Bond18 - Around the World in 90 Days: Days 41-42

Posted by Bond18 | Filed under Bond18

It’s been a long time since I’ve played any Sit & Gos. When I first deposited online, I began by playing $10 SNGs and eventually moved up to the $30 ones, all the way back in 2003. I ended up playing around 2,000 SNGs, but haven’t done any real volume of them since. Luckily, the line up at my table looks like mostly recreational players, except for one unfortunate draw on my right, my good friend Matt aka “Mlagoo” on 2+2.

The tournament starts us with 3,000 chips and hour levels, with only the winner cashing and advancing to the next table. My first hand comes up against Matt:

Stacks: ~3000, blinds 25/50, I hold Kd-Td in the BB.

Pre-flop: Folds to the HJ, HJ raises to 175, CO folds, Matt calls on the button, SB folds, I call.

Flop: Kh-8c-4d

I check, HJ checks, Matt bets 375, I call, HJ folds.

Turn: 7c

I check, Matt checks.

River: 6c

I check, Matt bets 750, I decide there’s really not enough in his range that I beat and fold.

For the majority of the first couple levels I’m only involved in small pots and move my stack up to around 3,500. A few players have dropped off, but most of the guys accumulating chips are fairly passive. The blinds have moved up to 100/200 and I’ve shoved over the top of a couple players with good hands without getting called. We’re down to six players when the next hand comes up:

My stack: ~3,500, UTG: ~6,500, blinds 100/200. I hold A-To in the BB.

Pre-flop: UTG raises to 600, folds to me in the BB, I move all in, BB thinks it over and calls with K-Qo.

Flop: J-9-8 rainbow

Turn: 9

River: 5

Wow, anytime you beat K-Q all in pre-flop is pretty amazing. With that hand I move up to nearly the chip lead.

One round later I’m involved again:

My stack: ~7,500, BB: ~7,000, blinds 100/200. I hold Ad-Ah in the SB.

Pre-flop: Folds to me in the SB, I raise to 500, BB calls.

Flop: Ts-8d-4d

I bet 700, BB calls.

Turn: Td

I check, BB bets 1,600, I call.

River: Ac

There’s about 6,000 in the pot and 5,000 left in his stack. I move all-in (in live poker firing something like 2,000 may be better) and the BB folds.

The table is down to five handed when it folds to me in the SB with A-To and the BB has around 2.400. I move all-in and he instantly calls with A-Ko. The board runs out J-7-7-5-6 and I move back down to around 7,000. A few hands later I’m involved again:

My stack: ~8,000, BB: ~8,000, blinds 100/200. I hold Qh-Jh UTG.

Pre-flop: I raise to 500, folds to the BB, BB calls.

Flop: 4-4-4

BB checks, I bet 650, BB calls.

Turn: 2

BB checks, I check.

River: Q

BB checks, I think it over and bet 1,450. The BB thinks it over a while, then counts out the money and slides it in saying “I hope I didn’t get rivered.”

“Yea, you got rivered” I say as I table my Q-J. He shows 2-2, then throws his hand in the muck.

A few hands later we’re down to four handed and I get involved again:

My stack: ~10,000, BB: 2,800, blinds 100/200. I hold Ac-7c on the button.

Pre-flop: Folds to me, I raise to 500, SB folds, BB calls.

Flop: Ks-7d-7s

The BB moves all-in and I double check my cards thinking I might have the Ac-8c. I quickly say call and he shows Kc-9c.

Turn: 4s

River: As

With that we’re down to three players, Mlagoo, a middle aged guy in seat 2, and myself.

A couple orbits into three handed I raise A-Qo in the SB to 800 at 150/300 and the BB moves all-in for 5,000. I call and he shows A-8. The board runs out T-5-2-6-T and I’m heads up with Matt with 18,000 chips to his 12,000.

Only a couple of hands into heads up we get into a large pot:

My stack: ~18,000, Matt: ~12,000, blinds 150/300 with 25 ante. I hold 6-6 on the button.

Pre-flop: I raise to 750, Matt calls.

Flop: 9h-5h-2d

Matt checks, I bet 900, Matt check-raises to 2,625. I feel like this is a board Matt could check-raise fairly wide since he can’t expect me to have hit very hard. I call with the plan to evaluate on the turn (aka, I have no plan.)

Turn: 3d

Matt checks, I check behind.

River: 7d

Matt thinks it over then checks. I decide I can’t really value bet here and check behind.

“I sorta got there on the river,” he says

“Oh God damn it, then you got there on me.” He flips up 8-7o and I release a barrage of curses and insults at him.

Heads up goes back and forth for a while, but most of it involves my getting completely steam rolled. It seems like every time I try to raise light on the button he has a three bet ready for me, and I never have anywhere close to a good enough hand to four bet. The best hand I have is A-7o when he three bets, and that was the first time when four betting would have been a massive shove. I only try a few button limps and he blows most of those up with raises. One of the limps he doesn’t blow up becomes an interesting hand:

My stack: ~11,000, Matt: ~19,000, blinds 150/300 with 25 ante. I hold A-3o on the button.

Pre-flop: I complete, Matt checks.

Flop: Ad-4s-3d

Matt checks, I bet 425, Matt calls.

Turn: 5h

Matt checks, I check behind.

River: 5s

Matt checks, I fire 1,025, Matt thinks it over and calls. I table the A-3o and he mucks.

The blinds go up to 200/400 and Matt continues to crush me. I manage to fight back here and there, and three bet light once, but he is completely pummeling me with three bets. I’m narrating our match out loud and describing how “You’re killing me here Matt, just killing me. This is a savage beating, the likes of which I’ll never recover from.” A bit into 200/400 we get into another post-flop spot:

My stack: ~13,000, Matt: ~17,000, blinds 200/400 with 50 ante. I hold Td-9d in the BB.

Pre-flop: Matt raises to 1050, I call.

Flop: Qh-9s-8d

I check, Matt bets 1,450, I call.

Turn: Qs

I check, Matt bets 3,300. Awkward. This seems like a pretty tough spot since he shouldn’t have a huge two barrel range, but calling here and folding the river seems pretty bad, and there’s a number of river cards that make my life hard. He could possibly be firing a big draw here again and, after thinking it over, I move all-in. Matt quickly calls and shows Q-6o. Shit.

River: 9

I shake hands with Matt and he offers to give me a ride back to the house. We’re having a BBQ tonight and since there’s no event for me to play at the WSOP tomorrow, I’ll be playing the Bellagio 2PM $1,000, which means I can afford to get fucked up tonight without major consequences.

We get to the house and I start downing beers immediately. We get the grill rolling and people begin finding their way over. Beer leads to more beer, which leads to many hamburgers and a steak. I’m stumbling around the house making conversation with whoever I run into, likely rambling nonsensically to the guests who are for the most part considerably more sober.

At some point in the evening I realize I need to play tomorrow and cut myself off. I sit around watching my friends play Wii in a haze for what seems like hours. I actually get to bed fairly early and sleep like a baby.

Around 1PM I take a cab over to the Bellagio. I meet online players “Stevo_L” and “Improved” in front of the room and we grab pancakes in the Bellagio café before the tournament. The $1,000 tournament starts us with 10,000 in chips with 40 minute levels.

I don’t win a hand. Not a single hand. Not even a raise pre-flop and I take down the blinds. I don’t even play an interesting hand in fact. Just a bunch of straight forward spots where I continuation bet and have to fold when someone blasts me. With about 15 minutes left in the third level, I check shove with a pair and the nut flush draw on the turn and get instantly called by a set. I brick the river and bust the tournament in under two hours. At least I finally have an afternoon free to write.

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