I took my seat and immediately recognized Lee Markholt two seats to my left and Dani Stern two seats to his left. I never learned the names of the rest of my opponents, but they proved nearly as capable, and it was probably one of the toughest tournament tables I’ve played at. The young Spaniard on my left was quite good and aggressive, and the relocated American between Lee and Dani was talking about playing 25/50 and higher PLO and NLHE cash games online. Lee, Dani, and he made for some good conversation, but that was the only upside to the table.
If these guys had any faults, it was that they were too aggressive. That made it impossible (for me anyway) to ride out the run of bad cards I encountered.
In the first level, I avoided playing big pots out of position, as is my wont. I called late position raises with AJs and TT in my big blind only to end up folding them by the river.
With the AJs, I checked and called a half-pot bet on a K94r flop, checked a 7 turn, and checked and folded to half pot on a 9 river.
With the TT, I called a bet on a Qd 8d 5c flop and folded a 7d turn even though I had a flush draw. I consider both folds to be close, but I don’t regret either. Little did I know they would be among the best hands I’d see all day.
At the 75/150 level, I got JJ on the button facing an UTG raise to 300 from the high-stakes PLO/NLHE guy. I made it 900, and he folded.
Between the bad cards and the tough table, I mostly nitted it up for the first three hours, opening my game up slightly with the introduction of antes at the 100/200/25 level. For example, I opened to 525 with AJo UTG+1, and the same guy called. I bet about half-pot on a Q94r, and he called. We both checked a 3 turn, I bet 1800 into 2800 on a 6 river and folded and felt pretty owned when he raised to 5200.
So it was with a slightly more aggressive image that I opened AKo to 450 on my button. The aggressive Spaniard in the SB three-bet to 1425, and I made it 3425 intending to reluctantly shove over a four-bet.
Instead he called, and we saw a JJ2 flop. Thinking there was a decent chance I was good and that I couldn’t get him off of a better hand on the flop, I bet just 2200 when he checked to me, which he called without too much hesitation.
He checked a J turn, and I checked behind intending to pick off a river bluff. He surprised me, though, by shoving about 20K into an 11.5K pot. I went into the tank for a while and folded, deciding he wouldn’t feel compelled to bluff so big with his air hands, since I could easily have a weak hand myself, and also that if he was bluffing it could be with better hands than mine.
The next time I got AK, Dani opened UTG+1, one of the most aggressive players three-bet him, the tightest of my opponents (which isn’t saying very much) cold four-bet to 4400, and the action was on me with AKo and about 20K on the button. I actually don’t think shoving would be the worst play in the world, but I folded.
The only real move I made was against a guy was probably the weakest and most aggressive at the table. At 200/400/50, he opened to 800 UTG+1, and I made it 2000 with Qs 8s on the CO. He looked annoyed and called. The flop came Jc 9d 3c, he check-called 2400, which I took to be pretty strong. With 10K in the pot and 10K in my stack, I checked back blank turn and river cards and lost to his Ks Js which was surely not going anywhere. It seems like this was a good spot and just unlucky that he managed to connect well with the flop.
Dinner break came shortly after that, so I left a meager 10K in my stack when I went to eat. On the first hand back, we were playing 250/500/50, and I shoved QQ over an early position raise from Dani. He folded. Two orbits later, I shoved AJ over one of his raises, and he folded again. Then I shoved 55 in my BB over a HJ raise form the most aggressive player, and he folded.
Blinds went up to 300/600/75, and I posted one of my 16 remaining BBs. The second most aggressive player at the table opened the CO, I shoved ATo, he gleefully (and correctly) called with A8o, spiked a 874 flop, and that was the end of a tough and boring day of poker.
Maybe they were playing you so aggressively because you are getting a reputation as the guy with the “nit cast”.
Yes, tough day for you. No bust outs or table changes in there? No spots for trapping either? That had to be torture. Hope you can get some cash game time in then … or maybe just the beach.
For this kind of days Andrew, I cook and listen to music. I eventually get a bit lost in a place I don’t know or run a bit to breathe out the frustration.
I know you would be well and that you would catch many good finny preys.