I won my way into Full Tilt’s $200K Guarantee tournament that started at 5pm today. I entered a $6 “satellite” tournament and won it, which gave me a spot in the guarantee tournament that would have otherwise cost me $216 ($200 for the prize pool plus $16 of “juice” – the amount that Full Tilt takes for hosting the tournament).
The very first hand of the tournament I was dealt 
and successfully won the pot. A early position player raised to 90 and got one caller. I reraised to 300 and they both folded. I was thinking about the hand and considering that I probably raised too much, as you want to get action when you are dealt pocket aces or kings. Probably a raise to 200–225 would have been better here.
I folded the next five hands until I was dealt pocket kings again! It was folded to me and I open raised to 100 in middle position and got two callers – a player two spots behind me and the big blind.
The flop came 
– a beautiful flop giving me trip kings!
I led out for 150 into the 315 pot and both players called. I really wanted the board to pair here, or give me the 4th king, securing my hand. However, I was pretty confident that I had the best hand at this point.
The turn brought the 
– not a scare card at all. I bet 400 in the growing pot and only the first player called – the big blind folded.
The river was 
and the pot was now just over 1500. With about 1500 left in my stack (we started with 2000) I bet out 500, hoping that the other player had an ace and just made his hand. He reraised me to 1200 and I immediately moved all-in. He called and “turned over” his hand…
AK? 10 10? A 9?
No.
for the flopped straight to beat my trip kings.
Wow. Why-oh-why couldn’t the board have paired?!?!?
On balance I cannot see how I could have played this hand better. The player that called my raise had been playing almost every hand – even when it was raised, so if he was going to call 100 he probably would have called 150 or 200. Also, with him just calling on the flop and turn, it is pretty hard for me to put him on the QJ. When he reraised on the end he could have had a number of hands. Maybe the only thing that I can do on the end is just call his reraise instead of moving in. However, that would have left me very short stacked with only 300 in chips.
Preflop my kings are 86% to win against his QJ, so without the miracle flop I am in great shape. After the flop I am only 34% to win – needing a 10 or 9 to make a full house or the case king to complete quads. I don’t think that I can get away from this hand even if he does reraise on the flop… I probably would have moved-in. I think that this is just a case of getting a little unlucky!
The good news is that the next time that I play one of these tournaments I almost have to do better, as I finished 1415th out of 1442! 
Filed under: Business, Officiating, Personal
2 Comments
My 5GB iPod – the original – is still working… but, come on – can you really expect a geek like me to carry around three-year-old technology? I don’t think so! 