Degree Poker Tournament report
All in all, it was very fun and well run tournament. Yeah, the blinds were aggressive, but for a $100,000 freeroll, you can't really complain. Sadly, I will not be moving on to Day two so we'll need someone else from the forums to do us proud.
I arrived at the casino at 5:30 am and registration was opening at 6, so I stopped nearby for some breakfast and met up with Ercules and a guy that plays at my tournament, but I don't think posts here. We got into the big line up and they had us processed quickly. My assignment was Table 5 Seat 2, putting me in the BB. Great. I was sure this was going to mean that I'd get dealt AK, flop a King and lose to a runner, runner flush.
The tournament started 20 minutes late (and, on a aside, Heat 1 finished late and Heat 2 is 1.5 hours behind schedule. Those poor Heat 4 people.) but eventually the cards were in the air with 25-50 blinds and a 2,000 chip stack; 12 25's, 12 100's amd 1 500. The plan was to play tight and I was delighted to have 84o in the first had. The button raised to 300 and I got the first hand out of the way.
My first mistake came with T8 in the next BB. One caller, I check and the flop misses me. The flop is checked and the turn comes a T. I check and the button bets 100. I decide to chck raise here (as, on an aisde, play was very, very tight. More on that in a bit) and announce "riase", planning to go to 300. It was then that I noticed that the small blind was also in the hand, and I just acted out of turn. Crap. I noriced that his hand put down the three black chip he had and simply "called" the 100. It was on me and I was forced to raise. Obviously, the SB has a big hand here and I'm completely expecting a check-raise, so I raise the minimum. The button calls and, to little surprise (except to the button) the SB rae-raises to 600. I give up the hand cause I'm SO beat, and the Button and SB end up all in, the SB turning over 33 to go with the 3 on the flop.
Bad, stupid mistake on my part. With the fairly low blinds, I speculate a bit, but when I look at my stack I realize I'm down to 1,600. I really didn't think I had played that much, so I knew I'd had to tighten up a bit or I'd speculate myself to death.
At the end of the first level I was at 1,675 and it looked as if about 5 tables worth of players had busted out.
In general, play at the table wasn't bad all, a number of tight weak players, and some were pretty good (In fact, 4 people from my starting table made it to the final 20)
Blinds rose to 50-100 and I made a lot of progress this round. I'm limped with AJs UTG, and got a couple caller and flopped a flush!! The SB bet out and it felt as if she were protecting her hand. So, I put on my best, "I'm drawing 4 to the flush" act and called. The turn paired the board, but I could put her on a boat, as she bet yet again at me. I decided that she had a hand that she wanted to play to the end, so I raised all in, and she called turning over 67s. Bad luck on her part. She had a hand that she had to bet to protect and ran into a monster.
I won a number of smaller pots, including one with the Doyle Bruson and, at the end of the level, I was feeling good with a stack size of 3,925.
The next round was a huge jump to 100-200 with a 25 ante, and the table went from having 150 on it pre-flop to 500!! I stupid blew off a 1/4 of a stack on an I'll timed steal, and so sat back for a bit. I promptly went card dead for the rest of the level. My "steal" was nullified this level when a new player joined out table.
Early in the level we were joined a charming white haired fellow, I'll call gramps. Early on I noticed that gramps played almost every hand and the following hand came up which made me realize that a very important weapon was about to taken away from me. I'm in the BB and the player UTG+1 (who was playing tighter than anyone else at the table, doing chiptricks and spouting lingo) suddlenly went all-in for 1,875. Gramps smooth calls the raise, and everyone else folds. UBER-rock turns over AQo and Gramps turns over JTo. Wow. That was a good 3/4s of his stack too.
Of course, Gramps hits a Ten on the river, outsting UBER-rock, and I swear that a number of players started eying gramps hungrily. I wanted his chips, but I also realize that I could no longer steal and he would call me. Damn. I was also direclty opposite, so I was never in a good position to isolate him. The player , two to his left eventually got a good chunk of his chips.
It was really bad, I kid you not. Basically, when it was his turn, I noticed that the order you told him his options COMPLETELY affected his play. If you said, "You can either call 1,500 or you can fold", he'd call. If you said, "You can either fold or call 1,500" he'd fold. I am not making this up.
Anyway, back to the story. So, I was card dead for the level and at the end of it was down to 2,550. Not horrible, but there was only half the field left, and the blinds were about to go to 200-400 with a 50 ante. (1,000 on the table).
In the next rotation, I pushed with AQo got no callers and survived a round of bad cards. As the round was coming to and end (and about to go to 400-800, I really wanted one more steal. Button: 92o. Cutoff: 92o, Cutoff+1: 92o. Very nice to get those three hands in a row. Still I was at about 2,100 chips I was in MP, so I could see a few more hands and control my own destiny...
...or so I thought.
Just as the blinds raised, our table broke and I moved to a new talble directly on the BB of 800. CRAP!!!!
First hand: MP goes all-in for 1,075 folded to me in the BB. I had to call 275 more into a pot which was now at 2,075. There were people that were actually shocked when I called blind. KQo against my T8d and I don't improve.
Second hand: I pay the 400 SB, the 100 ante and I'm left with 250 in chips. Folded to the Button who calls. I can't survive three more hands and I'm once again getting rediculous odds, so I call with Q2o (fabulous). I turned a doubled ended striaght draw, the the river was a brick and I was out. Taking a quick look around I figured I exited in about 70th place.
(SIDE QUESTION: Because there are 1,000 in antes on the table, should I have dropped the SB and picked one of the next three hands to make my stand on?)
It was a fun tournament, and it was a shame to get a bad move and have my final chips be auto-played, but such is life. It was a blast, I was a little overwhelmed and the expierience was great. I stayed around and watched the rest of the Heat (they let spectators into the upper balconey)
To people who are playing in later Heats.... Expect a late starting time. Can't wait to come back next year!!! Good luck to those of you still to come. Saldy pokerforum sent no members through Heat 1. It's up to the rest of you. I'll be back after I have some food to route on more people. If you're around (and I am too) I'll most likely be in the spectator's balcony. Come say hi!
I arrived at the casino at 5:30 am and registration was opening at 6, so I stopped nearby for some breakfast and met up with Ercules and a guy that plays at my tournament, but I don't think posts here. We got into the big line up and they had us processed quickly. My assignment was Table 5 Seat 2, putting me in the BB. Great. I was sure this was going to mean that I'd get dealt AK, flop a King and lose to a runner, runner flush.
The tournament started 20 minutes late (and, on a aside, Heat 1 finished late and Heat 2 is 1.5 hours behind schedule. Those poor Heat 4 people.) but eventually the cards were in the air with 25-50 blinds and a 2,000 chip stack; 12 25's, 12 100's amd 1 500. The plan was to play tight and I was delighted to have 84o in the first had. The button raised to 300 and I got the first hand out of the way.
My first mistake came with T8 in the next BB. One caller, I check and the flop misses me. The flop is checked and the turn comes a T. I check and the button bets 100. I decide to chck raise here (as, on an aisde, play was very, very tight. More on that in a bit) and announce "riase", planning to go to 300. It was then that I noticed that the small blind was also in the hand, and I just acted out of turn. Crap. I noriced that his hand put down the three black chip he had and simply "called" the 100. It was on me and I was forced to raise. Obviously, the SB has a big hand here and I'm completely expecting a check-raise, so I raise the minimum. The button calls and, to little surprise (except to the button) the SB rae-raises to 600. I give up the hand cause I'm SO beat, and the Button and SB end up all in, the SB turning over 33 to go with the 3 on the flop.
Bad, stupid mistake on my part. With the fairly low blinds, I speculate a bit, but when I look at my stack I realize I'm down to 1,600. I really didn't think I had played that much, so I knew I'd had to tighten up a bit or I'd speculate myself to death.
At the end of the first level I was at 1,675 and it looked as if about 5 tables worth of players had busted out.
In general, play at the table wasn't bad all, a number of tight weak players, and some were pretty good (In fact, 4 people from my starting table made it to the final 20)
Blinds rose to 50-100 and I made a lot of progress this round. I'm limped with AJs UTG, and got a couple caller and flopped a flush!! The SB bet out and it felt as if she were protecting her hand. So, I put on my best, "I'm drawing 4 to the flush" act and called. The turn paired the board, but I could put her on a boat, as she bet yet again at me. I decided that she had a hand that she wanted to play to the end, so I raised all in, and she called turning over 67s. Bad luck on her part. She had a hand that she had to bet to protect and ran into a monster.
I won a number of smaller pots, including one with the Doyle Bruson and, at the end of the level, I was feeling good with a stack size of 3,925.
The next round was a huge jump to 100-200 with a 25 ante, and the table went from having 150 on it pre-flop to 500!! I stupid blew off a 1/4 of a stack on an I'll timed steal, and so sat back for a bit. I promptly went card dead for the rest of the level. My "steal" was nullified this level when a new player joined out table.
Early in the level we were joined a charming white haired fellow, I'll call gramps. Early on I noticed that gramps played almost every hand and the following hand came up which made me realize that a very important weapon was about to taken away from me. I'm in the BB and the player UTG+1 (who was playing tighter than anyone else at the table, doing chiptricks and spouting lingo) suddlenly went all-in for 1,875. Gramps smooth calls the raise, and everyone else folds. UBER-rock turns over AQo and Gramps turns over JTo. Wow. That was a good 3/4s of his stack too.
Of course, Gramps hits a Ten on the river, outsting UBER-rock, and I swear that a number of players started eying gramps hungrily. I wanted his chips, but I also realize that I could no longer steal and he would call me. Damn. I was also direclty opposite, so I was never in a good position to isolate him. The player , two to his left eventually got a good chunk of his chips.
It was really bad, I kid you not. Basically, when it was his turn, I noticed that the order you told him his options COMPLETELY affected his play. If you said, "You can either call 1,500 or you can fold", he'd call. If you said, "You can either fold or call 1,500" he'd fold. I am not making this up.
Anyway, back to the story. So, I was card dead for the level and at the end of it was down to 2,550. Not horrible, but there was only half the field left, and the blinds were about to go to 200-400 with a 50 ante. (1,000 on the table).
In the next rotation, I pushed with AQo got no callers and survived a round of bad cards. As the round was coming to and end (and about to go to 400-800, I really wanted one more steal. Button: 92o. Cutoff: 92o, Cutoff+1: 92o. Very nice to get those three hands in a row. Still I was at about 2,100 chips I was in MP, so I could see a few more hands and control my own destiny...
...or so I thought.
Just as the blinds raised, our table broke and I moved to a new talble directly on the BB of 800. CRAP!!!!
First hand: MP goes all-in for 1,075 folded to me in the BB. I had to call 275 more into a pot which was now at 2,075. There were people that were actually shocked when I called blind. KQo against my T8d and I don't improve.
Second hand: I pay the 400 SB, the 100 ante and I'm left with 250 in chips. Folded to the Button who calls. I can't survive three more hands and I'm once again getting rediculous odds, so I call with Q2o (fabulous). I turned a doubled ended striaght draw, the the river was a brick and I was out. Taking a quick look around I figured I exited in about 70th place.
(SIDE QUESTION: Because there are 1,000 in antes on the table, should I have dropped the SB and picked one of the next three hands to make my stand on?)
It was a fun tournament, and it was a shame to get a bad move and have my final chips be auto-played, but such is life. It was a blast, I was a little overwhelmed and the expierience was great. I stayed around and watched the rest of the Heat (they let spectators into the upper balconey)
To people who are playing in later Heats.... Expect a late starting time. Can't wait to come back next year!!! Good luck to those of you still to come. Saldy pokerforum sent no members through Heat 1. It's up to the rest of you. I'll be back after I have some food to route on more people. If you're around (and I am too) I'll most likely be in the spectator's balcony. Come say hi!
Comments
Here is the most important question, who was this old guy and did you invite him to Bristol Street?
I was in good shape at the break with about 9,000.
First hand after the break I dumped about 2,000. Later doubled up to around 12,000 and was cruising or so I thought.
Got QJd in late position and doubled the blinds to 1,600, BB calls. Flop comes down Ad Qc Js. He check. I checks, Big mistake on my part, should have bet although I don't think the final outcome would have changed. . Turn comes 4d. He goes all in and has me covered by about $250. I think, decide he has an A only and call. He has A8. Guess what the river was..........8 and I'm outta there somewhere around 40th or so I think. Got all my money in with the best hand and I made the right call. Can't ask for much more. Ahhhhh poker.
Later on went to Casino Niagara played some $1/$2 NL played about 2 hours and decided I wasn't in the right mood so I left up $1 whole dollar.
As for the 275 in SB with Q2. can't fold there. LIke 8:1 on money, button was limping (So he obviosly had nothing great and BB was also forced in too). Better luck next time.
You might want to have a look at this: http://www.pokerforum.ca/forum/index.php?topic=3299.msg39921#msg39921
My tournament went basically like this.
I was given seat 2 at table 9.
I was sitting in between two players that new each other very well. (found out through there conversation, they play the 10/20NL regularly).
Not much happened until the 4th hand, I was dealt AQÂ
round later I get JJ on the button. There was one limper in early postion and the person to my right made it 250. I call hoping to see a low flop Early folds. It comes A, 10, 7. Every instinct I have says to lay it down and not to put any money in this pot. goes check check, turn is a Q, check check river is a 3. Person on my right checks again and I bet (stupid) 450. He goes all in. I fold.
He told me he had AK. I think he played it pretty bad. ( like I played it any better). So now i have lost half of my chips .
I had to make some aggressive moves to keep the fish,wolfs away. Had to push all in 2 times in the first hour just to get the fish to stop chasing.
The biggest problem with starting with so few chips is buy the time the antes kick in you have better have doubled to tripled your chips.
I found this very tough at this point as there was so much money in the pot that many players were trying to steal. Having only about 1200 in chips, made me play too tight for my liking. After the button went around 1 and 1/2 times I was left with 375 after the ante. I got A3 off in Button +1. I raised all in and was called by the button withAJ suited. I flopped a 3 and won the hand.
I was moved just before the break to the UTG position. Break came before my blind and I had around 1500 in chips.
Started the new round in the BB with half of my chips in play. Dealt 7, 2 off. I had to play the next hand. Next hand I get A,10 suited and call one raiser. He had JJ, and I did not improve.
Sadly, another dream gone bust!  :)
I folded my first few hands (they were some 8/3 garbage).
Hand four or five, I wake up with A/10
I wanted to raise it, but I wasn't sure on the table yet, so I decided I'd play my strenght (post flop).
Flop comes out A :d: 8 :d: A :c:
I think to myself, wow, I shouldn't get much action this hand, but I want to isolate/trap a bit.
checks around to a LP player, he seems weak, but I'm still not sure what he could have.
he bets 100, guy behind him calls ... so I think, great people drawing
I raise to 300.
BOTH CALL (rest of table folded).
Turn Q :c:
I think, does someone have AQ or QQ ... nah ... but I don't want to put chips in the pot with two draws out there (yes, exact reason why you SHOULD put chips in play, but I knew they would BOTH call)
same guy that bet before, bets again, next calls, I call
River
3 :c:
First guy checks, 2nd folds (diamonds I think) I check (probably the bad play here, but I just wanted the pot.
he turns up 67 :d:
I thankfully take in the pot.
Now on to what I mean by "it went like robs"
After that, there was 20 mins or so in the first round of blinds.
By the end of the 2nd round I had pissed away 1300 chips (leaving me around starting stack) by trying to get some big action on suited connectors and take someone's stack (never happened).
First hand of the new blinds/ante's (yes, ante's
I get dealt A9 :h:
I think, okay, I can get a good flop out of this I can make a ton of chips (it was folded to me and I was MP so I thought I had a decent hand at the time).
Folded to LP, he calls too.
dealer folds and SB raises it up to 500.
I call the 300 and the LP calls the 300.
Pot was 1950 pre-flop not bad.
flop 6
Great flop for me.
SB immediately bets out 500 ...
I don't think too much because of this hand and push all in for 1650 (1150 over the SB).
LP Calls all in for 775 (he was short stacked a bit).
SB thinks for a bit (like 10 seconds) and calls.
SB shows 10 :c: 10 :h:
LP shows Q :c: 9 :c:
I think I'm gold.
Turn 9
River 8 :c: booooooooo
and out I go.
how do you call 80% of your stack on 10s like that ... I'll never know
They announced that the top 21 would make it rather than top 20 with about 25 people left. It would have been a lot cooler if after the person bubbled they told them that they were actually in..
After day 2, Degree/TSN/Fallsview Casino treated us to a fantastic meal and awarded us 3 nights at the Fallsview Casino in fantastic falls view suites, regardless of how we do in day 3/4.
Despite a few kinks in timing (1D finished at 5:30 AM and had to play at 10:00 for round 2), it's been a pretty top-notch experience.
Guess you'll see me on TSN. Any requests for hands to bluff on?
ps. the player in seat 1 made the cut at the final 21.
I am glad y'all got the chance to play though. Cheers. And GL to everyone left.