Ignition Black Spade Poker Open Main Event Satellite

The Black Spade Poker Open 6 is running on Ignition Casino, and I popped into one of the  $33 satellites for the $450 $300K GTD Main Event next month. One seat was guaranteed, the game got 15 entries (with $30 of the entry going to the prize pool), so it just made the nut with no overlay and no extra money.

I was a few minutes late, I started off with 1500 chips at 30/60 but let’s just say that anything that happened in the first 35 hands didn’t matter.

Hand 36 8♠8♥ CO 2,515 75/150
HJ opens with 9♠9♥ and I call. SB has K♥K♠ and squeezes for 2,515. BB and HJ fold, I stupidly call for almost all of my chips, and the board runs out A♥4♣4♥6♥T♠, leaving me holding a bit more than a couple hundred chips. Whoops!

Hand 40 K♠T♣ BB 150 100/200/20
I’ve had three abysmal hands in a row, and here I’m all in for three-quarters of a big blind. Action folds to the button (Player 6 in this anonymous tournament), who raises to 600 with 4♠4♣. SB folds and the board runs out 6♥5♠7♥7♦A♥ just missing a straight and giving my tens a win.

Hand 41 T♣T♥ SB 500 100/200/20
CO (Player 6, again) opens to 600, I’m already in for a third of my chips and put the rest in. He shows T♠J♠, the board is 9♥A♥6♣2♦9♠ and he doubles me up again.

Hand 48 9♠K♠ SB 915 125/250/25
We’re short-handed with only thee players out of the blinds. They fold and I shove. BB has nearly five times my chips and defends with 7♦4♥. We both pair on the flop and I avoid another loss: 9♦7♠3♠A♣5♥.

Hand 51 A♣J♥ UTG 1855 125/250/25
We’re five-handed. I shove and take the pot.

Hand 53 K♣J♠ SB 2055 125/250/25
UTG raises to 500 with 9♣A♠ off a stack of 9000. Nobody calls. I shove and he folds.

Hand 55 T♦T♠ CO 2880 125/250/25
I open with a shove and the button re-shoves for 3250. He has Q♦A♣ and we’re heads up going to the flop. I hit a set but have to dodge a gutshot draw in the river.: 9♣T♣4♦K♦7♦.

Hand 60 7♠7♣ UTG 5645 150/300/30
Middle pairs. I sort of hate them, but we start the hand with only four players, so I raise to 900. SB has J♠A♣ and calls, BB has 4♦4♥ and comes along as well. The flop is T♦A♥8♥, it’s checked to me and I bet 1000. SB calls with his ace and the BB folds. I shut down on the K♣ turn when it’s checked to me; the river is J♦, SB checks, I check, and he (Player 6) takes the pot.

Hand 64 7♠A♦ BB 3175 150/300/30
We’re on the second hand with just three players (having lost a short stack between this and the previous hand I entered). The button min-raises K♦J♦, SB calls with A♣6♠ and nearly 100bb. I shove and they both fold.

Hand 66 A♥2♥ BTN 4255 150/300/30
I shove and the blinds fold 6♥3♣ and J♠9♣.

Hand 69 K♦7♥ BTN 4255 150/300/30
I shove a crummy king, SB reshoves for another 1100 chips, and he has J♦J♥.The board runs out 3♣3♦7♠A♣7♣ and I boat up to beat the jacks.

Hand 70 K♥5♦ BB 8840 150/300/30
We’re still 3-handed. BTN shoves for 1066, SB folds, and I call for 766 on top of the big blind. This time the chips go the other way after a K♠5♣6♦6♥2♥. My flopped two pair gets busted by trip sixes on a runout of [ks5c]6♦6♥J♥.

Hand 74 K♠K♣ SB 7204 200/400/40
One of those annoying times when action folds to your big hand, you raise, and the short stack just has 3♠T♥ so he doesn’t call.

Hand 78 A♣8♣ BTN 7524 200/400/40
I raise to 1200, SB folds, BB shoves 13K and I know I’m behind but cross my fingers. It works, as I’m right about being behind Q♠Q♣, but the cards give me the literal nuts: 7♦4♥6♣2♣K♣. We’re still at three players.

Hand 79 Q♠7♠ BB 15288 200/400/40
The short stack has only 1852 chips and puts 1600 into the pot preflop with 9♥8♥. Both of us in the blinds come along, though Player 6 in the SB is down to 5360. The flop is 6♥K♠7♣ and I figure my middle pair is good enough to call the last 200 or so chips the button puts in after the blinds are both checked. The turn is 4♦ and the river is 2♣, he misses his straight and my pair of sevens holds (SB folded Q♥9♠).

Hand 80 3♣K♣ BTN 18780 200/400/40
It’s the first hand of heads-up and Player 6 is the big blind. I have a 4.5:1 chip advantage. Just over 40 hands ago, I was all in for less than the big blind and I doubled up twice through the player I’m now facing. I have a good shot at the $450 ticket to the $300K guarantee. There is no second prize. I raise to 1200 and he folds 9♣8♥.

Hand 81 7♠6♠ BB 19220 200/400/40
Player 6 raises to 1280, with just 2000 behind. He has K♥9♥ and I start off behind roughly 40%/60%. The flop is 5♠2♥A♠, which actually gives me the lead by about 10%. Even if he has top two pair, my odds haven’t gotten any worse. We both check. The turn 7♥ gives me a pair. He has a flush draw, but he’s still behind 70%/30% and even if he wins I’ll still have a substantial lead. I check, he shoves, and I call. The river is the 8♣, my pair wins the hand and I’m playing the $300K next month.