Tournament Tales - Part II

In the last issue, I presented hands from the first two tournaments of the October Casinos Europa poker tournament in San Jose, Costa Rica.

In the third tournament, I jumped off to a good start when my pocket aces held up against pocket queens. But after five hours of play, with three tables remaining, I lost half of my chips when I raised a shorter stack all in with my A K and lost to his A 6. Then, I lost the rest of my chips when I went all in with pocket queens and lost to another A-6 - unlucky.

In the fourth tournament at the $50-$100 level, with one caller and the small blind in, I was in the big blind with the K 3. The flop, 5 4 2, gave me both a flush draw and an open-end straight draw. The small blind went all in with his $625 in chips. I had about $1,100 and the caller on my left had about $900. What would you do in my position?

It turned out that I made a mistake by just calling. I knew that I would make either a straight or a flush on the last two cards about 54 percent of the time. But, I failed to realize that by just calling, I allowed the third player to call with his A-J (which would have given me more money if I hit). The last two cards were blanks and helped no one. The small blind had gone all in with the 8 6 (betting his flush and double gutshot-straight draws). The pot was won by the ace high behind me!

Instead of calling, I did not have that much to lose by raising all in. If I had raised, the third player might have folded his A-J and my king would have won the pot. Note that my going all in would not have affected the stakes involved with the first player, who was already all in. In retrospect, the equity of winning the pot against just the small blind probably outweighed the extra chips I would have won from the third player if I hit one of my draws. The lesson here is that it is often correct, when planning to call a large bet, to raise all in if there are other players yet to act behind you.

Later in this event, with eight players left at three tables (apparently my favorite time to get knocked out), I had $4,600 remaining with the blinds at $300-$600. My table had degenerated to the usual "raise all," in which more than half of the hands dealt were decided by a raise before the flop that went uncalled. In the cutoff seat, I was looking at an A-8. Four players had folded around to me, and there were three players who had not yet acted (the button and the two blinds). I had a tight image. What would you do with this A-8 if you were in my position?

Mathematically, none of the three players yet to act behind me will hold a big hand about 80 percent of the time (in my opinion, "big" is defined as the best 100 of the 1,326 possible hands, where six are pockets aces, 16 are A-K, and so on). So, I went all in with my $4,600. Sitting right there behind me were pocket aces (with three hands behind me, that happens about one time in 70), and I was gone. If I had made it $2,000 to go, I might have folded to a big raise.

In the fifth tournament, my nemesis was the A 10. With the blinds at $100-$200, I had $2,100 in the small blind with Q-9, and the action was folded around to me. The big blind on my left had just won an all-in confrontation and had increased his stack from $400 to $900. I tested him by making it $1,000, but he called with his A 10 and won.

Several hands later came the first of two hands in which I had pocket nines, and with both, I took the "correct" (and winning) action. On the first, since I had less than four times the total blinds, I went all in before the flop and managed to double my chips. One round later with the blinds still at $100-$200, I had about $2,400 in chips and got pocket nines again in middle position (at a table where a $500 bet often bought the blinds). I made it $600 to go before the flop. When a solid player behind me raised to $3,000, I knew it was either a coin toss or worse, and it was an easy fold. It would have been "worse," as he flashed his pocket kings at me.

About 20 minutes later, my table was broken up and I was moved to the cutoff seat at a new table. My chips had dwindled down to about $900. At this new table, I watched two other Card Player columnists go to war. In late position with $200-$400 blinds, Andy Glazer raised $1,000 before the flop, and Steve Zolotow defended his big blind. The flop was three rags, Andy bet $1,000, and Z called. Another rag turned, Andy checked, and Z bet $1,200. Andy then went all in, raising another $1,200. Z called. With all of this betting, neither had a pair. Z won the pot as his A-8 outkicked Andy's A-6!

I was knocked out several hands later. After doubling up in the big blind to $1,900, I was in the small blind and it was folded around to me. I raised all in with the Q J. Once again, the big blind held the A 10, called, and beat me. Did someone say there is a big luck factor in no-limit hold'em? It's hard to win when you get called and beat when you are trying to steal the blinds. But, you can bet that I'll be back - I'm due!

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