FULL TILT POKER BLOG

Anticipating a Bracelet

Posted by pgordon | Filed under Uncategorized

Yesterday during the first day of the $2,500 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event, my entire chip stack was at risk a couple times. I was very short-stacked with about two hours to go. Everyone folded to me on the button. The blinds were big. I only had eight big blinds. I can’t raise and fold because I’ll be pot committed so I just moved in. Jim McManus found a hand that he liked and he called me. I got it all in really bad: 10-4 for me versus McManus’s A-Q. But that’s a 38% shot. It’s not as bad as it sounds. You always feel kind of silly when you turn over a hand like 10-4. I got lucky and won that hand. Obviously, I wasn’t thrilled to get my money in only 38% to win, but you’re going to have to win a few of those to win this tournament, especially because everyone is relatively short-stacked.

Three hands later, I raised before the flop with A-Q and a guy moved in on me and I had to call him and he had 10-8 suited and won, so what comes around goes around. You can’t really worry about it too much.

Then, three hands before we quit for the day, I had pocket queens against A-7 for all my chips. I was pretty short-stacked with only about $15,000 in chips. I doubled up, and now I feel great. There are only 39 players left, and I know I am the best player in the field.

I do have a slightly below average stack, but I’ve got 25 big blinds. I am in no hurry. I know the weaknesses of each of the players at the table, and I’m at the last breaking table so I am going to have a lot of time today to exploit those weaknesses and build some chips.

The seating assignment carries over until we redraw at 24 so I’ve got a lot of time with these guys today. In six-handed you’ve got to play a lot of hands, and you’ve got to know your opponents’ tendencies. I spent three hours with these guys last night. I know exactly how they’re going to play. I know their tells from yesterday. Those aren’t going to change. I know what hands they play from position, how they play after the flop, and I know that most of them are scared to play after the flop. These guys are mostly move-in specialists, and combating a move-in specialist is difficult but not impossible.

One pot and I am in the top ten. Two pots and I’m the chip leader. And I know where the chips are coming from. I feel extraordinarily confident about my prospects in this tournament. I’ve played eight events and this is my fourth cash, and I anticipate this being my first bracelet.

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