Mississippi Trip 1

So I now it is 7pm Mississippi time and I have been here since 1030 AM yesterday. The actual travel went very smoothly outside of getting up at 4am for my 620 flight, I had a feeling that was being a nit but i really didn't want to risk missing my flight had something not gone standardly I was through security about 15 minutes after arriving at Logan and had 1 hour and 15 minutes to kill before the plane was scheduled to take off. I had a few coffees and zoned out to my ipod and I read a few chapters of Raisers Edge (I really like this book and think it is one of the best books on tournaments out right now). The flight took off roughly on time and I was sitting at a window seat next to a nice guy, whose name I can't remember, from Iowa. He actually lives in Brighton now and works for St Jude and seemed like a chill dude. He actually graduated with a marketing degree, which is my major, but took the St Jude job because he feels like he is actually contributing something to the world. All the power to him, but I majored in business to get a good job and I will likely make a decision on where to work based on where I will make the most money. Ehhh, who knows though maybe I grow a soul between now and then.

Poker wise the trip got fairly interesting right off the bat, because I made a deep run in my first event. It was a $340 nlh tournament with a break until day 2 coming at 2AM or when a FT was reached. I was fairly tired most of the tournament but had mostly easy decisions and one of the softest starting tables I've ever played at (kinda thought every table was going to be this bad, but alas the others I played at were only the normal level of aweful). I came up a bit short after raise calling A10s off for 12 BBs, losing to his AQ and immediately reshoving my last 14 BBs on him next hand with 77 he called with AJ and I lost the flip to get 11th for $690. Meaning I had, after my first Mississippi tournament, cashed in more events there than I had at Foxwoods. I grabbed a burger and slept for 10 hours, almost making me late to the noon start time for todays tournament.

Today was less interesting i played a bit too aggro and got short very early (aggro was my game plan though since I knew that todays $230 tournament had a much quicker structure and shorter levels) and was SS most of the early levels. I accumulated some chips by shoving 10 BBs for a while and got it in for like 14 BBswith K10s, shoving over some limpers, and the bb behind me wakes up with AK but I suck out (easy game). I then have a respectable stack and get moved shortly after. There was 1 possible internet player at my new table but he made a raise/ fold for 13 BB shove that he shouldn't have and he was making it 2k as a std open at 300/600 so I would guess he is not actually that good. I ended the day getting coolered for my last 25 BBs with a turned boat vs a rivered boat, we didn't get it in until the river because on the turn I only had a little more than a pot sized bet and the 10h hit the turn completing my boat and the flop f draw and I thought one of the 2 opponents would have hearts. I was slightly annoyed at the guy who busted me because on the river I bet pot which was about 80% of my stack (I left the hundreds and 1 1k behind because alot of live players fear all ins more than they should and a quick glance at my chips may lead a bad player to think I still had a decent amount behind since I had only low denomination chips left) and he hollywooded for like 2 minutes before putting me all in. Obv i can never fold but even if he thought I might fold some times he should never tank that long because it's real obvious he has either a horribly played nut flush or a boat (I was hoping he either mega slowplayed a flopped boat or hit jacks full on the river)

After that I lost 2 $80 SnG sattys which pay $350 to the top 2 players. Nothing interesting really happened. In any case, so far I have been running and playing well in Mississippi and this particular Casino is very good to poker players, giving us both the poker room rate and free food for playing in the tournament. I have high hopes for the rest of the trip.

There was 1 hand I was thinking alot about which illustrates a point that I read about in Bond 18's "things that took me a while to learn series". The topic was about changing your plan. If you are a good thinking tournament player you should almost always have a plan for actions that are likely to happen, but should also be on the look out for unlikely events that provide great opportunity to change your original plan. Here was the hand

This was the point in todays $230 that I got short in early when I was doing some open shoving on roughly a 10 BB stack at 100/200 with a 25 ante. I have 15 BBs and there are 3 limps to me in the SB 1 from MP and 2 from LP. I look down at Q3o and don't want to shove because it doesn't play that well and I have a shovy image and could induce some lighter calls (still tight though people this is LIVE poker we are talking about) and decide my best option is to complete and be on the look out for good spots to take bluff stabs post flop, the BB checks. the flop was 772 looks like a good spot to bluff to me, since its unlikely anyone hit that flop and since people don't usually bluff in my spot I expect people to give me credit for connecting with some junky SB hand. I bet out 500(could prob be 400 or 450) the BB and the MP limper both fold but the other 2 call. at this point my plan is to give up unimproved.

turn 9d nothing here to make me change my plan I check and somewhat surprisingly both player check fairly quickly (in my head Im thinking "INERESTING") and the river comes another 2 I insta shove for a little under a pot sized bet and expect this play to work at least 80% of the time the way it was played. To back up my thinking the SB iinsta mucks and the BB shakes his head and quickly mucks saying out loud "you got there with that two", as he is folding the SB said " yep that one was pretty obvious" I resist the temptation to bump up my ego and show the bluff and instead just nod and let them think they were right.

To be fair I don't think that I would have shoved most rivers, especially anything above an 8, but in a spot like that you should have a good idea of good bluffing cards, or at very least the best possible bluffing card, which in this case was definitely a 2.

Now that I ate at the buffet, and took a little time off to play this I think I'll take my first shot at the 1/2 NL game, which I hear is pretty juicy. Tomorrow I will be playing another $340 2 day and hope to improve by at least 8 or 9 places on my first result.