Vegas - Caesars midday $80 tournament

This tournament plays a lot deeper than its 9am brother. It is exactly the same 20 minute levels which still sky rocket, but you get 7.5k in chips, thus there are more chips in play to deal with the antes. There are 110 runners and it pays top 9.

Hand1
I find KK and raise some limpers to 300. Lady next to me calls. She would later show herself to be not the strongest player, but more importantly jabbers INCESSANTLY about the action. She features in quite a few hands so will be known as “Jabber”.

Flop is QJ2 with a couple of diamonds. I have no diamonds.

I bet 700 and Jabber calls.

Turn is a brick.

I bet 1300 and Jabber goes in to a long speech about flush draws. She passes.

Hand2
I make up SB with A♥9♥. Jabber checks.

Flop is 2h7hQs

Jabber randomly bets 300 into 100. I fold my nut draw. I guess I should have called given the depth of our stacks. Jabber shows…2♣6♠.

Hand3
UTG raises to 150 and UTG+2 calls. I make it 700 with KK. I get cold called round the back as well as by UTG+2.

Flop is 3c7cTc. I have no club.

I bet 1700 and UTG+3 calls.

Turn is Kc giving me the set but putting 4 clubs out. UTG+3 checks - that’ll be the Ace of clubs then and I check behind.

Turn pairs the board :)

UTG+3 checks again, presumably in nut flush trap mode. I bet 2100, and he min raises to 4200. Banana dance time! I shove he snaps and shows nut flush. I double up to 15k.

I now lose a bunch of small pots to drift down to 13k.

Hand4
Jabber raises UTG to 1k (blinds now 100-200 a25) and I call in BB with A♠9♠

Flop is JQT rainbow.

I check and Jabber bets 2k.

I should probably fold my up and down here or indeed folded preflop. However, I am sure I will stack Jabber if I hit, particularly if it is the 8 which arrives. I call.

Turn is a 7.

Jabber shoves, I fold, Jabber shows 777.

At the 200-400 a50 level I start to raise a lot of pots, but I am having problems. Either I lead and get called by the blinds who lead out on flops I miss, or I get shoved on. By the time I move tables I have had a miserable time of it and am back down to 8k.

Hand5
Blinds are now 300-600 a75 and UTG shoves for 5k. I re-shove with 99 and beat AK. Back to 12k.

I now have a new comedy character to my left, from Holland. He is now called “Flying Dutchman”. He definitely has the right idea in shoving regularly, but he takes it to new levels. On one occasion he declares he is bored and shoves 15k blind. On another he calls two all-ins before him from the BB with 93off(!). His stack can be found anywhere between 6k and 30k, and changes approximately 10k per hand. Having him to my left tightens up my shoving range.

Hand6
I raise button to 2k with K♣2♣. Flying Dutchman calls (he rarely overshoves on me) and so does veteran in BB.

Flop is K72 with two diamonds :)

Check, check, I shove and pick up the 7k or so in the middle to move to 19k.

Hand7
UTG shoves for 8k and I call in BB with QQ. He has KT and spikes a King - back down to 11k. Key hand this one I feel.

Hand8
Early position shoves 6k with AQ and I reshove with AK and hold to win and get to 17k.

Our BB is knocked out, and is replaced by…Jabber.

32 runners remain.

Hand9
Young guy UTG limps 1200 from a 8k stack. He has been shoving regularly so I am highly suspicious of this. I decide to flat call with 55. Flying Dutchman shoves for the 4th time this orbit and is called by both BB and the UTG. I fold.

They in fact all have high cards and the board contains a 5. Flying Dutchman berates me for folding a pair. I guess I had the odds, but surely one of the others should have had a higher pair there. I dunno.

By now the blinds are 1k/2k with a 300 running ante. I fold for an orbit as someone is always shoving before me and I have trash. Flying Dutchman calls obviously and wins some and loses some. Sitting out the orbit costs me a massive 6k in chips, and by now I am down to 8k.

Exit Hand
Folded to me in SB and I don’t think I have any option but to shove. Unfortunately I only have 3♣6♣, but I guess Flying Dutchman will call anything, so if I have live cards I have a chance to get back to 19k. He calls with J8 and it holds.

Good tournament this one - fun to play. You need to be active for sure after level 5, but at least the extra chips mean you don’t hit shove or fold for a couple of hours.