The Poker Trip: Average Isn't So Bad

Event 1:

Buy-in - $300
Starting Chips - 1500
Field - 40
Payout - 2 spots in the main event
Finish - 20
I expected more players but this was the middle of the day and the buy-in was relatively low (high?). But 40 is a field size where I am very comfortable and I felt confident.

My confidence took a small hit when I sat at my table. Remember how I was whining about the young guns? I was probably the second youngest person at the table. And no one was talking. The mood was very serious and it appeared so were the players. Also my table included one guy who I swear I have seen on TV. There would be no fooling around here.

As you can see from above I finished dead center of the field. This experiment is about seeing if I have the game to play at these events and I believe the answer is a tentative yes. I played well even going heads up with the "tv guy" and winning. About 40 minutes in I had almost doubled my chips up to 3000.

Here are the two critical hands.

Hand 1: This was when I was at the top of my chip count. Blinds are 25-50 and I am in the big blind. A player raises to 100 and a couple follow. I have 10-8 off suit but I am priced in so I call. Flop is 10-6-4, two hearts. I check. The initial raiser bets 175 and everyone before me folds. Earlier I had check raised this guy and he had folded. So I raised to 350. He pushes all in for another 900. This is tough situation and here is the hands he could have: A higher pair, a lower pair, a flush draw, two over cards. I don't think he has a higher pair or a flush draw. I put him on two over cards but pray for a 9-9. I call. He turns over A-K, both hearts. Uh-oh. Even with the better hand I am a slight dog. He gets the king on the turn and I lose almost half my stack. I had the right read on the overs but did not count on the flush draw.

Hand 2: The final hand. Blinds are now 50-100. After grinding for almost an hour but also being whittled away, I am sitting on 1000. One caller and then a guy who just moved to our table raises to 500. I've been waiting for a position where I could get all my chips in and either double up or take a few limpers. I look down at a A-Q, both spades. I push my 1000. The caller begins asking if he calls mine can the guy who opened still re-raise. Uh-oh. After being told yes, he can be re-raised, caller folds. The raiser calls my raise and we flip over. He has K-K. I don't improve and I'm out of the tournament.

Thinking back on it, I might have played hand 1 differently. I could have called and when the king came, I would have probably sussed out he had a king. But I don't think my decision was bad. If my tens had held up, I would have been over 4000 and could have cruised to the final 8. But you know what they say? That's...yeah yeah yeah.

Next: $500 buy-in at 6:00pm CST.