Sunday, June 08, 2008

Thunder3 Showed Me How It Was Done

Well, if there is anyone still reading this blog - let's celebrate another great night of tournament poker. I know I haven't been posting for way too long. I haven't been playing much, though, either. But this week I was able to sit down and join the HA family at the tables.

What a great night. I really have to figure out how to get back into this habit again. Thunder3 showed us how to close out a tournament. He knocked out four of the last five opponents to sweep the final table clean and take the victory. He sent Azale packing in 6th place. Then SuperrSam helped him out sending Daggit to the rail. That put us on the bubble since we were only paying 3 tonight with a field of twenty-nine. I was bubbleboy tonight when twice I went up against Thunder3 only to see him turn over a pocket pair both times. Marti finished third and SuperrSam was the heads up foil. Great game Thunder3.

It was nearly 2 hours in when we finally seated the final table. And here are your finalists:
  1. Daggit13 is at seat 9 with 8125.
  2. SuperrSam is at seat 5 with 5825.
  3. Tai_pan is at seat 4 with 5455.
  4. SMOKIN HOT 38 is at seat 3 with 5150.
  5. Sunbob is at seat 8 with 4415.
  6. thunder3 is at seat 1 with 4280.
  7. takechances is at seat 2 with 3685.
  8. slick63 is at seat 0 with 2900.
  9. Azale is at seat 7 with 2820.
  10. marti is at seat 6 with 845.

With the blinds 150/300, Marti is the only one that is really short stacked. And, as we all know, Marti is NEVER short stacked. Just watch what happens at this final table.

Marti doubled up off Azale on just the second hand. 1390 is getting her in the game.

Hand 7 - Thunder3 took out slick63 when slick had to push with Ad 4d and thunder called with Kd Jd. It looked good for slick but thunder rivered a king and slick was done for the night.

Marti pulled in a couple more small pots and by the time the antes kicked in she had 2240.

Hand 13 - Five see the cheap flop fall 9s 3c 4h. With three checks ahead, takechances bet 1725. Three folds and thunder raises to take him all-in. Takechances called and showed us he lives up to his name when he turned over Th Qd to reveal a bluff with a tenuous backdoor straight draw and two over cards. Thunder turned over his pocket threes to reveal he had flopped a set. Takechances missed and was on the rail early in 9th place.

Hand 18 - Azale doubled up off me when I made a very foolish call of the all-in push holding just Kc Jc. Azale turned over Ah Qd and that was good enough to take a big chunk out of my stack.

But hand 21 gave me a big blind special when my 4s 8d turned into two pair and a 4000 chip pot replenished my stack.

Marti was getting blinded down but doubled up on hand 23 and then again with big slick on the very next hand. Now she's sitting with 3540 and climbing the ladder.

Hand 26 was huge. Tai pan was in third place and had been contending strongly all night. With all folds to Tai in the small blind - he raised to 800. SuperrSam re-raised to 2800. Tai-pan pushed back and took Sam all-in. Sam turned over Ac Qd and Tai pan showed Jd Js. Looks like a race. But this race was over quicker than this year's Preakness when the flop came Qs Qh As. Nothing like flopping a full house to make a guy feel good.

That all but killed Tai pn and he was out two hands later when his 98 suited connectors failed to crack Marti's big slick. Tai pan finished 8th this week.

That hand moved Marti into fifth place and 5 hands later she rode pocket tens into fourth place at the table. A nice little pot on hand 35 and Marti is firmly in third place.

Hand 36 - Smokin Hot 38 is short with only 1450 and felt she had to push and take her chances with Kh Jh. But Azale looked her up with Ah Kd. The Kc on the flop was the deciding card and Smokin Hot 38 finished in 7th place.

At this point Marti announced that her goal was to make it to the bubble. Well, we will see about that.

We spared until hand 42 when I took a nice pot from Thunder and also the chip lead. The very next hand Marti took a big pot from Daggit13 and followed me up the ladder into second place. The leader board was getting turned on its head now.

With antes 75 and the blinds 300/600, even stealing the blinds was profitable now.

We swapped blinds for a few hands and by hand 54, Marti was our chip leader.

Hand 57 saw some serious action. Azale was down to 4450 and pushed from UTG +1 with Ac 5s. Thunder was the only caller but Ah Qc was good enough for the task. The board ended up 3h 2s Jh Tc 6c and the kickers were the deciding factors. Azale had to settle for 6th place tonight. Thunder3 vaulted into the chip lead with that hand. Little did anyone know at the time that the tournament was now decided and we were all just playing for the also rans from here on out.

Hand 65 and Daggit13 is on a very short 2475 stack. Kc Jh looks good enough in that spot to push, don't you think? Well, it might have been if you were acting first, but this time SupperrSam had pushed all of his 3535 into the middle and Daggit made the call. Ad 3d was the super hand and it held up when the board showed three deuces and little else. Daggit13 was gone in 5th place. Since we were paying three tonight, Marti had succeeded in making it to the bubble.

As we posted our antes for the bubble action on hand 66, Thunder3 had 16385; Sunbob had 10740; Marti had 8565; and SuperrSam had 7810. The antes were 100 and the blinds 400/800.

We danced around for awhile with the usual cautious bubble action and I even had the chip lead briefly by hand 80. Then hand 82, I looked down and saw As Qs in the small blind. Sam folded and Marti limped, so I limped along for the cheap flop but Thunder was in the bi blind and he had other ideas. He raised to 4700. Marti folded and I fell in love with that strong suited ace. Now remember, I have thunder covered. I am the chip leader here so I threw my weight around and pushed it all-in. I was hoping Thunder was on a steal or maybe had a weaker ace and he would go away or I would at least be ahead if he called. But Noooooooooooo - he held pocket sixes and he will call with such a hand. And he did. Oh well, I'm only a 52/48 dog. Looks like a race to enter. But the table ended Ts 3s 2h 8c 5h and I was on life support now. Thunder3 was now an overwhelming chip leader.

I doubled up with Ac 7s on hand 85 when I rivered a flush of all things. But hand 86 I tried to push Jd 9s and ran into Thunder again with a pocket pair - sevens this time. Well this time I was 56/43 under and the race was on again. And again I came up short. I had gone from chip leader on the bubble to bubbleboy in just six quick hands. Yes, dear reader, as I have said so many times, this is a cruel, cruel game.

Marti had not only climbed the final table leader board from super short to the bubble, she had made it into the money tonight. WTG, Marti.

Hand 92 saw Marti end her night when SuperSam chased her down. All-in preflop with Marti showing Ah Ts and Sam holding Ac 8d. Marti was a 66/23 favorite on this hand but that 23% does happen and Sam filled his four card flush to send our hostess packing.

The heads up match was quick. With a 30 to 13 stack differential it was a tall order to expect SuperrSam to end Thunder's night and it just wasn't meant to be. Thunder3 too just three hands to decide this tournament and claim the victory.

As I said, it was a great night.


PEACE

1 comment:

Thunder3 said...

Great skills commenting on the tourney. You should be a pro doing this!