A Respectable 12,100 at the Break

The new level started out badly. I call a raised multi-way pot with A 6 7 8 double suited and see a flop of 7 8 Q. I call a flop bet with my 2 pair and bad low draw and turn the miracle 7. Somehow one of the players in the pot who had called a raise with 5 8 8 10 is still in the pot and raises my turn bet. We are heads up to the river and I am praying for a low card in case my full house is no good. The river comes a 9 and I check call and lose full house over full house. Suddenly I am down to 6,100 just slightly abouve the starting stack after winning nearly every pot I had played.

I got involved in another hand with 4 5 6 7 double suited from the big blind. The flop with two clubs is checked around. The turn is a 5 giving me two pair and a flush draw. The river is the worst card possible – the 4 leaving me with only a bad flush and three pair.

After 2 hands I am back to my starting stack of $5,000.

We are playing 200-400 with an average stack of only 5,300; so most people have about 13 big bets; enough to play two to three hands.

I get involved in a huge stud high-low pot when I bring it in with a 3 up and have another 3 in the hole. Fourth street is a nice card but 5 street breaks off. I basically have one pair and runner runner draws. A short stack pairs 2's on 5^th and bets out 400. Everyone folds to me and I notice the guy only has 125 more so I have to call with the pot laying me over 5 to 1. I brick out and lose to 6's and 2's for over a 3,000 pot. Suddenly I have only 3,500 left and I'm starting to get desperate. I chip up slowly to about 5k and then comes the hand of the tournament:

I am dealt 346 and raise, and it goes all the way around and a king reraises.

Five people see the turn card for 3 bets.

On 4^th street a player pairs his 7 doorcard another player shows A-7 and I draw the A. We each pay 2 bets.

On 5^th street I get squeezed by the other 2 players for 3 bets for a total of 1,200. The 77 guy probably has at least a set of sevens and the other guy made his low.

On 6^th street I get a break. They only raise to 800 this time and I draw the Q.

By this time this is an insanely huge pot. Obvuisly this hand is my whole tourney. If I lose the entire hand I will be at 2k or less. If I chop with a flush or low I will chip up nicely. I check blind on 7^th knowing that the low guy will surely bet. The 7-7 guy just calls so I assume he has three sevens. I slowly squeeze my 7^th street card to see the 5 of spades and raise. Both players call and I win an amazing 12,000 pot taking me all the way to 14,100.

Again, the last hand is a mind numbing experience. I have A-Q and some low cards double suited and call a raised pot. The flop comes Q Q J. The BB bets out and I immediately raise to knock out any straight draws. A third player overcalls as does the original raiser. The turn card is a 7 and there is a bet and call. The river is an ace, giving me Queens full of aces. Somehow the old man in seat 5 has called all the action with only aces and has hit a one outer. The BB guy bets out, I raise and the old man 3 bets. The BB guy folds and I call losing a huge pot on a one outer. I could easily have 18k or so had I won the last hand but still head to the dinner break with a respectable 12,100 chips.

We are playing 300-600 after the break with an average stack of only 6,200 so most players are already at the critical 10 Big Bet mark. This "new" structure never lets you lose a hand…..