Buy-in $40, 10k chips
3 re-entry/add-on bullets available, 5k chips each
Difficulty: 3/5
Variance: 5/5
Session length: 5 hours
Performance: A-
Key points for winning:
1. Keep track of number of big blinds of every player in the table as it indicates how they will try to play their hand or not play their hand
2. Free head space by focusing playing the next hand well rather than dwelling on errors
First half of the tournament I tried to monitor my stack size very closely and start thought process from there. If my stack was thin, my starting hands had to be strong, otherwise, quick fold. I tried to spend rest of the time trying to figure out how many big blinds each player on the table has and observe their tendencies.
In one spot I had AQo, raised 5BB to protect my hand and extract value from opponents. 1 guy called and this guy hasn't been playing a lot. Flop comes KK4. I check the board, he bets and I fold. 5BB is a hefty raise for the level and was 1/3 of my stack which was above average and the opponent had smaller stack. With all these information, it is quite obvious the guy does not have air on his spot more often. I lost a significant chunk of my stack but still in the game, I thought.
I continued to stay afloat before half time by going all in with my medium strength pairs and A6o > T8o.When we reached break time, I thought I did well buy not being reckless and did not use any rebuy. This enabled me to to add-on the 3 bullets and that brought me back to average stack size.
2nd half of the game I was able to pick my spots better and was able to build a stack by utilizing pot odds and ICM tricks that I learned from playing a lot of hyper turbo heads up and single table games online. Lessons from Gripsed coaching also was spot-on and enabled me to steal quite a few pots at relatively low risk with my tight image. Other players thought I was very tight shoving pre-flop. I showed K4o at one point because I thought I need to get some action against me and win some flips at some point if I was going to make it to the deeper levels. Without risk taking, there will be no chance to gain significant amount of chips and the stack will just be blinded away.
There were 18 people left then and after quite a while people tried to fold their way into the final table, they were getting blinded out while I hover around 5-9 big blinds which weren't much but enough to stay in there.
Eventually, I was able to catch a AA in the Big blind and the monster chip leader shoved into me pre-flop thinking that he also try my shoving strategy. It held up and I was about 15BB heading into the final table.
As the final table started, I was very familiar how players in my table play and the 4 players who moved in was the new target source of information. I did not want to get tangled with the massive chip leader whom I thought was owning the table.
The information was not very hard to find as the new players in the table just wanted to make to money by folding. I tried to raise my aggression level and people noticed it, talked about it but nobody played back against my shoves.
Against the smaller stacks to my right, I tried to extract value by raising pre-flop with decent hands and they just folded their hands when they limped in. People were folding their hands a lot and enabled me to gain uncontested pots.
The bubble came and I raised T8 all in vs small stack, A3, and that was her last hand. The table chipped in $10 each for the bubble player for "courtesy" they said, which I thought was very friendly. Only thing is that they thought I was a dirty player by busting a lady with a trash hand. In my mind I thought hey I came here to win!
The table played itself out and the chip leader kept on busting other tighter players until there were 4 left.
Under the gun position, I get dealt AA so I raise minimum. 2 callers and flop comes T44. Turn is 6, I check it and everybody checks. My decision was to shove when somebody raises because I don't have much left behind, 1/2 of my stack I raised with pre-flop. River was a K. I check again and button raises 1/3 the pot. I go to Hollywood for 10 seconds looking at my hand and I put all my chips in. The chip leader folds. Button player is stunned and kept asking if I had KK for the full house. I just stare at my chips like Tom Dwan did so as not to give out any information. After a lot of thinking, he folded and I showed AA. Dealer pushes chips and I am now the chip leader. Guy said he had a 4 and would have beaten me but he did not show the card. I thought he did have a 4 but the K definitely gave me the full house in his point of view.
Down to 3 players, I get dealt KK, small stack shoves, button player calls, I go all-in. My KK lost to A9 and most of the chips on the table go to the button player.
Last hand few hands I didn't get any decent hand and lost with >3 BB vs 25BB.
Game over, fun night playing and looking forward to play on same level of performance next time.
Here's a photo of me and the winner, Mr. Hipolito.
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