The Journey Continues...

Since my last post, where I had managed to bring my extremely modest $10 Freeroll earnings to just over $100, I have played in several $3 or $6 buy-in, 90 player tournaments, similar to the one previously described. In the past, I had always tried to make the big money by entering massive 2700 player tournaments, but had never had any real success. I am finding many benefits to these smaller SNG tournies, from a higher calibre of play to shorter time from start to finish.

A few days ago I was playing in a $6/90 person Turbo, Double-Stack, knock-out tournament, when I got absolutely destroyed closing in to the final table.

With about 15 players remaining (top 9 pay) I am dealt 66, and decide to raise it up 3x the BB, hoping just to steal the blinds. I'm sitting about 8th at this point, and have enough money to last a while longer, so anyone re-raising me here significantly would have me folding instantly. Everyone folds until it gets to the Button, who thinks for a bit, then calls my raise. I'm putting him on a hand such as A-8 or K-J, something like that. He has more chips than I do, and is in position.

The flop brings A-4-3.

Being first to act, I decide to test where I stand. I did raise preflop, so if he doesn't have an Ace when I bet here, he'll likely fold. I make a pot-sized bet, he calls immediately, and I know he must have an Ace.

The turn is a 6.

I've spiked my set! Woohoo! The 6 does bring straight and flush draws however, so I decide to keep betting, now that I've sucked out a miracle on the turn. I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard as I make another pot-sized bet, which has now become more than half of what I have left. He's probably not too worried about the 6, likely giving me credit for an Ace with a pretty good kicker.

He pushes me all-in, and I'm thinking he's made 2 pair with A-6, A-4 or A-3. I don't take too long to call, expecting to see that if he's not drawing dead, he has at most 4 outs on the river.

Then he flips over pocket Aces. I gotta tell you, I really didn't see that coming (twss), and I'm left drawing to the last remaining 6 in the deck to win this hand. It seems to happen more often than it should online, but not this time. I'm eliminated in 15th position.

Luckily for me, the heartache would soon be forgotten. I enter a $12 tournament, same format as the others, and finish 4th to add another $97 to my total. I now have more than $150.

The first hand of this tournament was about as good a start as you can possibly have, really. I'm dealt A-J in the BB, it gets raised by UTG, and the Button calls, as do I.

The flop is A-J-A. 

I have flopped the boat, and of course I check, hoping for action, and I'm not disappointed. UTG bets pot-sized, Button raises all-in. Obviously, I call, so does UTG.

I show my full-house, UTG has KK and probably should have folded to the all-in raise, but had already invested more than 1/3 of his stack on this hand. The player on the button had JJ for a lower full-house. The both need a miracle to win, and I hit the 4th Ace on the turn, just to rub it in their faces I guess. Not a bad way to start a tournament.