Three final tables

When a tournament only starts with two tables, as these 18 seaters do, it's a little grandiose to talk about final tables. It's exponentially harder to make the final table of an MTT than it is to make the final table of an 18 seater. Nevertheless, it's still an achievement to make the final table at every 18 seater you enter during a single session, even if you fail to make the money in any of them (as I did last night). Even though I've only made the money once in nine 18 seaters, I'm really enjoying them, and will continue to play them for the time being.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands place winnings

SNG   NLHE     9000  1000       9    53     7        0
SNG   NLHE     9000  1000       9    63     5        0
SNG   NLHE     9000  1000       9    39     8        0

delta: $-30,000
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $2,356,100
balance: $10,131,664

First 18 seater bubble

I've decided to call my new favorite type of tournament an 18 seater. Last night, I had my first 18 seater bubble, when I came in fifth in my final tournament of the night. I played three in all and failed to cash in any of them. I'm not discouraged, though; I think there's a real profit potential in these 18 seaters. I'll play another three or so tonight.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands place winnings

SNG   NLHE     9000  1000       9    46     8        0
SNG   NLHE     9000  1000       9    20    10        0
SNG   NLHE     9000  1000       9    57     5        0

delta: $-30,000
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $2,356,100
balance: $10,131,664

The land of the twos

I think I've found the perfect tournament. It was just sitting there for years, waiting for me to find it :-) It's a sit and go no limit hold'em tournament with 18 seats, spread across two 9 seat tables. 4 places are paid, which translates to 22.222222% of the participants - in other words, the land of the twos. Last night, I played three such tournaments, and came out in the black, thanks to cashing in the final one. I'll be playing some more of them tonight :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands place winnings

SNG   NLHE     9000  1000       9    24    11        0
SNG   NLHE     9000  1000       9    69     6        0
SNG   NLHE     9000  1000       9    73     3    32400

delta: $2,400
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $2,386,100
balance: $10,161,664

A chip and a chair

This is the third time I've used this title; the first was on October 27, 2011. I included a reference in both previous posts, and I'll do the same here:

An old poker adage says that all you need to win is a chip and a chair, especially since Jack “Treetop” Straus pulled off this feat in the '82 championship.

James McManus, "Positively Fifth Street"

Last night, I played two MTTs and one sit and go. In the sit and go, I was in dire straits after 8 hands. I had only $90 in chips of the $6,000 in play, which is a meager 1.5%. The classic chip and a chair scenario! However, I didn't end up winning. Nor did I come in second. However, I did come in third, fully 43 hands later. That's a noteworthy comeback. I'll have to check, but I'm pretty sure I've never played longer than 43 hands starting with just 1.5% of the chips in play.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands place winnings

MTT   NLHE     4500   500       6    64    32    11000
MTT   NLHE     4500   500       9     5    74        0
SNG   NLHE     9000  1000       6    51     3        0

delta: $-9,000
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $2,383,700
balance: $10,159,264

MTT personal best

As you know, I really like personal bests. Last night, I had another one - the longest MTT no limit hold'em tournament of my career, in terms of number of hands. At a whopping 154 hands, it dwarfed its nearest competitor (104). This was not in a massive, by the way. I may have to adjust my thinking about massives. Massives apparently only get that way due to their low buy in; higher buy ins don't attract as many players. There are advantages and disadvantages to that. One disadvantage is that you have to outlast an ungodly number of opponents to get to the decent money. Another is that a fair percentage of the field plays bingo poker. I'll have to come up with a name for a reasonably big, yet not massive MTT. I know - I can call them mid-caps :-) I'll be on the lookout for a mid-cap tonight.

buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

   900   100       6    20    1140  264   473        0
  4500   500       6   154     174   42    12    17200

delta: $11,200
MTT NLHE balance: $3,372
balance: $10,168,264

Massive crush

I have a real hankering to play a bunch of massive field MTTs. Let's call them massives for short. You could say I have a massive crush on massives :-) I stopped playing massives in October since I really wanted to get my 2015 balance back into the black. Now that I've done that, there's nothing to stop me from indulging my hankering. Of course, the only massives I've encountered so far have been in no limit hold'em, so that's the flavor I'll play. I can't wait!

style flavor buy_in entry players hands place winnings

SNG   8-Game  45000  5000       6    78     5        0

delta: $-50,000
Sit and go 8-game balance: $562,910
balance: $10,157,064

My toughest opponents

What makes poker so special is that you're always relearning things you learned before. Poker keeps you humble that way :-) What I relearned last night is that my toughest opponents on PokerStars are the ones who play for the lowest stakes. It's actually kind of foolish of me to play at those low stakes tables, unless I'm a glutton for punishment. The alternative is too attractive to pass up - play against lower quality opponents for way more play money. I guess you could argue that I'm never going to improve by playing so many fish, but I'll take my chances :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands place winnings

SNG   8-Game    900   100       6    64     5        0
SNG   8-Game   9000  1000       6   101     1    35100

delta: $24,100
Sit and go 8-game balance: $612,910
balance: $10,207,064