Live Tourney Report - 7/30

About 38 players took to the $50 buy-in monthly tourney.

Loved my table draw early. 3 players on the way being blinded out. One guy telling me how this was his second tourney ever. A sweet woman who played too many hands and thought everyone was bluffing, or called with a pair hoping for two pair.

I came in with a slightly different strategy - I decided I was going to get a bit more aggressive early and try and grab some chips. If I stepped in the bucket or got knocked out, then I would be ready for the highly +EV cash games that formed afterwards.

My "go big or go home" strategy was helped by good cards early. Pocket queens in early position. Big blind calls. Flop is all under the queens, but also all hearts. I have the queen of hearts. My opponent donks into me - but big, like twice the pot. He has a hand, but he doesn't like those hearts, I think. I think I'm ahead, but I'm also in position, and don't have to make a decision right now. I call the bet.

An interesting, useful turn card- the king of hearts. I have the second nuts. My opponent bets the pot. This seals it for me - no ace of hearts for him. Wouldn't he check or bet smaller with the nuts? You're never 100% sure though, so I take a couple seconds to mull it over then put him all in. I am rewarded with a big sigh and I know I've got him. He mulls it over but folds.

Right before the break, I've got about 18 blinds left. An aggressive player raises my blind from late position. I hadn't played with this guy before, but he has seen tight, competent. My hole cards read AcTc. My normal play would be a fold here, but I'm working under go big or go home mode tonight. I go all in. He has me covered, but not by a lot. He thinks, thinks, thinks, then calls - with AQ. I'm in trouble.

My opponent is the dealer, and he flips over the first flop card - a ten! I have three outed him. My joy is extremely short-lived, though - the very next card is a queen, and he has three outed me right back. I stand up. Then the turn card - another ten! Unbelievable. The table erupts at the improbability of it all. My double-suckout holds on the river, and I'm sitting pretty for awhile.

I decide to take a few shots at stealing some blinds to keep the momentum going. This works exactly 0 times - I am reraised every time I do it. I guess my AT all in has given away my tight image.

I eventually get moved to a table that's even better than my first one. Two women players- both competent and knowledgeable, but not aggressive. One has a giant stack, probably half the chips on the table, but she's still limping and folding hand she should be playing. The other woman player is very short and waiting for her shot to go all-in. The gentleman to my left is older and tight and I don't think he'll be much trouble. My cash game partner Todd is at the table - I know his game. One other player is tough but I have position on him. I feel great about my chances now.

My hope goes away on a blind vs. blind hand. I have JTo. I consider raising the older guy, but I like my hand and feel like I can outplay him postflop. I'll just bet any flop and he'll probably fold most of what he's holding. The board brings a surprise - JJ8, and I've got trips. Plans change - I'm still betting the flop, but for value. He calls. Uh-oh.

Turn brings a nine. Now I've got trips and an open-ended straight draw. I bet big again, he goes all in. Crap. Well, I don't think you're supposed to fold trips with a redraw this late in a tourney. I'm also hoping he shows something like 77 for "two pair", but nope, he shows queen-ten for the made straight. Called my big flop bet with a gutshot and hit it. Sigh. My 10 outs don't come.

I am knocked down to three big blinds. I go all in on the next hand (Q4) and double up. I shove with ace-high and win some more. A well-timed ace-king in the blinds takes away dead-money limpers. I build back up to 7-8 blinds, and still have a shot.

My bustout hand was probably misplayed. The shortstack female player finally puts her chips in. She has 1100 and blinds are 150-300. I've got ace-jack and about 1300 more than her 1100. I shove over her. The huge stack woman player calls THAT bet as well. Yikes. We flip them over - the shorty has ace-queen, the bigstack has pocket nines. I need some more three-out magic, but it doesn't get there, and I'm gone in about 15th place.

I probably need to let ace-jack go there. I think that's two live tournaments this year where I have re-raise shoved someone with a marginal hand, but my stack isn't quite big enough to scare people after the original raise, so I get calls (last time it was pocket fours, this time ace-jack). A fine play if you're first in, but you need to take the ranges of the players already in. My ace-jack was probably in trouble vs. her range - flipping at best. Plus I had other players behind me, including the by-far chipleader.

Oh well. Go big or go home, right? The cash games were already loaded up - two full tables. I could have waited around but came home and cranked out 500 Rush hands for a couple BB profit instead.