Well it was about that time in 2011 for the Az State Championship that a year ago I scored my biggest finish of 4th place for about 50k...
My poker knowledge, skills, experience compared to 2010 are light years different with many hours of cash grinding, traveling for tournaments and about 6 more books read than the year before I was ready for a deep run in this years Az State.
Week started by playing 3/5 cash at Casino Arizona attempting to take advantage of those who just traveled in for Az state or who were trying to make a last minute push to afford the 1k buy in..
Wed I played from 11am till 2am recording a nice cash score with really no bad beats and good overall poker.. I didn't play any satelites as I hate the satelite format but I promised myself I would play atleast 1 $120 Single Table SnG before buying in for 1k. After day 1 of cash I made enough for atleast 1 full buy in..
Thursday cash was a roller coaster of poker as the 1st hand I played I got AA & ended up 4 betting and getting all in with the big stack (Bought in for 700 he had 1800) and doubled me up... 2nd hand I got 6/8 off then 3rd had was on button and there was already a 3 bet and all in before I looked down at KK on button. I moved in over the top and had two callers... AK & QQ vs my KK... Flop had an A & river was a Q for me to lose both main & side pot. So after three hands I was up 200 but already felt like a full day of crazy hands... Ended up taking a long mid break and grinded till about midnight when I planned on calling it quits. At that time a new 3/5 game started with all names & faces I knew from online poker or WSOP or WPT and each guy buying in for full 1k... I decided to play as I know these guys are used to playing bigger than 3/5 and figured it would be worth a shot and I always feel I play better with better people at the table. Played till 3am and won some good hands back and forth with 1 huge hand when I 4 bet w/ KK on a flop of Qd 9d 5c and got rejammed for full 1k w/ a guy holding Jd10d & somehow dodged his outs and scooped a nice pot. Eyes were tired so finished at 3am up about 4 buyin's..
Plan was to play friday like last year (Last year didn't make it thru 2nd blind level when flopped top set of 9's got floated by overpair which hit set on turn...) but I overslept so showed up at the casino at 11am to grind cash and also track the Day 1a field. Lots of pro's and big names that I reconginzed and stacks seemed about where I expcected. Cash games were good and I had a mostly regular table and played till 9am when i put my name on the list to play the one satelite that I promised myself. 2.5 hours later finally was called to play the satelite and after losing AK vs J10 when j10 jammed into my all in I was out of the satelite. I bought my ticket for day1b and headed home.
Day 1b was saturday and I entered the day with the mind frame that I would play good poker but if short at the ened of the day (Under 60k) I would find a spot and jam rather than bagging short and buy in for day1c.
-Early... Day was overall good with a table of mostly average players with the 2009 Az State Champion to my direct left and two online pro's I recongized but overall a very tight NIT table... I got in a odd spot with one of the online pro's when I got 4 bet pre when I had QQ's and I called and somehow folded the flop which was J high... At the time I didn't want to go crazy at that point and my read was he was strong. (next break guy to his left admitting seeing the AA he flashed in that hand) Built my stack up to 29k from the 20k starting stack before running 10/10 into KK on a 8 high board that he checked the river to me and I checked behind online losing about 9k total. Just before the break was in BB got 5s6s in a 2.5x raised pot that had 3 callers.. I floated and flop was 4s5c3c.. I checked 3 bet and got two callers w/ the turn brining 10s I check turn planning on calling a bet. It checked around and river was Js giving me the runner runner flush. I checked to reraise but when other player made it 12k (I had 16k total) I got a feeling somehow he got the same flush and just called and sure enough he had AsQs giving him nut flush and me stuck to 4.1k at 1st break...
-Regrouped on break w/ blinds only at 100/200 I knew I had time and ended up doubling up with AA vs 99 then two hands later flopping set of 7's getting someone to move in on me on turn and my stack was quickly back to 21k & also a great feel of my table. After going card dead for the next hour I woke up to 7/9 on button w/ a limped pot (few limp pots) I smoothed and sb & bb saw the flop... Flop was 10 6 8 rainbow I ofcourse checked.. SB bet BB raised cutoff rerasied... I smoothed and SB reraised again w/ cutoff raising to 14k where I moved in for my 21k remaining sb folds and cutoff shows Q10 & I was gifted a double up + more.. Table was broke soon after and I was happy to be at 64k.
-Table changes... Over the next 4 levels (3hours) I was moved to 3 tables w/o winning a single pot and not getting many hands and those hands I got I was out of position or got caught in odd siutations with the current chip leader to my direct right moving all in... I was down to 23k with blinds at 600/1.2k w/500 ante it was time to make a move... I raised from cutoff w/77 got button to call and flop was all high and button bet and I folded. Next had I get QJ and call 1 raise. Flop is QdJd3s I move all in and get called by sb w/Ad10s and board ran out for me to double up to 41k. Next hand in SB get JJ pot was raised w/ 3 callers so I 3 bet huge and got 1 caller bb (same guy) flop comes 1093 rainbow and I bet and BB moved all in I snap called and BB had 8/7 to double me up again now at 88k. Next hand same guy moves in for remaining 13k & it folds around and I have AsJs I call and guy had k4 and shipped me the rest of his chips. We hit break at that point and I was at 114k and our table was broke. I asked to dealer to pick my card this time since I had such bad luck.
-Card crazy final two blinds levels. I was moved to a table with average stack at about 100k and I was in the 8 seat while pro Dwyte Pilgrim was in seat 5 w/ seat 2,3 & 7 all having people i reconginzed. I had played with Dwyte years before at Borgoa in AC before he was a big name and I acknolwedged Dwyte and he was very friendly. I had followed Dwyte pretty closley and I also knew which pro's (Kessler, George, Basebaldy, Dwyte, Bonnomo, K. Gazes, some pokerstars guys) so i had done a little reading and research prior. The first 3 hands at that table Dwyte had raised and either one pre flop or c-bet the flop and took it down. I woke up to AcJc in BB w/ Dwyte being only player in pot as he raised. I decided to 3 bet from BB to show strength. After the 3 bet Dwyte behind glasses & hoodie stared hard at me for a tell. I was wearing glasses but not my usual sweatshirt. After a bit of staring I caught myself swallowing & at that instant Dwyte 4 bet big. I knew he got a tell and didn't put him on a strong hand. Flop came 774 & I checked to Dwyte who bet the same bet at he made preflop of 19k. I had a feeling Dwyte had two big cards and planned to push me off and decided to take the angle of playing like I had JJ as well as usuing some knowledge I had picked up from reading Navaro Tells... I reraised the flop to 25k & Dwyte tanked staring again w/ this time I attempted to give off suttle known strong tells. Dwyte called and the flop came a 10. I immediatly bet 42k moving forward in my seat & confident w/ that bet he would lay down any two overs.. after a quick stare he laid down the hand & said nice hand... Based on that hand the table seemed to give me lots of respect & from that point on I got crazy cards.. 45 min later Dwyte said I pushed him off AK which I immediatly said I had the same hand catching the eye and comment of 3 players at the table shocked I was willing to play AK that way... (AJ but same thing in my mind)
-The next hour & 15 mins (last two blind levels) I got all in twice w/ QQ vs AK holding up both times as well as getting to see a cheap flop in position w/ 99 flopping a set and getting paid. I had built my stack to about 230k when I raised w/ As10s & short stack to my left rerasied for more than half his stack. It folded to me and I called getting the right price and flopped nut flush draw w/ a piece and allowed short stack to jam w/ AK air and he shipped me a nice 50k beceause of his bad play preflop. I was now close to 300k w/ less thant 15 mins left. I got AJ in BB and had a short stack move in and I called and he had A5 but my only loss of the last levels was this hand as a 5 on the end gave him a double up. Two hands from the end of the day I woke up w/ QQ again and pushed a guy all in pre and after a long debate and me admitting I had a good hand I showed him I had QQ's and he said he had AQ but I was happy to take the pot down. I raised the last hand and got a walk and day 1b was over and final count of my chips was 304,100 giving me the overall chip lead as day 1a chip leader was 294k. Last year I had chip lead at 314,900.
The day was a crazy rollercoaster and I couldn't have been happier with my play not only riding out the wave early as well as keeping my head after going card dead w/ 3 table changes. I was happy w/ my one big bluff of a pro that i respected & the crazy card run any monkey could have one the hands at the end of the day.
I was happy to take Sunday off to spend with my girls w/ the idea of coming in fresh for day 2.
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