After contemplating going play the Louisiana Fall Poker Classic ME in Lake Charles, then backing out for different reasons, I hung out with family during the day. listened to my beloved Cajuns get their second loss of the year vs. WKU on their homecoming (meh 6-2 4-1 on the season), then went to Cypress Bayou to see if there was a 1-3 NL cash game going on. As I expected, with the Bad Beat Jackpot hit Wednesday, it was like a ghost town with only a 3 6 12 bingo game going... I decided to play that for a little while and ended up donating $150 and not winning a single hand so I got another $150 and put it on Pai Gow (the only other game I like to play at the casino) and Hit a straight flush for $250 to put me back even. I played for a little bit longer to try and pull a profit and noticed my seat got cold and lost $80 so I headed home.
After getting an ear full of complaints the next day as I told my wife I was gonna go play the rebuy tournament on Sunday I made my journey to go register and got there just in time. I was actually on the waiting list 7 deep and each table had 11 players (5 tables) but they were short one dealer so we had to wait for their decision to open the table or not. Well an extra dealer was called in and the Poker Room Mgr (Mr. Deon Brent, kudos to him for getting the extra table opened) started giving everyone their chips to get us started and there was 6 tables and an hour away from the break. We started with 8,000 in chips for $75 and nothing really spectacular happened as I won a couple pots, then lost a couple pots to keep me about even of a chip stack. At break I had 9,600 and with the Add on for $50 we got an additional 10k in chips with blinds going to 150 300.
When we get back from the break (19,600) everyone is near even in chips then I get involved in a hand where a semi loose player raised in early position to 550. I called with KJ os and the SB (a solid TAG player) also called for a 3 way pot to see the flop. 1950 in the Pot and the flop comes Kh9h4d. The SB checked in the dark and Early Position also checked. I bet out 1500 and the SB raised to 4000 and Early Position folds. I asked if he checked raised and the early position guy reiterated that it was a checkdark raise so this made me suspicious to the strength of his hand. I was pretty confident I had the best hand and made the call leaving me with 15,050 behind and having my opponent covered by about 2-3k. The turn was a 5c and SB thinks for a while then shoves all in. There was about 9-10k in the pot. I'm not getting pot odds to call, but for some reason I feel like he is trying to push me off of this hand so he can take down the pot. I feel like he has a piece of the flop but I was thinking more like a flush draw as well. I'm kind of annoyed that I have to make this decision so early in the tournament but can't played scared poker and decided to stick with my read. I called and he shows K10 os! the river is an 8h and I hold to double up to 38,500ish
We continue to play and I am winning small pots getting respect from players and work my stack up to about 50k then move tables. The table I move to has 3 other stacks around 30-40k but there are only 3 or 4 decent players that I have to worry about on this table. One player that had a 40k stack just seemed like he was targeting me as every time I raised he would call. I don't know if he just liked playing alot of flops (Which could have been the case, or he just wanted to take my stack and try to intimidate me.) The first 2 times I faced him I semi bluffed and lost small pots then won a small pot against him in the 3rd hand. Next I look down at 55 and blinds are 600 1200. I am in Late position and a player calls in EP (good post flop player) and a woman I wasnt familiar with in MP raised to 3k, I called and EP called as the blinds folded. Pot had 11k in it and I had 45k behind. MP had about 36k and EP had 13k. Flop comes out and I see my 5 in the window and the dealer spreads out 5 4 2! Perfect flop for me in this spot and then the action was just being fed to me. EP shoves all in and MP just calls. She seemed very confident in her hand but I knew I had her crushed so I figured she was going to call if I shoved all in. I shove and she didnt take much time before she decided to call and now there is a main pot of 50k and a side pot of another 50k!. What makes it even better is the 5 comes on the turn to give me quads and I don't have to sweat anymore cards as I have the nuts to rake in the pot of about 100k giving me 120k. I'm in the drivers seat as the next biggest stack is at about 65k.
As we continue to play and I lose a race against a short stack that went all in and also another small pot, I look down at KK with blinds at 1500 3000 and the 2nd CL at the table (Guy that has been targeting me) was in the BB. I have about 95k and action is folded to me so I raise minimum to 6k in MP and everyone folds as the BB called the extra 3k (this was my chance to take his stack). Flop was a bit scary as it was a very sequential board at 7 8 9 and BB checked to me. I decide to bet 11k and after tanking BB goes ALL IN?!?! I was trying to figure out what he could have to do this. The whole time he had monster hands, he was check calling against me and letting me hang myself. I didn't think he had a monster here, I couldn't even put him on 2 pair when calling my raise. I also know he had a piece but I gave him credit for K7s-K9s, A7s-A9s, 66, 1010, JJ. I decide to call after going into the tank for about 3 minutes and he shows A9 of diamonds completely overplaying his top pair and I am semi confident but nervous of the dreaded Ace. Turn is a 6 as I sweat one card. and River is the freaking Ace....I was really annoyed and kinda let out my frustration telling the guy who sucked out "Very Nice Play sir, You are a Genius". He didn't have much of a rebuttal as I think he knew he got lucky on me and took my annoyance like a man, so I give my respects to him for that. Like always when someone holds KK the ugly ace always appears but this couldn't have been at a worse time. This was such a huge pot, I would have been the CL by far leaving everyone else with a fifth of my stack but instead I am stuck with 10k in chips.
I am thinking to myself, why does this always happen to me (Build a monster stack then get obliterated by bad luck) then try to refocus and stay determined to work it back.
So with a measley 10k left and blinds at 1500 3000 and I am UTG. I look down at AsQs and just open shove (which just look like frustration) and everyone folds to the BB to called with KQos. flop is Ah9s7s and I am on my way to double up as the 2s gives me the flush on the river. I have 17k and post my blind. End up folding get down to 16k then steal the blinds on the button. about 6 hands later I steal the blinds again and now have about 25k. I do this for about 3 revolutions and get my stack up to 27k and we move tables again for the last 2 tables. Top 10 pay out and the players decide to do a "double bubble" which I hate but its whatever 12th would get $110 and 11th would get $130. I am determined to make the final table and with blinds at 2000 4000 I steal the blinds one more time and A short stack goes all in on my BB when I look at 1010 and make the call. the short stack has AK and I have him covered by 8k and some how I hold up and knock him out. This puts me at 60kish, I look at 77 and shove all in EP position and a guy who is normally really loose and just a bad player folded AK os pre flop to me which actually surprised me, but it was for more than have his stack to call. I now have about 70k. we get down to 12 people and I have 60k and just going card dead slowly. steal blinds like every other revolution but continue to see my stack dwindle and then FINALLY make the Final Table with 35k left in my stack.
We take a quick break and the CL decides he will take $200 extra of the 10 way chop and 2nd in chips will take $100 extra and everyone will split the rest. BTW, the guy that took that huge pot off me, He had about the same stack I had when we made the final table (rolls eyes) how do you lose that big of a CL in that short amount of time....sigh
This worked out where 1st was $780, 2nd was $680, and 3-10 got $540. I was fine with this since I was on life support and got my $540 for the 2nd time this week. But this one was a bit more of a grind then Weds. IDK what it is but just like Stella got her Groove Back......I got my run good back. (Might be my newly acquired mustache lol)
Thanks for reading!
Matt Stroud
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