Bond18 - Around the World in 90 Days: Day 16

Posted by Bond18 | Filed under Bond18

Authors Note: Heads up, this is a very long one. In deep stacked slow blind tournaments that I actually stay in for a while that tends to happen.

Paris France, May 15^th: The Aviation Club’s 10k Euro buy-in will technically be the largest buy-in tournament I’ve ever played. Despite this, I’m anticipating a very soft field given how few internet players have bothered to show up and the event isn’t televised.

Timex and Pacman have decided to play the main event, with Atimos and Will playing tomorrow. We make our way to the casino at half before 4 and kill a half hour lounging around. When we get to our seats it turns out the three of us are all within about a two meter proximity. Pacman is three seats to my right and Timex is seated directly behind me at another table. I’ve been trying to find out what the start bank for the event is all week and gotten a number of different answers with varying confidence, but am pleasantly surprised to find out we’re starting with 20,000 and 90 minute levels. Outside Pacman there’s one younger guy on the table and the rest are all middle aged or older Europeans. We start at 25/50 and 9 handed tables.

At the start I find AK a few times and wind up creating a pretty aggressive image with good hands but only win small pots. About 20 minutes into the tournament my first interesting hand comes up:

My stack: ~20k. All villains: ~20k. I hold AcKd UTG+1.

Preflop: 1 fold, I raise to 200, UTG+2 folds, MP1 calls, MP2 folds, HJ calls, CO folds, button calls, SB folds, BB calls.

Flop: Jd Ah Td

The BB checks and I feel like this is an awful board to lead into this multi way and this deep. I check, and it checks to MP2 who is the other young guy on the table. He fires 750 and the HJ who is a middle-aged French guy calls. It folds back to me and I call.

Turn: Ts

I check, the kid checks, and the French guy fires 2200. I fold as does the young guy.

Seated on my direct right is a younger guy who Timex tells me is very spewy. He informs me he’s an ex European soccer star who was apparently paid an enormous amount and mostly seems to play for fun. For a very long time I go card dead and almost nothing happens. As I stand up to stretch out I realize Timex has become involved in a major pot with lying, cheating, piece of shit, leprechaun looking scumbag Mark Teslchler. The action goes down as follows:

Preflop: EP limps, EP2 raises to 150, Timex calls in LP, SB calls, leprechaun calls in BB, limper calls.

Flop: 9 7 3 rainbow with a diamond

It checks to Timex, Timex bets 500, folds to leprechaun, leprechaun raises to 1800, folds to Timex, Timex calls.

Turn: Kd

Leprechaun bets 3600, Timex tanks for a while, stares him down, then shoves. Leprechaun begins swearing at himself and lamenting the situation. He calls to his friend that he’s going to be all in, then reluctantly slams down the chips and tables 77. Timex shows his 9d8d and is way behind.

River: 2c

Timex loses a massive pot off the bat and is down to 300 chips. During the break I’m in the bathroom taking a crap in the stall and I hear the leprechaun telling someone how "Mike McDonald gave me all his chips. He put it in with 7 outs, why would you do that with all these bad players around?" and I’m amused that he’s stupid enough to tell the story like Timex put it in knowing he had 7 outs and would be called.

Through the whole of the 50/100 level I’m incredibly card dead. The table is very loose and without much in the way of hands I stay uninvolved. I find a spot vs the soccer star near the end of the level:

My stack: ~17.5k Soccer star: ~27k. Blinds 50/100. I hold Kc5c on the button.

Preflop: Folds to the CO, CO raises to 275. I decide to create some 3 bet history for a spot where I have a big hand so he hopefully does something spewy, and 3 bet to 900 knowing he’ll fold most of the time. The blinds fold and the CO elects to call. Damn it.

Flop: Jc 6d 6c

CO checks, I bet 1400, and CO thinks then raises to 3150. I call pretty quickly.

Turn: 4s

CO checks, and he plays strange enough that I feel he could CR twice. I’m happy to take a free card and check back.

River: Qh

Shit. The CO checks and I feel like if he check-raised top pair or something it’s not likely he’s going to fold it at this point. I check back expecting to muck when he tables his cards. Instead of showing the soccer star looks at me, taps the table, and mucks his cards. My eyes shoot wide open and I do my best to not blurt "HOOOOLY SHIT" as I rake down an 8k pot with K high.

After the next break the blinds go up to 100/200. I’ve been chatting to the young guy on the table who it turns out is American and tells me he doesn’t play online and mostly spends his time in Omaha cash games in Oklahoma. From the aggressive but spewy way he’s playing I don’t doubt he doesn’t play online. I soon find myself involved in a large pot with him:

My stack: ~21k, BB: ~18k. I hold QdQc on the CO.

Preflop: Folds to the HJ, HJ calls 200, I raise to 800, button folds, SB calls, BB reraises to 2100, CO folds. The young guy has the tendency to announce the strength of his hand with his raise size. He likes to raise very small with his big hands and at this point I feel like his range is likely JJ+/AK. I call and the SB folds.

Flop: Jh Js Th

The BB checks and I check behind.

Turn: Qh

Sweet. At this point I really feel like the BB’s most likely hand is AK since he checked the flop and doesn’t seem like the type to realize checking the flop with KK/AA might be good for pot control against my range. The BB fires 3000 and I decide on a board of this texture if I blast him now, this early in the tournament, he just might make a hero fold. I call.

River: 3h

The BB bets 3000 and I debate whether to shove or raise a nominal amount. I decide since he mostly plays live he might value his tournament life quite a lot and I elect to raise to 9000. The BB insta-calls then tables KK with the K of hearts and is kind of shocked when I table my full house. A few hands later he tells me if I shoved I would have got the rest of it. Shit.

For a while I stay out of the action. A new player is moved to our table in seat 1 and he is by far the most incredibly aggressive, mega spewy, calling station, maniacal player I have ever seen in a live tournament. Examples of his play include:

In a 3 way pot on a board of J8TT, calling a bet from one player and a 5X shove from the second player with 22.

Calling a 6x raise then 20 BB shove with 5hTh.

Limp calling all kinds of hands like Qxs, Kxo, offsuit rags, and calling multiple streets with bottom pair.

Check shoving the turn for massively over pot on more occasions than I can possibly remember.

Playing about 75% of hands.

An UTG player raises, an MP1 player shoves, and he cold calls with A3s in MP.

Etc etc etc.

He’s raising a ton of pots and I’m looking for spots to get involved when the following hand comes up:

My stack: ~34k. Psycho: ~50k. I hold 6s4s on the button. Blinds 100/200

Preflop: folds to MP2, MP2 raises to 700, folds to me on the button, I call, the blinds fold.

Flop: 7 4 2 rainbow

MP2 flings 1400 chips into the pot, I call.

Turn: 9, full rainbow

MP2 flings 2600 chips into the pot in a fashion that feels like he’s literally trying to reach over the table and push me out. I call.

River: K

Fuck! Now MP2 checks and I check behind. MP2 tables KTo and drags a 10k pot. I feel myself suck in my cheeks and my eyes go stern while watching him stack the chips.

The more I watch the psycho play the more motivation I feel to take flops with him. He tends to open limp, calls out of position a ton, and when I have hands with high card value I isolate him quite often. We’re soon involved again, as well as with the player on my left who is a middle aged guy who has been giving me a lot of trouble on my left and hasn’t spoken a single word our whole time at the table:

My stack: ~29k. Psycho: ~60k, CO: ~25k. Blinds 100/200. I hold KdJh on the HJ.

Preflop: UTG limps, folds to me on the HJ, I raise to 800, the CO thinks for then calls, folds back to UTG, UTG calls.

Flop: 8c 6d 4c

We all check.

Turn: Jc

UTG fires 1200 and I call knowing I have him crushed. The CO thinks for quite a while, then omits the slightest of *sigh* noises then calls. Odd.

River: 2s

UTG checks and I decide my hand is good here often enough to value bet, especially with the psycho in. I bet 2500 and the CO thinks for quite a while then min-raises to 5000. UTG folds and I start swearing internally about this stupid spot. From my history in live tournaments I feel like he’s probably checked back with a flush draw then slow played it on the turn hoping the psycho will do something insane on the river. I think it over then fold. I’m losing every pot I enter and feel really frustrated. While writing my notes I scribble "SO ANNOYING" on my piece of paper then smash outlines under it over and over.

We come back from break and for a while every single pot I open the guy on my immediate left three bets me. It happens over and over and over and I’ve never felt so much in my life that someone was intentionally messing with me. I’m steadily losing chips and I feel like I’m getting run over.

With antes now in play I get in a large multi way pot:

My stack: ~25k. BB’s stack: ~30k. I hold Ks9s on the button.

Preflop: 3 limps to me including the psycho, I limp the button, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: 8 8 8

The SB checks and the BB bets 600. It folds around to me and I think the spot over. The BB is kind of a weak tight player who is pretty straight forward, but I know he won’t lead an 8 here. I think he’s likely betting an A high or a little pair to see where he’s at, given his bet size. I call intending to bluff a ton of turns. The SB folds.

Turn: T

The BB bets 1300 and I raise to 3300, figuring that a smaller raise is all that’s necessary here. The BB quickly calls and this is about the time I remember I am a moron and live players will never fold a full house.

River: 2

The BB leads out 3000 and I fold. A while later he asks me about my note taking and I tell him that I’m doing some writing and need to remember all the details. He tells me he had 55 in our hand and put me on AQ, and I tell him he’s basically right.

From having nearly doubled up my stack has now slipped back to starting stack. I’m not raising a ton of hands but I eventually find a pair UTG and the hand goes down as follows:

My stack: ~22k BB: ~21k. I hold 66 UTG with 100/200 blinds and 25 ante.

Preflop: I raise to 600, two folds, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, folds to the soccer star in the BB, the BB calls.

Flop: 9 6 5 rainbow

I almost leap out of my seat and scream:

"BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!! I HAS SET!!!!!!!"

The BB leads out 2100. Hmm, I feel like the board is coordinated enough that raising might be better than calling here, and if the players in between us have a hand that can continue it’s likely good enough to continue for a raise since there’s not much they can have. I raise to 6100 and both players between us fold. The BB shoves in almost instantly and I quickly call. The BB tables 92o and it’s all but over.

Turn: Q

River: 5

I finally find myself with a stack again and of course keep taking flops with the psycho when possible and appropriate.

Meanwhile the player on my immediate left continues to pummel me with 3 bets continually. Sometimes I call pre when I have a hand that can flop big and he re-raises small, and sometimes I just fold pre since I never seem to have a really good hand. I find a spot where I try to take a stand:

My stack: ~46k. Villain: ~36k. Blinds 100/200 with 25 ante. I hold AJo on the HJ.

Preflop: Folds to me on the HJ, I raise to 600, CO quickly reraises to 2400, and the button plus blinds fold. I think about folding since calling reraises out of position is normally awful, but this guy has been absolutely pummeling me. I decide to make a questionable (and by questionable I mean likely really spewy and awful) call.

Flop: 7s Js 8d

I check, CO checks.

Turn: Ad

Hmm. I feel like if I lead this card he won’t raise a ton of hands with an ace since the board is so coordinated. I also feel like if I check he’ll likely bluff a ton plus often call down with an ace if I check-raise due to our history. I check and the CO fires 2400. I check-raise to 7500 and he tanks for a long time then folds. He never 3 bets me again.

Not long after that I find KK and the psycho open raises the 200/400 blinds to 1400. I make it 5000 on the button (about 45k deep) and he quickly calls. The flop comes 774 with two clubs and when he checks I fire a big 9000 hoping he shoves since he absolutely loves check shoving when pots get big. To my disappointment he thinks it over then folds.

I piss away around 5000 losing pots C betting and unable to take any pots off the psycho. We’re playing a ton of pots together yet over and over I can’t hit on him and he takes the pots down. We’re soon involved again:

My stack: ~45k Psycho: ~60k I hold 6c5c on the CO. Blinds 200/400 with 50 ante.

Preflop: Folds to the psycho in MP, psycho limps, folds to me on the CO, I limp behind, the button folds, the SB completes, the BB checks.

Flop: As 5d 2h

It checks to me and I fire 1200. It folds back to the psycho and he calls. He could be calling here with anything, including gutshots, bottom pair, middle pair, or just air. I think he would play an ace much faster though.

Turn: 8s

He checks, I check behind.

River: 4s

He fires out 2200. I think it over and call and he tables 42o. Damn it.

Not long after I manage to take a pot off him when I backdoor the nut flush on a 4 straight board but he unfortunately doesn’t go ballistic and folds to my river raise. This all happens at the start of 200/400 and then for over two hours I go card dead and lost pot after pot after pot. I never lose any serious pots, just raise pre flop, whiff the flop but get a great C bet board, fire at it, then get shot back at and have to fold. I lose over 10,000 in this manner and with the night getting late I feel entirely exhausted.

A couple new players are moved to the table after the break and I’m soon involved with one of them:

My stack: ~32k New guy: ~28k. I hold 4h4d on the CO. Blinds 300/600 with 75 ante. We’re 8 handed.

Preflop: 1 fold, UTG+1 limps, folds to me, I limp, button folds, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: 7c 2c 4s

Oh. My. God. Please let them play with me. It checks around to me and I think things over and fire 1600. It folds to the limper and he calls.

Turn: Qs

The limper checks, I fire 4200 and he quickly calls.

River: 5h

The limper checks and I think about my bet size for quite a while. I eventually grab two ‘5000′ chips and two ‘25′ chips and make it 10050. Man I am proud of that bet size. That bet size is so annoying if someone bet that amount into me I wouldn’t be able to contain my desire to strangle them. The limper thinks about it briefly, then tosses the money in. I table my hand and he mucks.

The very next hand I find myself involved with the psycho:

My stack: ~52k Psycho: ~105k. Blinds 300/600 with 75 ante. I hold AJo on the HJ.

Preflop: Folds to me on the HJ, I raise to 1600, folds to the BB, BB calls.

Flop: 8 6 2 rainbow

He checks, and I check behind intending on calling a bunch of turn bluff bets.

Turn: A

The BB checks and I bet 2200. He quickly checkraises to 5200 and I stare him down like I’m actually thinking about something instead of just praying it induces him to bluff something like 15,000 on the river. I throw out the 3000 to call.

River: 3

The BB checks and I think about it then bet 7500. The BB folds.

Somehow within the last 20 minutes of the day I’ve managed to get my stack to a new high point. I stay mostly uninvolved for the rest of the level and the day ends at 3:30am. I have 62,600 in my stack and the average is around 52,000. It’s been one of the longest and frustrating days in my poker career, but I’ve managed to get a stack. I don’t get home until almost 4am and my body feels entirely strung out and exhausted. Christ I need sleep.

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