Dominated

The most memorable hand of last night's tournament was the final one. I was dealt AJo (ace jack offsuit), shoved, and got one caller. He turned over AQo (ace queen offsuit), and I knew I was in for a world of hurt. His hand dominated mine; I had just a 23.62% chance of winning. To show you how cruel poker can be, the very worst starting hand in poker, 72o (seven deuce offsuit, affectionately known as the hammer) actually fares better against AQo than AJo does; the hammer has a 32.34% chance of winning. Of course, I hit the rail, but at least I registered an official place :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000   5000       6      71   18    36        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $33,060,768
2021 balance: $9,639,000
blue distance: $1,348,000
balance: $87,304,453

Slumping

Last night, I registered my first 0th place since June 15th. There were just three minutes left in the late registration period, but that was much too far to go. I'm definitely in a slump, having lost over a million play dollars in the last nine sessions. On a brighter note, I'm still net positive since resuming poker after my lengthy hiatus.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      60   15     -        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $33,110,768
2021 balance: $9,689,000
blue distance: $1,298,000
balance: $87,354,453

Obligatory folds

My stack went up and down like a yoyo in last night's tournament. I was Caboose Boy for a while, then I won a big pot, but later I was Caboose Boy again. For all that, I didn't miss the money by much. One reason I lasted as long as I did was that I recognized the spots where I was obligated to fold, and folded accordingly. In a tournament, the classic obligatory fold is when an opponent who has you covered bets big enough to put you all in if you call, and the board supports a better hand than yours. You know that probably close to 25% of the time, your opponent is bluffing, but you can't risk your tournament life on a hero call. 

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      60   15    18        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $33,310,768
2021 balance: $9,889,000
blue distance: $1,098,000
balance: $87,554,453

Flushed away

It's a fact of poker life that big stacks have the power to bully small stacks. They can play marginal hands and simply bet big enough to force small stacks to fold unless they have a premium hand. It feels like a raw deal when you're on the receiving end, but it's fair play. Last night, I hit the rail when I wouldn't be bullied. I had top pair with a good kicker, and was a 70% favorite to win the hand after the turn, but the bully hit a flush on the river and that was all she wrote.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      58   15    27        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $33,510,768
2021 balance: $10,089,000
blue distance: $898,000
balance: $87,754,453

A nice streak

It's bad luck to talk about a streak while it's still alive, but I give myself permission to do it occasionally. Last night, for the 28th tournament in a row, I registered an official place. That means that I outlasted the late registration period 28 straight times. That's not a lot to crow about, but it is something :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000   5000       6      76   21    15    95000

delta: $45,000
MTT NLHE balance: $33,710,768
2021 balance: $10,289,000
blue distance: $698,000
balance: $87,954,453

Late to the party

When you join a tournament with only a minute left in its late registration period, the likeliest outcome is that you'll hit the rail early. The second likeliest outcome is that you'll make the money. How could this be? Simply stated, it's because you have no time to waste. Since you don't have the leisure to wait around for a premium hand, you have to gamble it up. You have to go big or go home. When you go big, you either double up or bust; there's no middle ground. Last night, I went big and went home :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      58   15    29        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $33,665,768
2021 balance: $10,244,000
blue distance: $743,000
balance: $87,909,453

Cowboys into the sunset

Last night, I got stranded in Carddeadburgh again. My best holding of the tournament came on the final hand. I was dealt pocket kings, shoved, and got one caller. He turned over ATo (ace ten offsuit), so I was a healthy favorite. I had a 70.68% chance of winning. However, my opponent flopped an ace, and his rockets held up. It was cowboys into the sunset for me.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE     9000   1000       6     194   48    95        0

delta: $-10,000
MTT NLHE balance: $33,865,768
2021 balance: $10,444,000
blue distance: $543,000
balance: $88,109,453