Bovada $7,500 NLHE
I finally cashed in some player points and got a ticket for the nightly $7,500 with 10K in chips and 10-minute levels, then went on a sort of deep run.
Hand 7 [kc qd] HJ T9,840 40/80
Action folded around to me and I raised to 240, then called a re-raise from CO to 720. The flop was [kd 3c ad] and the ace probably saved me, because I check-folded to a bet of 960. CO had [kh ks].
Hand 11 [7c kc] UTG T9,120 40/80
I raised to 240 and got a call from BTN (with [6h 2h]), I checked what was a pretty good flop of [ac 2c qd], he puts out an oddly-small bet of 207, and I call, hitting my nut flush on the [qc] turn. I check again and he bets 1,014 off a stack of about 11K. I call, the [8c] river changes nothing and he folds to a bet of 2,000.
Hand 12 [4h 7h] BB T10,701 50/100
UTG1 min-raises and we’re heads-up to a [6h 9h 3c] flop. I’m ahead in equity on this flop against most hands—even good starting hands—and against UTG1’s [ks kc] I’m about dead even, so I call another 200. The turn goes the wrong direction with a [2c]. Another 600 into the pot. I check-fold to a bet of 500 on the [as] river.
Hand 13 [6h ac] SB T9,701 50/100
I open to 300 and BB folds.
Hand 15 [ad 8h] CO T9,801 50/100
I call UTG1’s raise to 300 along with UTG3, then we fold to a c-bet of 500 on a [4c qc ks] flop. UTG1 had [8d qd], UTG3 had [ah 6h].
Hand 22 [ts qs] SB T9,351 75/150
UTG1 limps in with [5h 6h] and UTG3 goes to 750 with [ks ad]. I call and UTG1 comes along. I get middle pair and a gut-shot on the [kh tc 9s] flop and call 1,800, then fold to a 6K bet on the [6d] turn.
Hand 24 [ad js] CO T6,801 75/150
My open to 450 takes the pot down.
Hand 29 [ks qs] UTG T7,026 100/200
I open to 600 and get a call from [6s 6h] in UTG3. He folds to an 800 c-bet on the [8h qc jc] flop.
Hand 30 [8s qs] BB T7,926 100/200
I get a walk.
Hand 38 [js th] UTG T7,926 100/200
I open to 600 and SB calls with [4s 2s]. He hits bottom pair on the [6c 4h 9d] flop and check-calls 800, then folds to a semi-bluff of 2K on the [8c] turn.
Hand 39 [kx 2s] BB T9,526 100/200
Another walk.
Hand 42 [7h 7c] CO T9,526 125/250/25
I open to 750 and win the blinds and antes.
Hand 44 [7s 7h] UTG2 T10,051 125/250/25
Finally over starting stack again! I raise to 750 and CO calls with [ks 9s]. We both check down until the board reads [ts td 8h qs kh], and I check-fold to a 1K river bet. Back under starting stack.
Hand 45 [8d 7d] UTG1 T9,276 125/250/25
I open to 750, UTG2 raises [9h 9s] to 2,500, then HJ shoves [kh qd] for 11.3K, leaving 1 behind. I fold and UTG2 shoves over the top. The nines win with two pair.
Hand 46 [ah ac] UTG T8,501 125/250/25
I raise to 750 and everyone folds. I can’t get as much with aces as nines can win!
Hand 47 [jh th] BB T9,051 125/250/25
BTN limps in with [4c 5c] and I raise to 750. He calls, and the flop is [qc 7h td]. We both check the [kc] turn, he calls 1,000, and we check the [4h] river. I win a showdown to put me over starting stack.
Hand 53 [ad jd] UTG2 T10,841 150/300/30
The Mutant Jack is back! I raise to 900 and get a call from BB, holding [4s 5c]. [ac qh 7d] on the flop and he check-folds to a bet of 1,100.
Hand 62 [ks 9s] UTG1 T11.2K 200/400/40
I raise to 1,200 and get called by BB with [as 9c]. He folds to a c-bet of 1,600 on a [5s qd jd] flop.
Hand 66 [kh qs] BTN T12.1K 250/500/50
UTG2 limps with [qd jh] and I raise to 1,500, which he calls. The flop is pretty good for him: [kd 3d 8d], and he check-calls 2K. [4s] on the turn and he folds to an all-in bet of 8.6K from me.
Hand 68 [kc ts] CO T16.6K 250/500/50
Table change on the last hand. UTG1 raises to 1,200, I call, both the blinds call. [4d 3h 7c] flop, the blinds check and UTG1 shoves 6.1K with [qx qd] to take the hand. The blinds had [jc 8c] and [3d 4h], respectively.
Hand 69 [jd ks] HJ T15.4K 250/500/50
UTG2 limps in and I raise to 1,500. We see the flop HU: [jc kh td]. I bet 2K and he folds [3d 3s].
Hand 70 [kc ac] UTG2 T18K 300/600/30
I open to 1,800 and get a call from CO with [qh ks]. I c-bet 3K on the [4d th 6c] flop and he folds.
Hand 73 [jc qd] BB T21K 300/600/60
I call a min-raise from HJ and flop [7c ts 8d]. I call another 1,200 to see the [kc] on the turn, and 2,400 to get my straight with the [9c] river. I bet 5K and he folds [ah as].
Hand 74 [as 8s] SB T26.1K 300/600/60
BB and I call a raise to 1.3K by CO, who has [7s td]. He flops middle pair on the [7h 9s 2c] board, I get out of the way to a bet of 1.7K, then he hits pay dirt when he bets trips after the [7c] turn. BB had [jd th] for the gut-shot.
Hand 85 [js td] CO T22.8K 400/800/80
Action folds to me, I raise to 2.4K, BB calls with [5c 5d], and I bluff him off his hand with a c-bet of 3K on the [as 7d 3d] flop.
Hand 89 [as qs] UTG1 T26K 400/800/80
I raise to 2.4K and everyone folds.
Hand 99 [ts jd] BB T25.7K 500/1K/100
BTN raises to 2,225 and gets called by both blinds. He has [ad 8c], SB has [3s ah]. The flop is [5d jc ac] and SB bets his ace about 1/7 the pot: 1K. I call with middle pair and BTN is in with his better ace. [7d] on the turn. Checked to BTN, who bets 4.2K. SB calls and I get out. [9s] river, they both check and BTN wins.
Hand 101 [as ks] BTN T21.8K 500/1K/100
UTG1 goes all in w [ac 7c] for 12.8K and i re-shove. I have both blinds covered by a few thousand, and thy fold. The board runs out [kh 2s tc 9s 6d] and I win. BB might be kicking himself for not calling with [js qs] and the nuts.
Hand 106 [kd td] BB T36.3K 600/1.2K/120
UTG2 opens to 3.6K with [ah ts], getting calls from SB ([8d 7d]) and myself. The flop is [ac 2d 3h], both blinds check, UTG2 bets 7.2K and we blinds fold.
Hand 107 [9s as] SB T32.5K 600/1.2K/120
UTG3 raises [ad 7h] to 2.4K and HJ calls with[4d 4s]. I call. We see a flop of [6c jd jh], HJ bets 3.2K on the flop and takes it down.
Hand 114 [th kd] UTG T29.3K 600/1.2K/120
I open to 3.6K and everyone folds.
Hand 124 [js jd] BB T28.9K 800/1.6K/160
I’m in seat 8. Table chip leader is UTG in 9 with 113.7K. UTG2 (seat 2) has 86K, CO (seat 5) has 65.2K. The rest of us are between 6BB (BTN) and 23BB, so there are potential shoving stacks as well as some big players who could do real damage to one of the larger stacks in the tournament. UTG min-raises to 3.2K with the old [2c 4c] and I call. The flop is [9d 5d 3h], so he’s flopped the open-ended straight draw and bets 4.8K. I shove 25.5K and he calls, the board rolls out [8s] and [kd] and I double up.
Hand 129 [as 4s] UTG3 T58.3K 1K/2K/200
I open to 6K and get respect. UTG1, with just 4.5BB folded [ac 5c].
Hand 135 [kd qc] BTN T58.9K 1K/2K/200
I open to 6K, BB shoves 28.2K. I call, he has [9s 9c] and the board runs out [td qd ah 5s ac].
Hand 138 [8d qd] UTG3 89.3K 1K/2K/200
I raise to 6K, BB calls with [qs ts], and he folds to my c-bet of 6500, about a quarter of his stack.
Hand 140 [td 8d] UTG1 T97.7K 1,250/2,500/250
I open to 7.5K and go to the flop HU with UTG3, who has [kc qs]. He flops the joint with [jc ts 9s], and goes along for my 10K c-bet. I’m lucky not to make my lower straight on the [9d] turn, check, then fold to his bet of 12.5K.
Hand 154 [9h kh] CO T68.2K 1.5K/3K/300
UTG3 raises 3x with [jd 9d], I call, and BB comes along with [6d ah]. Flop is [5s 9s 3c], UTG3 bets 18K. I have him covered by 18K and shove for 58.9K. BB folds, UTG3 calls, and the rest of the board has [4h 7h], which would have given BB—who started the hand with 102.2K—the winning straight.
Hand 165 [ac 8c] UTG 139.1K 2.5K/5K/500
I open to 15K and immediately fold to a 95K all-in from UTG1, who has [qd qc].
Hand 167 [7s ad] SB T118.1K 2.5K/5K/500
Action folds around to me. BB has 3K more than me. I shove, he folds [6d ah].
Hand 168 [9s 9d] BTN T127.1K 2.5K/5K/500
Everyone folds to CO, who shoves 24.4K with [2c 2h]. I shove to isolate. BB has one of CO’s outs ([2d 7c]). HJ folded [ts 2s], so he’s drawing very slim. BB folds [8h 5c]. The board runs out [5c kh 3c 5d as]. UTG2 folded [ad 6d] off a stack of 221.1K. If BB—the table leader with 227K—had felt adventurous, he would have knocked both of us out with trip fives.
Hand 177 [qh ks] BTN T149.5K 3K/6K/600
CO opens all-in with 79.3K (a little over 13BB). It’s more than half my stack, but I call. He has [ah 7s], the board runs [4h 7c 6s ac 3d] and he makes two pair—more than he needs to win.
Hand 180 [3h ah] CO T68.3K 3K/6K/600
First hand at a new table. HJ limps in and I shove. He folds [jd 8d].
Hand 188 [8s qs] CO T65.2K 3.5K/7K/700
UTG3 limps in, I shove. He folds [td ks].
Hand 194 [qd kd] SB T76.5K 4K/8K/800
UTG min-raises [qh jc] off a stack of 80K. UTG1 has 286.5K and calls with [9d td]. I shove, UTG goes all-in, and UTG1 folds. The board is [2s 7s 4s 9s qc] and, remarkably, UTG doesn’t have a spade, so I more than double with the king kicker. He’s all-in for the big blind on the next hand.
Hand 197 [6d ad] HJ T180.2K 4K/8K/800
Got so incredibly lucky here. UTG1 raises to 19.8K from a stack of 236.5K. I call. The flop is [ac as 7c]. He bets 22.4K, I shove for 159.6K, and he calls. With [ah kh]. Turn is [ks]. I’m dead. River is [kd]. Everybody loves a chop pot.
Hand 198 [qd kc] UTG3 T188.6K 4K/8K/800
UTG1 shoves a little over 3BB. I call, along with BTN. We check the board down: [3c 7s 2d ac 7c]. UTG1 has a pair, with [ts 8s], BTN has [ah qc] and wins the pot with two pair.
Hand 209 [ad 3d] UTG T138.8K 5K/10K/1K
I open to 30K, BB calls with [8d jd]. Flop is [4c 9d ah] and I shove. He folds.
Hand 214 [3c ac] UTG3 T156.8K 6K/12K/1.2K
I open to 36K and everyone folds (including SB with [as 8h]).
Hand 226 [qc td] BB T126.4K 8K/16K/1.6K
A table change that hit me with two big blinds on consecutive hands took a chunk out of my stack. I finally got a little back with a walk.
Hand 241 [qc qd] UTG T116.4K 10K/20K/2K
A long hand drought at a crucial point—we’ve been in the money for a while—finally breaks. I shove my 5.5BB and get called by the mega-stack with 1.29M in the BB. He has the Mutant Jack. It looks like it’s a winner, with an ace on the [6h ah 2h] flop. The [6c] turn does me no good, but [8h] on the river makes a flush and I double up.
Hand 242 [jh js] BB T256.8K 10K/20K/2K
Elation is short-lived. CO goes all-in with [ad 5d] for 79.3K, I call, and he doubles up for me with trips on a board of [9d ac qh ah 3d].
Hand 243 [7h as] SB T177.5K 10K/20K/2K
BTN limps with [2s 6s] (and 1.15M). I say the hell with that and shove. BB folds [qh 4d] and BTN folds when action’s back to him.
Hand 245 [9s 9c] CO T231.5K 10K/20K/2K
Normally, I’d play this hand, but UTG2 shoved for 176.6K, I was intent to ladder up, and I made a good fold, because he had [td th].
Hand 246 [td ts] HJ T229.5K 12.5K/25K/2.5K
My turn for the tens. UTG3 has 1.18M and raises [kd 4h] to 50K. I shove, everyone folds, and I take it.
Hand 258 [qh kc] UTG T272K 12.5K/25K/2.5K
I shove and take it. [jh ad] folds out of SB, even though he’s got me covered. Stacks at the table range from 171K to 1.3M, with the median at 373K.
Hand 259 [ks jc] BB T327K 12.5K/25K/2.5K
BTN limps with [ah kh] (429.7K), SB raises [ad 4h] to 75K (1.28M), and I come along, with BTN calling. The flop is [5s ac th], SB bets 122.5K, I fold, then SB folds to an all-in bet from BTN.
Hand 264 [9c ts] UTG T222.5K 15K/30K/3K
I jam everything in and BTN calls with only 91K and [4d 4s]. The board is [kc 2h td 3h ah] and I make a pair. Both the other fours were dead.
Hand 267 [qs ad] BTN T322.5K 15K/30K/3K
The table has only 6 players, we’re down to 19 players in the tournament. Seat 1 has 1.04M, I’ve got the button in seat 2. Seat 4 has 392.2K, seat 6 has 1.04M, seat 8 is table chip leader with 1.55M, and seat 9 has a respectable 564K. UTG (seat 8) opened to 68K, UTG2 called the raise, and I shoved for less than 11BB. UTG calls we’re HU to the flop. [5d 4d 8h] on the flop is safe enough, but he spikes a [tc] on the turn and the [9d] river is no help.
My VPIP was 20%; I raised 13% of my hands pre-flop. This game, only 26% of the hands I played went to showdown; I won 71% of the showdowns.
267 hands, Four hours and fifty-five minutes. 18th of 1,165 entries. +747% ROI over standard entry cost, entry into this tournament for me was via ticket.