Sunday Tournaments

I haven't updated in awhile. I've been spending alot of time recently playing Mafia Wars on facebook. Its a really addictive game, has to be since it kept me from poker. Guess its something to running a criminal enterprise.

I managed to play several $4 180 sngs on stars and managed to get relatively deep in all of them (final 3 tables) made two final tables finishing 2nd and 3rd. I finished in the 20s around the bubble in the others, and felt i couldve easily gone deeper.

Today i plan on playing several tournaments on stars.

The $5 $20k Gteed at 1pm
The Turbo Takedown at 2:30pm
The $8 5K Gteed at 4pm

That should do it. I may add more according how it goes early. I may have set myself up for a bit of failure in not resting properly or preparing as much as i could've before today's tournys, but i'll still give it a go.

- Isgrinder

Sunday Tournaments

Today I felt pretty good about my play, the best i've felt in some time actually. I've been playing pretty good for the past few days. Bubbled a 180 on Wednesday then final tabled one on Thursday. On Saturday i finished 23/1538 in a $5 FO tourny.

I played in three tournaments on Stars today; The Daily 15k, The Sunday 100k and the $3+r 25k Guaranteed. I busted the 15k & 100k OTM after playing pretty good. I spent 7 buyins in the $3 rebuy and was playing the best i've played in some time, but took a number of beats that kept me from building a huge stack; TT < 88, AA < JJ, then AA < KJ. The first two were against the same villain but fortunately i had a huge stack and was left with about 10bb and i was able to battle back each time. Unfortunately having to play short stack ninja constantly eventually caught up with me and i busted ITM. But I never tilted and i felt i played a really strong game.

I don't normally play Fulltilt on Sundays but for the past week i've been playing several single table tier one tournys and mananged to accumulate 6 $24+2 tokens. I used one of those today to play in a $90 man KO. I took it down for $576.00, this is the 2nd one of these i've won and i'm always surprised at how soft the competition is.

To end the evening i played in a $7.60 36 man sng satellite to the MSOP. The Top 2 places paid, I finished 1st winning a $100+9 entry to the MSOP main event on July 5th which is a 250k Guaranteed NLHE tourny. I could unregister and use the money but i'm gonna continue to work on my game and take the shot.

So a pretty good day.

Isgrinder.

Sunday Tourny Results

Went out and got some lunch and a redbull just incase i go deep in anything and need the boost. Made it back just in time for the start of my first tourny

$22 20K Guaranteed @ 12n

- This is a deep stack tourny starting with 3k chips and 15min blinds

- I'm amazed at how bad the players are... I see one guy open shove with ATo and alot of overplaying TP... also very loose

- I take down a few pots... called a 4xbb r(bb=20) with 44 and flopped the boat 4s9s9d villain cbets weak and i smooth call, turn 2h villain chks and i bet like an idiot... failed to extract.

- several hands later i raise up several limpers with AQo and get called by everyone, flop comes 239r and i cbet little more than half pot to take it down

- Alot of loose play... i raise 3xbb (bb=30)with 98s utg+1, MP villain shoves +5k chips and is called by btn with +4k chips. showdown: A3s vs. AJs split pot on straight

- Next hand I raise utg with JJ, same MP villain that showed A3s last hand shoves again, no callers.. in 2+2 vernacular; I snap call, high five the monitor, pump fist

- Villain showed AJs... flopped the flush :( turned the royal flush for good measure:( :( and i'm out in 28minutes of play. sweet tourny though.

This was to be the theme for the day unfortunately. Instead of jumping into something esle right away i decided to wait the hour or so for my next tourny; the $11 15k daily.

- I played pretty good in this one and had a big stack +18k @ 200/400 50antes, when i made a pretty standard steal attempt with A3s.

- BB flat calls. Flop comes As4h3h... I bet little more than half the pot... villain c/r AI for +18k... he covered

- couldve flopped a set? but could also have a draw, yes? 52, A4? nah. Could i get away from this?

- I bet weak on a drawy flop, i was pretty active... I have 2pair hidden monster... So many hands i beat make a move here... hmmm

- I make the call, Villain shows AhKh for TPNFD and I'm a 55/45 dog on the flop. Turn Kd, River Ks. nh gg.

- perhaps i could've gotten away, nah. I think I'm way ahead there most of the time

- Just reviewed the tourny and i ran pretty well up front to build this stack. I had been pretty active... perhaps a bit too active for stage of the tourny and my stack size to blind ratio. But i had decided that i'd keep a real active image yesterday. That had nothing to do with busting out... just felt i couldve pulled it back a bit.

The 100k had started so i was still in a tourny. But it was mid day and it was another really hot Sunday. Then poker tracker decided to act up... freezing and taking Stars with it. When i got everything back up i was getting errors so i had to play blind again. So no tracker, I'm hot and uncomfortable... not a good combo.

I get it AI in SB vs BB with QJ vs AT on 99T flop early in tourny. Turn is a T for the boat obviously and i'm out of another tourny. Pretty large field though so i think i had to make moves early.

Oh there's more my friends.

Decided to let things cool down a bit. So i watched TV and slept till around 8pm when i got in the $27 25K Guaranteed.

- I was doing pretty good, had +6k chips at 75/150
- I raised KK utg... I get called by MP, SB and BB
- Flop comes KJ5r and i lead out for 1100 into a 1800 pot
- MP villain shoves, I snap call, high five the monitor, pump fist..
- Villain shows QTs. A on turn gives him the straight :( and i don't improve by river.
- I'm left with a functional stack of around 2500, blinds go up to 100/200, i'm below avg stack and eventually bust out.

At this point I'm done with the large field tournaments for the day and go on to play some $6, $12 and even a $27 45 man turbo sngs and a few $12 180s. I recover the days buy-ins plus $90.00 extra... so i didnt lose money on the day but not quite the profit margin i was aiming for.

w/e



If you haven't heard about him yet just want to bring your attention to this sick individual... 850k profit in May... so far.

One of these days... One of these days....

-Isgrinder

Sunday Tournaments

My cousin is in town so we went out last night and I had a pretty good time. But as of right now 8:48am I'm feeling pretty good to play today. I may have some girlfriend (soon to be ex) drama later today, hopefully it doesn't throw me completely off my game.

Anyway I'm feeling pretty optimistic so i figure i will play up to 5% of my Stars Bankroll in tournaments today;

$22 20K Guaranteed @ 12n
$11 Daily 15 Grand @ 2:05pm
$11 Sunday Hundred @ 3:30pm??

$27.50 25K Guaranteed @ 8:00pm
$55 50K Guaranteed @ 9:30pm

Well thats close to 5%. Obviously if i go deep in any of the earlier tournys then i may not play the later set. I'm not sure if i really want to play the large field Sunday Hundred today... but its pretty soft, so we'll see what happens.

wish me luck!


-Isgrinder

Bad Beat Sunday

I was all set to win one of my sunday tournies :) unfortunately Stars apparently experienced some technical difficulties. My first tournament didn't start until almost 2pm and somehow i wasn't right after that.

I busted the 5k and the daily 15k within the first hour and decided to unregister from the 100k. I moved over to fulltilt and promptly lost 3 buy-ins at 25nl. I battled back and ended the session down 1.5 buy-ins, my first losing session since i started playing ring again... was bound to happen.

Wasn't all bad though. After the ring debacle, decided that i'd stick to tournaments which are less demanding. I won 2 24+2 tokens and final tabled a $3 90 KO on Fulltilt. On Stars I played a few single table Step tournaments, i barely missed making it to step 3. I'm guessing step 3 is where they start to get difficult. I currently have step 1 and step 2 tickets. I bubbled a $12 180 man turbo, finishing 19th... I'm gonna take one of these down soon. I know they're high variance but some how i really enjoy playing them.

I finished off the day by playing and winning a $3+R satelite to the Sunday Million. will post later with my plans for the ticket.

-Isgrinder

Sunday's Tournaments

I have 3 tournaments lined up for today.

The 5k Guaranteed @ 1:00pm
The Daily 15K @ 2:05pm
The Sunday Hundred Grand @ 3:30pm

If these don't work out i may play some 180s depending on how i feel.

wish me luck.

-Isgrinder

Sunday Low buy in Tournaments

I plan on playing a few tournies today.

$5 MTT FO @ 1:00pm
$11 MTT FO @ 2:05pm
$11 100K guarenteed @ 3:30pm


1:45pm Update - - we're nearing the first break in the $5 double stack and i've been very tight so far. Its been a somewhat loose table with one guy seeing at least 80% flops and several others trying to take advantage of that. I havent had any major hands but have managed to stay at my starting stack. Running at 8/5 over 32 hands

-- attempted to steal with K9s in HJ, but was reraised by huge stack that busted the donkey... got to remain patient

-- shove AI with Q7o in BB after loose player limps in HJ and sb completes... (bb=100) dangerous but i thought i could take it especially with my image

-- call ontb with 76s after loose player from previous hand raises 3xbb, he's running 36/2 thought my implied odds were good... but no help on flop.. stack = 2520

Break
comming out of the break 2261 of 3954 remaining, i'm in 1825th with M=11 and loose big stack to my immediate left... gotta look to double.

2nd tourny started - - $11 15k guaranteed

$5 - - QQ in SB, utg limps, HJ limps I shove... no takers.

busted the $11 -- became short after playing AQo in MP, later push 79s in CO called by sb with KQo

Busted the $5 -- nothing doing in this... never got going. shoved KQo in CO called by shorty about half my stack with T6s, T on the flop and i didnt improve. 88 next hand in HJ runs into TT in BB. nh gg.

I will play a $4/180 man sng until the 100K guaranteed starts

- - Almost completely card dead in the first two tournies and first hands of this stupid 180 sit and gay what do i get? AA & AJ... arrghh almost tilted me. I doubled with the AA and then folded the AJ after getting four callers and a shove... hands showed u ask... 33 vs. ATs flop comes AA3, Turn 4, River J... sigh.

few hands later guy that shoved 33 raises after a few limpers... what do i have, AKs... yep thats right another big hand in less than five minutes... we're about even in chips with +3k but wtf i shove anyway. He thinks than calls with 99, i river... OMG i just got AKs again!

And AK again two hands later ontb... 2 limpers in pot i raise to 180 (bb=20) get 3 callers guy in sb flops two pair with KTs... tells me he had KTs i shouldve raised more :).

I should just unregister from the 100k now... at the rate i'm getting hands in this tourny i just know i'm gonna be card dead again.

100k is starting. 3k starting chips, 10 minute blinds and 20k runners. I gonna mix it up from the start in this i'm not playing tight.

still running sick in the 180... QQ utg i open to 120 get caller in MP, btn shoves and bb shoves... largest stack is 1638 so i call and MP calls 4 to flop QQ vs. QTo(MP) vs. 44(btn) vs. AK(bb) flopturnriver: TKKT4

2 hands later in SB i get... u guessed it AK and won 300 chips.

The saga continues... i will give another update at the break of the 100k if i make it there.

180 busted

YEA BABY!!!! +19k at the break in the 100K.

Played loose, almost rebuy hour loose. finally got AA and got paid off by sb with AQs. SB is replaced by 10k stack and i pick up QQ in HJ... I raise 3xbb and he repops me... i shove and he calls with AQs... I hold... sweet.

still a ways to go... will maintain the aggression.

2nd break

Still sitting at +19k, did get up to 30k but lost a few pots. We're approaching the money bubble. There are 3031 remaining... 3K will get paid. As much as i'd like to cash i think i will bubble.

I will be very aggressive comming out of this break, gonna get it in the middle if its folded to me... I'm shoving pocket pairs 99+, suited connectors and ATs+ first in. i think thats about right.

Busted the 100K on This Hand.

Finished around 1500th

Overall i'm pleased with how i played. I got it in so far ahead here. Had i won that hand i would've been in good position to make a run i think.

There's a $11 20k starting within the next hour, i'm tempted to play, but i will take a break and probably play the $9 360max & the $11 mtt FO at 9:15pm.

Some chip goals for the 100K

ITM = 20,000
90th($200 payday) = 666,600
18th($500 payday) = 3MIL
FT =(1k+ payday) = 6MIL

Incredible amount of chips needed to make the FT which is where the real money is. Will give it another go next week.

gl
Isgrinder