Not quite there yet ...

My apologies for not updating my blog. Its been a hectic couple of days for me at work and lots of other extra-curricular activities as well. Been looking forward to the ACF 1.5K last saturday all week and could not wait to start. Practiced a bit online and tried to go aggressive and won 3 out of 5 SnGs online. I think this is a good place to practice since people here are especially loose, since we were using play money, and you learn to choose your hands and be selectively aggressive, plus its for free! After the initial all-in fests of all online play money tournaments, you face up with some really serious players and play real poker. Doing so well in these games gave me lots of confidence heading into the tourney.

Arrived there about 20 minutes before tournament began and 60 players were in attendance. WPT seat was again up for grabs and everyone had their game face on. My table was filled with regulars, and I decided on waiting to see how they would play and react to that instead. As in all previous tourneys at the ACF, majority of the table was tight, so I played loose aggressive. Whenever I try to steal the pot and get reraised, I would fold, but most of the time, I would buy the pot that way.

After the first break, I was pretty much break even. When the antes began, thats when I put my aggressiveness on overdrive since the pot would be 220 even before the cards were dealt and winning these would be the key to survival. After a busted draw, I found myself down to my last 600+ in chips. I looked down at my hole cards to see an A6 offsuit and push all-in. Chip leader calls me with Q9 suited and we're off to the races. Luckily I flop top-pair and double up. Chip leader comments that he just "fed the monster", or something to that effect.

A little later I look down and see pocket Jacks and bet 400 from the cut-off seat and get one caller. Flop comes down K-X-J and I hit the trips. Caller bets 200 and I reraise to 400 which he calls. Turn is a Q and he pushes me all-in, I call immediately and he shows his 9-10 for the straight. I yell out to pair the board and a King comes on the river giving me the full house! I shout woohoo, which has to be the first time I show some actual emotion at the ACF tourneys, hehe. I usually get screwed on the river, not the other way around. I double up again but am still below the average stack.

A couple of bad calls and busted draws later, im down to my last 2100 in chips when I gaze upon A3 of spades and call a preflop raise of 300. 4 players in and the flop comes out Q-4-J with two spades. Initial raiser goes all-in for 1900, everyone folds to me. At this point, Im pretty sure he hit top pair, I have the nut flush draw and decide to call. He turns over QJ for the two-pair and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the turn and river have different plans for my evening and decide to send me home early. I did pair my 3 at the river, if that counts as anything. Hehe. Chip leader tells me that, "you've had to many lives already. time to go".

I really had fun on this tourney, I felt like I was dictating my terms in playing and felt I improved my game. Plus, I didnt feel so bad losing because I saw last months ACF5K 2nd placer bust out the tourney at the 2nd level and thought to myself, "maybe all the good players are busting out!". What? I can dream, can't I? Hehe

Marco mentioned that the tourney next week at the ACF would be a shootout style wherein all the rules, buy-in and rebuy/add-on restrictions would be in place, but for each person you knock out the tournament, you would get P500 in cash, not chips, but cash. That would be really cool to play, strategies would be different, since chip leaders would be more than willing to risk doubling up short stack players for a chance at an early payout. Hope it pushes through. Will let you guys know about that if it happens.

Good luck to all your games! Peace!