HOLIDAY BONUS AT COMMERCE

The kids had the day of school on Friday. I knew there was a tourney at Commerce that I would love to make it out for but didn't hold much hope that I'd actually make it there. I cracked a beer and began watching PPT shows on Tivo when my buddy John arrived with his kids at 530P. I casually mentioned the tournament and he told me to start driving. It was 550P when I finally got on the road for the 7P event. Traffic was horrendous and I didn't make the Commerce until 730P. I nearly went straight to the cash games but I figured I would go upstairs first just to check out the tourney. They were still taking sign-ups but I was loathe to pay $320 for a stack that has been getting blinded off for half an hour.

It was nearing the end of the first 40-minute level with blinds at 25/25. Starting stacks were $1500 so I reasoned that I would be sitting around $1400 if I joined now and if I had played the first level I could easily be sitting at $900 by now. I've played enough tournaments to know that breaking even in the first level is actually a good result for the way I play so I plunked down my money and waited for somebody to bust. They weren't opening any new tables so I inherited the five seat at table ten. I never did count my opening stack so maybe I did get the full $1500.

When I arrived at my table, my empty chair was already being dealt into the next hand. I tossed my seating card on the table and as soon as my second card arrived, I took a peak and capped them while still standing. I called the $25 and took a seat. There was a raise to $200 in late position and it folded back to me. I made the call with A9c and there were immediate protests from a player not in the hand that my hand should be dead since I wasn't seated when the cards were dealt. The flop came 876 rainbow with one club. I checked and the raiser put out $300. I uncapped my cards and pushed all in. The protester said "that was quick" and began looking for allies in his opinion that my hand should have been declared dead. The player putting money into the pot didn't seem to have a problem but he was irked at the check-raise and folded.

The next hand, I limped from first position with AJd. There were other limpers then the big blind made a raise which I called. The flop came Td65. He checked to me and I checked behind. The turn was a king. He made a weak bet into me. I had nothing but the gutshot but I figured I could speculate since his bet was so weak. Maybe I've got him beat or maybe he's got a big hand and if a queen falls I can bust him. The river brought the queen. He was so sure that it hit me that he checked his trip tens into me. I obliged with a big bet to which he responded all-in. I called and he proudly showed his one-time top set.

The deck went right on hitting me in the face through level three. I had more big hands in a short time than I had ever before seen. The next hand, I was on the big blind and by the time the action got to me, there were two players all in with roughly $500 each. I looked down at two kings so I got in there with them. I was up against two hearts and two clubs with one guy holding an ace. I flopped a king with two hearts. The turn was a club and I knew I was going to lose this one. The river was a club and a nice pot got away.

Soon after, I had another player all-in with JJ against my AKh. I flopped an ace and he got up to leave. The turn brought the jack of hearts putting him back in the lead but giving me the heart draw. The river was the ace of diamonds and for the second time, I lost with trips.

The next hand I played was a limpfest in which I joined from the button with Q9. The flop came Q65 rainbow and it checked around to me. In an unraised pot, I refuse to get tricky with top pair. I put in a pot-sized bet which promised to be the last money I put into this pot if it got called. It was called not once but twice which lets me know I'm likely up against a set. The turn was a nine giving me top two pair. The UTG player came out betting. He might have 65 and didn't like the overcall on the flop. Hopefully the next guy folds his 87 making my hand worth a call. The next guy made his move and put in a big raise. I was sure he had a set so I mucked. We never saw them but I didn't need to see them to know it was either 66 or 55.

The same guy flopped another set on the next hand and busted someone, building a big stack for himself. He had the majority of the chips at the table and immediately began playing the bully with larger than necessary preflop raises. I put a mental bullseye on his chip stack and set about taking it from him. When I got KK in early position, I flat called. He entered the pot but didn't raise. Then both blinds came in as well and I was four-way with ace magnets. An ace flopped and when both blinds checked to me, I put in a bet and everyone folded. Oh well, a waste of a nice big pair.

But wait, the very next deal brought me AA and I got another shot at it. I limped UTG and this time my target fired back with a raise to $400. I took a long time to call. I didn't want this hand to be settled early on - I was willing to go deep with it and trust my 82% chance of winning the showdown. The flop came QJ5, two clubs. I checked and he fired out a big one. I thought awhile and called. The turn was the jack of clubs. I had the ace of clubs so even if I just got schooled by AJ then I still could win with a club on the river. I checked again and he immediately pushed all in. I called and he flipped a pair of fours. Tee hee. He wasn't out but he was crippled. He vowed to double through me later on and he did just that when he flopped a flush as I hit two pair.

Paying off his flush was the only mistake I made along the way of building my stack up to $11k at the first break after level three. I was in lockdown mode after the break as the face cards and pairs disappeared. I pretty much coasted into the money with the stack I built early on. When we were literally on the bubble, 37 players, I raised with A6 in middle position and the big blind pushed back all in. I was getting the price to play even if I was dominated. He was tossing a hail mary with QJh and doubled thru me. Still at 37, the same player pushed back a much improved stack when I had AT and I let it go - he had jacks.

It had been awhile since I had won a pot. We were playing hand for hand and I no longer had an intimidating stack. I had to make a decision with K9s on the big blind against a $5k raise from late position. I could call and see a flop before committing all my chips. I told my opponent that I had a borderline decision and I was going to stall to see if anyone else busts out of the tourney in the meanwhile. I said he is well within his rights to call a clock on me but we are hand-for-hand and I'm just going to stall a bit to see if I can make the decision easier. He was cool about it and gave me all the time I needed. Somebody else did bust, ensuring that I would at least split 36th place money. I said okay, I'll call and if I hit any piece of the flop, I'll go all in with it. The flop came TT5 with two spades and I declared all in. He knew I could be full of it but he mucked 44. He was in the lead but the spades gave me the best chance of winning the hand so it was correctly played by both of us. He asked me if I would have played it differently had the other guy not busted and I honestly admitted that I would have played it the same way.

Once we were in the money, the amount of chips in play wasn't really enough to offer much play beyond pushing all-in either preflop or postflop, so it became a game of picking ones spots for a big play. I got desperate enough that I pushed in from second position with K8d and I picked up the blinds. The next hand gave me QQ under the gun, so I did it again and busted JJ. It's always fortunate when a desperation push is followed by a legitimate hand.

Later on, I put in a raise with 87d and was repopped by AT. It was an easy call and I even flopped two diamonds, picked up a gutshot on the turn, but couldn't close it out. I picked up some chips when I repopped a blind stealer who then made the call with T4 against my AQ which held up. One kid was picking up a lot of pots with blind-stealing raises. When he finally limped into a pot, I limped as well with A2h. The flop brought Kxx, two hearts, and he bet into it. I pushed all in and he went into the tank. He asked me if I had a king and I said "I can't tell you my hand but if I DID have a king, I would be all in." He wound up calling with some kind of crazy 85c. He had nothing but a gutshot but he correctly assumed his cards were live as well, putting me on a flush draw. It was still a pretty bad call for as much as it cost him. I could have bricked and still won but I turned an ace just for insurance.

That same joker is the guy who busted me. My stack was around $42k with each round costing $8k. He went all in UTG and I began thinking about my minimum calling hand. I decided AT or better deserved a call. It folded to my big blind and I looked down at 99 and made the call. I was certain he did not have a higher pair based on the amount of money he bet. I was hoping he had a smaller pair but I expected to see AT and that is what he showed. I survived the flop but he caught a bullet on the turn to knock me down to $15k. Even if I knew I was taking a race with that call, I really have no qualms about playing it that way with the blinds as high as they were and with me having him outstacked. One player had folded 88 in the hand and missed out when an eight flopped. If he had played, I would have folded.

The next hand folded to my small blind. I saw 66 and went with it. The big blind who had just doubled thru me woke up with queens and put an end to my day. I finished 20th and cashed $1024 at 430A.