Under the lights

Yesterday I had a nice rebound from the session before. I got under the lights (i.e., made it to the final table) for the second time this year. That extrapolates to 14 times for the year, which is on a par with what I had in 2023 and 2024. Getting under the lights never gets old :-)

style flavor    buy_in  entry entries paid place winnings hands

MTT   NLHE       44000   6000     211   54     9   194000    60

delta: $144,000
2025 balance: $-923,000
2025 blue distance: $923,000
balance: $15,374,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.40 (1302 of 3145)

Under the lights

Last night, like the night before, I played two tournaments. As before, I missed the money in the first, and made it in the second. Also as before, the profit I made on the second didn't cover the loss I incurred on the first. However, that's where the similarities between the two sessions end. The second tournament last night only had a buy in of $100,000. There were so few entrants that the late registration period ended early. The final table came prematurely as a result; consequently, although I was under the lights, I didn't feel I'd done much to deserve it. Be that as it may, I ground it out, outlasting three of the six players at the final table before hitting the rail.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      74   21    26        0
MTT   NLHE    87000  13000       6      18    6     3   274000

delta: $-26,000
MTT NLHE balance: $41,513,968
2022 balance: $-2,708,300
blue distance: $2,725,500
balance: $92,135,653

Under the lights

Last night, I got under the lights, recording a Partial Monty. I lopped off nearly half of my blue distance. Any time my blue distance gets under a million, which it now has, I feel like it's as good as gone :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      86   21     5  1017000

delta: $817,000
MTT NLHE balance: $26,184,768
2021 balance: $2,813,000
blue distance: $859,000
balance: $80,478,453

Under the lights

Last night, I got under the lights. Well before I got there, I had a premonition I'd win the tournament. That didn't come to pass, but coming in fourth ain't too shabby. I registered a Partial Monty, and nearly cut my blue distance in half. What's not to like? :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      75   21     4  1017000

delta: $817,000
MTT NLHE balance: $25,862,768
2021 balance: $2,491,000
blue distance: $1,181,000
balance: $80,156,453

Under the lights

To my relief, I wasn't forced to play a deepstack last night. What's more, I got hit by the good luck stick. On the strength of receiving way more than my fair share of premium hands, I got all the way under the lights, for the first time in 35 tournaments. I narrowly missed registering another Full Monty. I could get used to this :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      84   21     4  1140000

delta: $940,000
MTT NLHE balance: $26,159,768
2021 balance: $2,788,000
blue distance: $884,000
balance: $80,453,453

Under the lights

Last night, I recorded my first Partial Monty of the year, missing out on a Full Monty by a single place. That carved a healthy chunk off my blue distance and put me in the black for 2021. Two things stand out about the session:

1. I had a set of sevens again, but had to release them without going to showdown

2. I was receiving an ace as one of my hole cards quite regularly :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      57   15     3  1120000

delta: $920,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,841,768
2021 balance: $520,000
blue distance: $995,900
balance: $78,185,453

Under the lights

It's quite possible I achieved another personal first last night. Before making the money, I survived a fall in. As a refresher, a fall in is when you have such a short stack that the combination of ante and small or big blind puts you all in. After making the money, I lasted long enough to get under the lights. I've survived fall ins before, and made it under the lights before, but believe this is the first time I've ever survived a fall in and gone on to get under the lights. Quite the "chip and a chair" scenario :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      86   21     6   867000

delta: $667,000
MTT NLHE balance: $22,428,668
2020 balance: $15,206,343
blue distance: $2,063,000
balance: $77,014,353

Under the lights

Last night's session was almost a carbon copy of the one before. Once again I got under the lights, once again I came in fourth, and once again I achieved a Partial Monty. On the strength of all that, my overall balance returned to the blue. I'm developing a true fondness for fourth place :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      81   21     4  1099000

delta: $899,000
MTT NLHE balance: $21,889,668
2020 balance: $14,667,343
balance: $76,475,353

Under the lights

A deep run in a tournament can cure a lot of poker ills. I had one last night, getting all the way to the final table. I erased over half my blue distance in one fell swoop. I've now come in 4th place 16 times in MTT NLHE 6-max tournaments, making it my most common place. I'll take it :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      70   18     4  1023000

delta: $823,000
MTT NLHE balance: $20,990,668
2020 balance: $13,768,343
balance: $75,576,353

Under the lights

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - getting under the lights never gets old :-) When I got there last night, I was the runt of the litter, but managed to ladder up two spots. I recorded another partial Monty. My overall balance crested 74 million for the first time. I'm on pace to make a profit of over 25 million this year, which would make it my second best ever. Needless to say, all is right in my poker world :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      76   21     4  1031000

delta: $831,000
MTT NLHE balance: $19,554,668
2020 balance: $12,332,343
balance: $74,140,353

Under the lights

Last night, I got under the lights again. In a rarity, I joined the tournament before it started. My overall balance broke through the 68 million play dollar boundary for the first time. The most memorable hand was the one where I hit quad fours. I've now made the money in eight straight tournaments. I feel like I can't lose :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      97   24     6   962000

delta: $762,000
MTT NLHE balance: $13,291,668
2020 balance: $6,269,343
balance: $68,077,353

Under the lights

Last night, I made it under the lights again. When I got there, though, I was the runt of the litter. I finished in sixth place after only a few hands at the final table. Had I been able to ladder up one spot, I would have recorded a partial Monty. As it was, I recorded a half Monty. I'm now in the blue again for this poker year, and am less than half a million away from getting into the blue once more for my career. Things are looking up :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     112   30     6   993000

delta: $793,000
MTT NLHE balance: $10,879,668
2020 balance: $3,857,343
balance: $65,665,353

Under the lights

Last night, I got under the lights again. Making the money in MTT NLHEs is starting to feel as easy as taking candy from a baby :-) One hand was particularly memorable. I'd flopped a set, bet it big, and got one caller, who was all in at that point. He hit a flush on the turn, making me a big underdog, but then I hit a full house on the river. A classic redraw scenario.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      55   15     5   765000

delta: $565,000
MTT NLHE balance: $7,838,668
2020 balance: $1,021,000
balance: $62,829,010

Under the lights

It's been a long time since I've been able to use this blog post title - the better part of a month. Before last night's first tournament, I'd played 29 consecutive MTT-R NLHEs where I failed to reach the final table. That's just one shy of my all-time record. I celebrated the end of the streak by playing a second tournament. I wanted to see if I could stay in the sweetness. Alas, I couldn't :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    90      74   15     7   698000
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    60      56   12    27        0

delta: $398,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $40,256,000
2019 balance: $6,252,250
balance: $52,836,510

Under the lights

I find it hard to stay away from MTT-R NLHEs for long, even though the tactics of some of the players irk me. The money up top is just too good. I got under the lights in an MTT-R NLHE again last night, and was the beneficiary of a nice money jump when one of my opponents inexplicably went all in preflop with T4o (ten four offsuit), got called by someone who had him covered, and hit the rail. Even though it's no fun to have fish at your table in the late registration period of a rebuy tournament, it's always a boon to have them at the final table :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    78      61   12    10    68000
MTT-B NLHE    44000  6000       9    11     104   27    71        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    98      53   12     8   450000

delta: $168,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $34,757,500
2019 balance: $653,250
balance: $47,237,510

Under the lights

Last night, I got under the lights again. It never gets old :-) That ended a streak of 10 straight tournaments where I failed to get under the lights. My longest such streak is 20 straight. I started the final table in 9th place, and was able to ladder up two spots. Laddering down is also possible; I'm sure I've done that a fair number of times. At some point I'll write a utility to figure out how often. I'll also write a utility to figure out my aggregate final table laddering number, be it up or down.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    85      69   15     7   539000

delta: $439,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $34,847,500
2018 balance: $1,124,000
balance: $46,637,260

Under the lights

Good results in poker tend to come in bunches. Last night, for the second time in three tournaments, I made it under the lights. That brought my under the lights percentage up to 19.48. I'm going to make hay while the sun shines :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    23      43    9    27        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9   149      49   12     3  1406000

delta: $1,006,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $29,368,500
2017 balance: $29,740,430
balance: $41,158,260

Under the lights

Last night, for the first time in nearly a month, I got under the lights again in an MTT-R NLHE. That's always a great feeling :-) I started the final table in 6th place, and laddered up one spot to 5th. I only fired two bullets. Thanks to the great result, my overall balance once again topped the 30 million play dollar mark.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9   109      46   12     5   551000

delta: $451,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $17,910,500
2017 balance: $18,820,350
balance: $30,238,180

Under the lights (for a millisecond)

Last night, for the fourth time in my career, I was the first player to hit the rail at the final table of an MTT-R NLHE. I made it under the lights, but was only able to last a single hand once I got there. There were 3 excellent reasons for that:

1. I was the short stack
2. I was in the big blind, and that (in combination with the ante) put me all in
3. I was dealt a hammer (7 deuce offset, the worst starting hand in poker)

Three strikes and you're out.

I was proud to have gotten under the lights by laddering up as the short stack. Amusingly, I inadvertently ensured that my profit would be $50,000 more than it otherwise would have been, by forgetting to add on. I should forget that more often :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9   104      71   15     9   472000

delta: $272,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $18,778,500
2017 balance: $19,732,650
balance: $31,150,480

Under the lights

Getting under the lights (in other words, making the final table of a tournament) never gets old. It's always a thrill. Sometimes, I know it's going to happen, and it almost always does when I have this conviction. As far as I can recall, I've only not made the final table once when I "knew" I was going to :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    33     133   36    78        0
MTT   NLHE    17500  2500       6    23     406   96   264        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6   183     126   30     5   340000

delta: $220,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,518,548
2017 balance: $1,439,525
balance: $12,857,355