I like my MPS tokens.

Dr. Pauly is liveblogging the LA Poker Classic main event over at taopoker.blogspot.com, as usual. From the looks of things, he’s in top liveblogging form. Spaceman is also covering the event for Bluff Magazine.

I took a pretty serious look at moving to the $75 tournaments at FTP in addition to or instead of the $26s, and decided it really wasn’t worth it. They’re only about an hour shorter even though the field is one third the size, have about the same sort of money at the top, and pay fewer people because of the smaller field. Overall, it seemed like the $26s were a better investment.

Last night, while watching Battlestar Galactica DVDs with my father just before 8, I realized one of the main benefits of the $75s: It started in 5 minutes, instead of 2 hours and 5 minutes. The timing on the $10k is much better for me than the $16k (too early) or the $8k (starts at 10pm; ends after 2am). The $75 buyin $10k tournament starts at 8pm Pacific, and ends shortly after midnight if I was to make it that far. Much better situation. So, I played in my first $75 at FTP last night.

Pretty early on, I open raised with ATs, and got one caller who had position on me. The flop was pretty good: 9JQ of my suit. Nut flush with two outs to a straight flush isn’t bad. I led right out at it, and got raised. I had the other guy barely covered, and the raise was for about half of both of our stacks. I figured this was as good a time as any to slowplay and let someone else bust themselves, so I just called. The turn should have killed my action, being another low club. I checked, and after thinking a little bit, he pushed. Slowplayed aces, that he should never have let me see the flop with.

45 minutes or so into the first hour, I opened for 3x the big blind again, with 77. I got one caller in the big blind, and saw a nice looking 762 flop. I had about 4k in chips and he had me covered. No slowplaying here, I bet 2/3 the pot, and he called. The turn was an 8, so a few hands could beat me now, but I couldn’t really put someone on them. He checked again, and I made a sizeable bet. Checkraised. I really can’t put him on any hand that beats me, so I push. Instacalled, by 66, and I double up. Set over set is fun when you’re on the right end of it.

I was chip leader for a short time, and then in third place at the first break. From there, absolutely card dead. I hit my high point of around 12k in chips before the first hour was over, and I don’t think I ever broke that mark again. I wasn’t playing just to cash, and was stealing when I had the opportunity, but for the most part just didn’t get anything playable. My 87o woulda flopped a pair and busted both AJ and AK. My Q2o UTG woulda seen a flop of 222 (second time in a week I’ve folded quad 2s preflop; the first time in the $8k on Monday: image). For the most part, fold fold fold steal fold fold fold. Somewhere in the middle, I did bust a shortstack with TT vs 33 when I made quads. I didn’t even get to say TQB! in the chat because I got moved immediately afterwards.

I probably had an m of 5 when we got down to the final two tables, and in the money. I open-pushed with 76s, and got called by AKo. Not a bad situation, being only a 58/42 underdog, almost a coinflip. The flop of AAA killed my chances, with my 6 on the turn not exactly helping me, and I busted to quads in 16th place for $135 payout on my $75. Pretty happy with that for my first $75. I don’t know how often I’ll actually play them, because I still think the $26s are a better investment. I just wish they had one at 8 or 9pm pacific.

I am definitely going to try to keep riding the rush until my tournament luck runs out.

I took a shot at the $200+16 $200k guarantee at FTP on Sunday. With the run I’ve been on lately, I figured I pretty much had to. I think I played pretty well in it, and made it well into the second hour with a decent stack. Sadly, with my M around 8, it folded to me in the cutoff with JJ. The big blind woke up with aces, and I was out in 406th place, out of almost 1200. 108 spots paid. Pretty much nothing I could do in that spot, and I feel like I played well the whole tournament. Afterwards, I played a 6.60 token tourney, and won another $26 token.

Last night, I used the token to play in the $8k after bowling terribly. I cruised along around average in chips for most of the time, with no real notable hands. All of a sudden, we were on the bubble. Strange how that happens. Past the bubble, I needed to get some cards. I pushed with KQ, got called by AJ, flopped and rivered a king, and doubled up. From there, I sat tight for a while, mostly folding, and stealing when I had the opportunity. We quickly dropped down from five tables to four, then three, and two. The final table bubble seemed like it took forever, but it finally popped and I was at yet another one.

Pretty quickly, I folded to several hundred more dollars when two players busted on back to back hands. Then I pushed over a raise with ATo, and flopped an ace to double up against JJ. From there, it was back to the usual fold fold fold until we ended up three handed. I was a bit card dead, and tried too hard to make things happen. Then, when I finally did flop top pair with my J8s, I got greedy and didn’t just push, but instead bet about size of the pot on the flop and the turn, and got beat by runner runner flush to a guy who had no pair on the flop. The next hand I pushed with A8s, and got called and beat by 43s, and I was out in third place. No bad beat stories here, just telling the hands like they happened.

Can’t complain about another four figure ($1255) payday in a $26 tournament.

My great run will probably end here, as my father will finally be getting here tonight, and then my mother shows up on Saturday. That will seriously cut into my poker time for about two weeks. I figure I should give someone else a chance to make a final table, anyway.

This has been one hell of a week for me. Sunday night, I final tabled the FTP $16k, and finished 8th for a nice score. Monday night, I came in second in the $8k for my biggest tournament cash ever.

Then last night, I took second in the $16k to beat that, with a $2710.80 cash. 2nd out of 753. I almost didn’t play, because I had no tokens and failed to get one earlier yesterday. $26 isn’t too much, but I like getting into the tournaments cheaper. I’m still going to be playing the token SNGs every now and then, and I think I have to keep playing the guaranteed prize pool tournaments at FTP.

There were a few memorable hands from the tournament, but for the most part it was just my good hands holding up, winning races, and not getting all my chips in behind. I never did that until the last hand, after getting completely run over again heads up. I couldn’t flop a pair or even get any paint. 5 and 6 high was all I was getting heads up, and then missing the flop. I seriously need to work on my heads up play. The big hands of the tournament for me were all good folds. AJo, three times. Late in the tournament, with my M hovering around 6 I had to let it go because the action ahead of me said I was beat. Every time, it was a good laydown, and I would have busted had I called.

Some other big hands were 33 from the button holding up against the big blinds A2, AK beating 99 at the final table, and then QQ holding up against KQ to bust the player in third and get heads up.

While playing the $16k last night, I also played in the WWdN: BG Semi-Open. 50 players signed up, in honor of BG. For those that don’t know, he just had surgery, and will have some serious medical bills coming soon. For more information on how to help him out, check out Pauly’s post. I final tabled in this tournament, too, taking 8th for $22.50 on my $11.

Four final tables in one week. Tonight, I make my first appearance at Murderer’s Row.

I’m going to attempt to liveblog this thing… if this post doesn’t get updated at all, I failed.

5:29pm… 1 minute until we start, 98 players registered.

5:30pm… I fold 93o in the SB to a raise.

5:31pm… I try to steal from the button and the BB reraises. I fold.

5:33pm… Moved already. To my left is Shane. G-Rob is at my table as well.

5:39pm… I dropped the hammer, and won the pot.

5:42pm… owentgs flopped two pair with the hammer, vs weak_players’ aces. The turn paired the queen on the board, and aces held up.

5:50pm… I flopped a set of twos, and took down the pot on the turn.

6:01pm… G-Rob just bluffed all in, got called by QQ, and hit runner runner flush to bust patrickjst.

6:05pm… Any hands of mine I write here are probably lies, unless they got showed. I can’t give away all my secrets while the tournament is still going on.

6:08pm… My mouse batteries are dying. I need the break soon so I can replace them.

6:14pm… Wil just busted, pushing with Q5 from the small blind and running into KJ in the big blind.

6:15pm… Nickerson is all in with JJ vs AK… the board makes a 9 high straight and they chop.

6:17pm… I pushed all in with T9s on a Q92 flop. weak_player called with QJ, and I rivered a T.

6:18pm… Shane busts with KJs vs QQ.

6:20pm… facty just got moved to my left.

6:34pm… I successfully changed my mouse batteries at the break. Nothing worse than getting dealt AA and not being able to move the mouse to the box to type in your raise.

6:43pm… I’m starting to get a bit shortstacked. I need some cards, but I’m not desperate yet.

6:52pm… I’m out. Lost a race with AJ vs TripJax’ TT. SoaP.

I’m off to the bowling alley to watch my team, I guess (they have a full team without me.. we alternate in and out).

Another day, another final table.

I bowl Monday nights, so no $16k guarantee for me. Instead, I played the later $8k guarantee using my last token at FTP, while watching 24 in beautiful HD. I played my normal game, I think, and got enough cards to keep up with the blinds most of the time. Every time I’d look up to see that I’d dropped down to about half average (which happens a lot when I keep folding and half the field busts), I’d win a significant pot. No exciting hands for most of it, though. Just raising preflop and taking it down on the flop or turn, usually.

I was only all in preflop three times. Once, late and shortstacked with 44 vs AJ. I pushed from the button, he called from the big blind. I won. (What?! I won a race?!) After that, I had AK in the big blind, and it folded to the small blind who pushed and had me slightly covered. He had J8s, and the flop came AAx. And then the hand I busted on. I was also all-in on the flop once, with JJ vs 88 on a nine high flop. I called his raise from the big blind, and then bet out on the flop. I wasn’t slowplaying so much as not wanting to see an overcard hit. He raised, and I pushed. I hit a set on the turn for good measure.

Some exciting IRC chat:

<metsfan_> crap, break
<metsfan_> i mean
<glyphic> crap break?
<metsfan_> crap break?
<metsfan_> nah
<metsfan_> haha
<glyphic> geez… tmi
<metsfan_> i dont need a break for that.
* metsfan_ plays on a laptop.
<biggestro> tmi
<metsfan_> but dammit, wtf is wrong with my stomach right now
<metsfan_> its going nuts.
<glyphic> yeah, wireless is cool
<metsfan_> something I ate really messed me up

Yes, I really did play some of the tournament in the bathroom. That’s what I get for getting an egg salad sandwich from 7-11, I guess. My stomach really bothered me all night, and still does now.

It was a strange feeling, coming to the final table as chip leader.

I stole a little bit, got a few good hands, but for the most part I stayed out of things at the final table for a while. I let the shortstacks battle it out. I did bust one guy with 77 vs AQ on an A7x flop. Checkraised him all-in, my only checkraise of the tournament. I’m not quite sure how I ended up with all these chips, given that I was staying out of people’s way, but four handed I was in good shape.

ganf01 and onesandzeros passed the shortstack back and forth for a while before onesandzeros finally won the battle and busted ganf01. Three handed, I got outplayed (or just had worse cards; I’ll never know) a bit and we ended up all about even in chips. I did get to drop the hammer with a preflop reraise, though. onesandzeros pick the wrong spot to bluff all in, and ran into JackDuece13′s flopped top two pair, and we were heads up, with him having about a 2:1 chip lead. Then I got run over. I suck at heads up, and I know it. I was weak-tight, and letting him push me around. I also couldn’t even flop a pair. I finally got all in with K8 vs A9 and lost. I need to practice playing heads up, but I’m so rarely in this situation in big multitable tournaments (last time I was, it was against a Guinness-fueled maniac). I guess I also need to read Harrington Volume II (and finish Volume I).

Second place, for $1478.40. The past two days have wiped out January, and then some. Thanks to all my IRC railbirds!

I finally made it back to another final table last night, in the FullTilt $16K guarantee. I was hanging out in IRC during the Super Bowl, and people mentioned that it was a good day for overlay, because of the game. The tournament was starting as the game was ending, so I used an MPS token to enter. Only 556 signed up, so there was indeed overlay, $2656 of it.

I was cruising right along, getting a few good hands here and there when I suddenly donked off most of my chips. I raised with AJs UTG, and got called only by the big blind. The flop was QJx with two diamonds, and he check-called my bet. The turn was a non-diamond, and I figured him for a flush draw and put him all in. He called with top two pair, and after folding my big blind to a lot of action the next hand, I was left with 435 in chips (before posting) with 120/240/25 blinds. Three people limp for 240, and I push in for 170 more with A3o, hoping to get lucky and quadruple up or so. The big blind pushes over the top and everyone else folds. My ace on the flop beat his QQ, and I’m back to an M of 3 instead of 0. The next hand, I push all in with QQ from the button after a middle position raise. He calls, and I flop a set and beat his 88. Just like that, I went from 435 to 4040 in two hands, after saying “well, I’m pretty much done” in IRC.

I continue limping along, stealing when I can, and pushing most of the time I can open the pot. Twice it doubles me up, with T9s vs KQo (I flopped a gutshot and flush draw, and rivered a 9), and K9s vs A-rag (flopped a 9, turned a K). I made one questionable but lucky fold. There was an early position raise, and a shortstack (shorter than me) push. I had AKo in the big blind, and decided to fold it. The initial raiser, who had me covered, called, and they had 55 and JJ. The flop was AJx, and the river was a 5, so I would have been screwed had I played.

I get lucky (er.. don’t get unlucky) a few times when I bust people shorter than me or double up with AJ vs a lower ace. One hand, I had AJ vs AT vs KQ. The KQ pushed and was shorter than me, I pushed over, and AT had us both covered and called. A king flopped, and I lost the main pot, but winning the sidepot left me at about where I started the hand. I would have been in great shape if I had won that, but instead I had 17k instead of 50k. Still, I limped along to the final table, where I doubled up early, with AQ vs A3 who insta-called my all-in. There’s one bust, and then I finally go out when I get QQ UTG and run into AA. I made it 16k (4x bb), and he made it 44k. I had 93k total, so I could have folded and still had a decent stack, but I figured his re-raising range there was more than just KK and AA. It probably included JJ and TT, and even maybe AQ. He had a big stack (223k), and I didn’t. I pushed, he called and flopped a set. I turned my set, but no runner runner quads for me, and I finished in 8th for $384.

I’ll take it.

Thanks to all my railbirds, including wwonka, byron, Scott, Bobby Bracelet, Nickerson, April, Absinthe, and others, probably.

Not only did the postal shooting happen less than two miles from me, but the other person shot lived in a condo right next to my old apartment: http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=LOCAL&ID=564675238294585647

After a little peer pressure in IRC, I decided to play the $8k guarantee on FullTilt with one of my tokens. I knew I had to get to sleep early because I actually had to get to work at a reasonable (read: not 11am) hour today, but figured I’d bust out quickly as usual. Byron and JoeSpeaker played in it, as well. In my first 40 hands I was dealt 52o 6 times. Great start. I somehow managed to hold on and steal often enough, never hitting a flop, to stick around a while. I managed to double up with QQ vs 88, and suddenly I was in the money. Not sure how it happened. Byron made it, too, and we ended up at the same table.

I stole his big blind twice in a row, not because I was picking on him, but because it seemed those were the only times I could manage to be first into the pot. So, the next orbit, when I got dealt the hammer and it folded to me with him in the big blind, I had no choice. Everyone folded, and I showed. Sadly, that would mean the end of easy stealing for me, and I’d need a hand to do it. He also said he’d get back at me for it, and he did. With both of us still in shortstack pushdonkey mode, he pushed from UTG+1. I had AKo in the small blind, and called when it folded around to me. He showed KQo, and the flop came all rags. As soon as I said “sorry” in IRC, the queen hit the turn, and I was left with 29 in chips, with an ante of 100. I flopped the best hand all in on my ante with Q5o when AA5 came out, but the turn gave the luckbox (who would later bust Byron with A9s vs AK) his flush, and I was out in 31st. Lucky for me, though, because 32-36 paid $50.06, and 28-31 paid $50.07. I got my extra penny.

Maybe it’s a start to another winning month of (online) poker after an absolutely horrible January. At least live poker was good to me last month.

Tonight:
What: WWdN Dr. Pauly Appreciation Tourney
Where: Poker Stars
Tournament Info: #19063218 (Check under Private Tourney tab)
When: Feb 2 @ 11:30 PM (or 8:30 PM on the West Coast)
Buy-in: $10 + 1 NL
Password: monkey