5K.
The guy in 4th tried to get everyone to put in $20 for a 4th place prize, but he was told by the other 2 players fairly quickly that it was not going to happen. As a matter of fact they both stated they would do no deals at any point, for whatever reason. OK - that makes things easy. Let's play!
Soon afterwords the 3rd place player took out the 4th place player and we were all in the money! Payments were going to be: $900 for first, $540 for second, $360 for third.
I decided to open up three handed, and it paid off. The guy who was in 3rd place in chips was the one that liked pointing out to anyone that any hand that I played must be in the range of AT+s, AKo, TT+. He had followed the pattern of calling my raised and all-in betting any flop that did not have a card 10 or better. On one hand I decided to raise with 86 clubs. The flop came 6, 6, 9 and he bet all in. I called and he had J8. The turn came a little bit of a scare in the form of a 7, but the river was a Jack and we were down to 2.
I entered heads up play with a lead of 105K to 95K. We made some small chit chat about him never making a deal and kept playing.
Heads up play followed a pattern for the hands that saw a flop: I would flop top pair or middle pair on an uncoordinated board. He would bet 75% of the flop, I would call. He would check and I would bet 75% of the pot and he would fold.
We had one confrontation where he called my 4 bet before the flop (I had 10s) and then he did not call my continuation after the river - telling me out loud to bet so that he could fold (He told me afterwords he had 7s, and if I could bet there he was beat).
That made the chips 172K to 28K in my favour. I kept on trying to whittle him down. He doubled up twice on 50/50 hands with pre-flop all ins.
The final hand I had JdTd. I raised before the flop and he called. The flop came down 7d 8d Kc. He raised all in, and I called instantly. He had 85. The turn was another King, but the river was a 9 and I had won the tournament!!
$800 profit - which was actually $540 after I paid of the BAP. Still not a bad day ;-).
Al
Got there plenty early and registered. Found out that I really didn't have to be that early - they usually have spots. 20 players is the max, but they do re-buys until the extra seats are used up or the end of the 2nd level. 17 players started but they used up all of the re-buys, so the prize pool was $1,800 (10% rake - not bad for an Ontario tourney - especially one with this low of buy-in).
Play fairly conservatively towards the beginning - or at least that is the vibe that I give off since it is my good hands that are hitting and my speculative hands are whiffing huge. This becomes an advantage towards the end.
10,000 starting stack. I chipped up to 15,600 by the first break. Good enough for 5th out of 13. One huge stack was starting to form, but 2nd through 4th were right in my range.
It wasn't long after the break that we lost the next 3 players. People were dropping like flies! The final table was set and I was at 16,000 (average 20,000) good enough for 5th. One thing that stood out at the final table was that 4 out of the 10 were female. I don't think any of them were younger than my mother so no falling into the flirting trap!
Also, I found out at the final table that pretty well everyone in the tournament other than myself and a fairly young/inexperienced guy they were all regulars there.
The stacks at the final table were one guy at 40,000K one at 30K, 5 of us around 20K, and 3 short stacks.
I was able to take out 2 of the short stacks. Once with AK preflop against AQ, and another with Aces against QQ. The woman sitting beside me raised over the top of me when I raised with KQs. Her stack was small enough that I had to call. She had AQo, but I was lucky enough to hit the K. After these 3 takeouts I had moved up to 3rd place.
Soon afterwords the 2 big stacks had a big clash in a hand, and the big stack came out on top. He had over half the chips in play, I had about 40,000, 3rd had 30,000 4th had 20,000 and 5th 10,000.
The 4th place person called my bet when I hit my straight on the river on a hand where I had a flush draw and a straight draw (because I was "only supposed to play high cards"). We were down to 4. Leader 105K, Me 70K, 3rd 25K and 4th 5K.
The guy in 4th tried to get everyone to put in $20 for a 4th place prize, but he was told by the other 2 players fairly quickly that it was not going to happen. As a matter of fact they both stated they would do no deals at any point, for whatever reason. OK - that makes things easy. Let's play!
Soon afterwords the 3rd place player took out the 4th place player and we were all in the money! Payments were going to be: $900 for first, $540 for second, $360 for third.
I decided to open up three handed, and it paid off. The guy who was in 3rd place in chips was the one that liked pointing out to anyone that any hand that I played must be in the range of AT+s, AKo, TT+. He had followed the pattern of calling my raised and all-in betting any flop that did not have a card 10 or better. On one hand I decided to raise with 86 clubs. The flop came 6, 6, 9 and he bet all in. I called and he had J8. The turn came a little bit of a scare in the form of a 7, but the river was a Jack and we were down to 2.
I entered heads up play with a lead of 105K to 95K. We made some small chit chat about him never making a deal and kept playing.
Heads up play followed a pattern for the hands that saw a flop: I would flop top pair or middle pair on an uncoordinated board. He would bet 75% of the flop, I would call. He would check and I would bet 75% of the pot and he would fold.
We had one confrontation where he called my 4 bet before the flop (I had 10s) and then he did not call my continuation after the river - telling me out loud to bet so that he could fold (He told me afterwords he had 7s, and if I could bet there he was beat).
That made the chips 172K to 28K in my favour. I kept on trying to whittle him down. He doubled up twice on 50/50 hands with pre-flop all ins.
The final hand I had JdTd. I raised before the flop and he called. The flop came down 7d 8d Kc. He raised all in, and I called instantly. He had 85. The turn was another King, but the river was a 9 and I had won the tournament!!
$800 profit - which was actually $540 after I paid of the BAP. Still not a bad day ;-).
Al
Comments
IIRC it's Saturday 4 p.m. $160, but the first Saturday of the month it's a $230, and Sundays 2 p.m. $100. All tourneys take a $10 rake. 2-table video poker tables, as Datamn said, rebuys if <20 players.
And they're generally terrible to moderately bad players. Payouts 50/30/20 with options to make deals / bubble prizes.
Mark
Milton Slim