December 2008 Atlantic City recap

12/12/08

Showboat 11am tournament. 61 runners started. i'm feeling good after having a few good showings online. i feel this size tournament is tailored to my style.

first level i lost a tough hand to a regular. i had only showed down KK prior and my table image was tight. i was blind stealing and the dude called from the BB. i c-bet and he stayed around. i forget the rest but he turned a flush and showed 9c4c. how he stays in with that is beyond me. we tangled again when i raised 3bb from MP with TT and he called. flop Jxx. we do not fear a J here so i c-bet about 3/4 pot. he deliberates and says "i'm ahead here, you know that" (not taunting, just talking). he shoves and i insta-call. he asks if i have AKo to which I show the TT and he shows 99. I doubled up to 20k and there are 40 left at first break.

Break #2 i have 5bb and button. 19 players left. i can't remember much about this level, but i've clearly dried up. but i get moved to a new table and steal blinds successfully three times. once, from utg, guy to my left folds 99 - jeesh. i have a working stack. by the time i move to another table. one key hand helped me a great deal. UTG limps, MP limps, and I complete from SB with Ad6d, while BB checks. flop comes xdAhxd. i bet, BB folds, UTG folds, MP calls. turn 9d - i hit my flush. i show dismay and check, MP checks. river blank, i go into tank, thinking of a good value bet. my stack is awkward - any real bet seems strange, so i put it in. MP calls with AK. after he busted he took an interest in how i was doing - he respected my game and called me the professor. that's quite a compliment. he was a nice kid.

Final table, 8 left. Paying 6 spots. 3 of us have a similar short-stack, 2 other just a little more. I dried up last level. Made a number of mistakes - still not playing sharp. Too passive - missed some real opportunities.

We paid the bubble spot, and i really kick in my short stack play. i triple up, but I ultimately bubble when my A8s < A4o when CL flops a 4. So unreal. Why do we subject ourselves to such nonsense? the two other shorties just did not belong at the final table.

i'm starting to think that i'm probably better than the average recreational player (the demographic that i associate myself with). i've cashed in the showboat tournaments (including two chopped victories), and bubble-cashed a couple. i think i have an advantage at bet sizing, reading strength/weakness, and small stack play. however i still lack the testosterone to make crucial bets and take key stands in these live venues. for example in level 3, at 6BB, an UTG limper caused me to fold KQo from MP. not to be ROT but the flop came KxQ and i would have tripled up based on how the hand played out. i'll be working on this aspect of my game. i continue to do poorly at the borgata.

Borgata SnG
4/10

i played a SnG at the Borgata with 7 regulars, one of whom was drunk and arguing across the table with another regular. i thought the taj had spilled over some of its scum the way they were carrying on. the name calling was unbearable and the entire experience was awful. as far as the play was concerned, these regulars were acting faster than an online tournament. they were so battle-hardened that they needed no thought whatsoever. they were robotic in their blind stealing and raises. they played very similar to a cash game, wanting to see flops and alot of turn and river betting. i managed to knock out 3 players at once when my AK held to AJ,QK,KJ when i flop an Ace. we were quickly down to 4 when i took a stand all-in from my big blind with KQo against an aggro-raiser. she showed TT and i flopped a K but she turned a set to bump me.