Busting a big stack!

It started with a nice bit of luck, though I don't regret the way I played the hand at all.With AhJh on the cut off, and having lost a couple of pots so fthe player under the gun limped in. I had seen him do it a couple times already and fold on the flop. The only hand that got to showdown he showed KQo. So unless he was slowplaying this time, my hand looked good, and I raised. Everyone folded to him, and he called quickly.

The flop was a mixed bag, K-T-Rag with a flush draw. He checked and I bet 2/3rd of the pot to see if he had anything. He quickly called. Well that's odd, I have the draw so what kind of hand can limp call and check call on a flushy board? The turn came a J making my hand very strong now. There was now a slight chance to be ahead if he had something like AT/QT/JJ or a flush draw (played weirdly, yes, but what hand fits his betting pattern anyway?). He checked and I went all in on a semi-bluff. He insta called me and showed King Kong for top trips! Ah! now I understand what was going on. I guess I got bamboozoed (spelling? lol) but I had 12 outs, and the river was the 8h allowing me to double up! Weird hand that was, I surely wouldn't play the kings that way, but I guess the trap did work since he got me all in as an underdog...

Shortly after the break, blinds were 100/200, I had around 13k chips (more than twice the average) and I received K9s in the big blind. There was a limper and I could see the button ready to fold so I limped in as well. Both blinds joined the party and we went into the flop 4 handed. It was a rather pleasant sight: K92, except all hearts! Appart from an unlikely flopped flush or a set, my hand was ahead. It got checked to me and I made it 900. If someone wanted to draw out it would be costly. The small blind, only player covering me at the table, called with what had to be a big heart, probably the ace. Any set or flopped flush (apart from the nuts maybe) would have had to bet here.

The turn was the frustrating 7h, killing my hand completely. But my opponent now having the flush for sure made the fatal mistake of checking. With such deep stacks this is definitely a blunder. Rest assure I will never bet in this spot and just get my free card. If I hit the boat someone is in trouble. And here it comes the beautiful 9d hit the river. My opponent quickly bet 2000, making the pot an healthy 4700. Now I had to hope he had the ace, and decided to take maximum value. So I bet the lot, 11,900. A monster bet at this time of the tournament: more than the average stack! How often do you have a full house when the opponent has the nut flush? Sure enough I got the call, I showed my hand quickly and he mucked, visibly annoyed at loosing 80% of his huge stack, and I was the chip leader!

The Cursed Seat

Soon later this player busted and a new big stack arrived two to my left. I was looking at his chips with envy, getting every information I could about his play. He was pretty tight but looked like the sort of guy ready to make a big play whenever he felt the need. Danger. Tthen again I can be explosive too :). At this point I was raising often on his blind and I am sure he was waiting for me as much as I for him. With 27,000 we were the wo big stacks, and the blind had risen to 400/800 with a 50 ante, when he got dealt his last hand and made a memorable exit from the game...

I got dealt AQo under the gun and made it 2500 to go. One folds and he reraised to 7k total. Everyone mucks around to me. Well I thought AQ is not the type of hand I want to play out of position against the other big stack, but one cannot go against such big odds: I had to put 4500 more for a chance to win a pot containing already 11k (my 2500, his 7000, and 1600 of blinds plus antes). Factor in that I can win an extra 20,000 if I hit a big flop, and I like my call.

The flop was ridiculously good: KJT rainbow. Not only I flopped the nuts, but my opponent probably had an overpair or trips by now. At the very least he figured to have AK for top pair top kicker. Knowing he could not escape from a big hand anyway, I checked in case he had nothing (who knows) and fancied a bluff. Well I got action! He bet 14000 completely committing himself to the pot. I pushed and he called, showing AK. My hand holded, and the mountain of chips in front of me was pretty much tipping the table.

He was quiet unhappy with my play and let me know. Well, I might have made somewhat loose before the flop, and sure I got a nice flop. But I know I would not have lost my stack had I been in his shoes with AK. He raised too little preflop (8-9k sounds good) and after he gets called, the flop comes KQJ, his hand might look good on theory, but it doesn’t beat anything that would now call a big bet. My check is highly suspicious as well.

Everything looked set for a great day. The euphoria wasn't to last long though.

A change of fortune.

Quickly things turned gray egain. The blinds had risen to 800/1600 with a 200 ante, and people were starting to think about the money as we approached the bubble. So here I was with a 75k stack trying to pick up the dead money. The table was 6 handed so with QJo I raised to 4.5k from UTG. Unfortunatly not only I did not pick up the blinds but a short stack pushed for 9k more giving me compelling odds to call. He had a small ace and I did not hit anything. I then lost a race, getting it all in against a short stack with AQ against 99. Finally someone pushed into my AK and flipped KQ. He won.

I got moved to a new table which was now 9 handed and very aggressive. I got no cards whatsoever for a while so I sat there for a while and saw my stack diminished rapidly. I was down to 43k, a slightly above average stack, without really playing a hand when I decided to stop the bleeding. Within a few minutes and without showing a hand I was to triple me stack...

No cards. Fine lets make some moves!

First the biggest stack raised again, from 2nd position, to 6k. I called on my big blind with 8c5c. The flop came QT6 with 2 clubs. I checked, he bet 6k only, and I moved for 31k more. He folded AhKh face up. Well this might look like a donkey hand from the outside, but with my recent run of cards my image was probable “The Rock” and the only chance I get called is if had an overpair, and quiet frankly he would have bet more on the flop. This hand was a message: “look mate I am not playing with scared money and I will go all in whenever I please. If you raise my blind, you face the consequences”. And it worked!

A few hands later an aggressive player with a 50k stack limped in from a mid position. I was one seat to the cutoff with 65k and a quick glance to my left told me I had no reason to worry about the next players. So with KhTh I made it 12k to go thinking I had a good chance to take it there and then, or didn't mind playing a limper in position. He thought for a while and called. I was sure he was weak. The flop came AhAd8h and he checked quickly. Good news and bad news. For starter I picked up a flush draw, and my best bet for his hand would be a small pair or two big cards, but there is a small chance he limped/call with a medium ace. If he did then he definitly intends to check raise me. If he doesn't have the ace and I don't bet now it will be very hard to represent the Ace on latter streets and he might call me down with a small. pair. Tough spot.

I opted for the check. I thought if he has the Ace and I hit my flush all his chips are mine, that has to balance out every over possibility. The turn was a total blank and he bet 12k. A feeler bet If I ever saw one. The question was could I take him off the hand without screwing my entire tournament should he make a great call (or should I be wrong and he indeed has the ace). I reraised to 30k apparently commiting myself to the pot. Well of course I would call for the flush draw if he puts me in now, put you never know if he just calls and pushes to a blank on the turn I can fold and having 21k left instead of 13k makes a big difference in my tournament equity! Also this type of bet is sometimes scarier than saing "I'm all in!" and shoving chips forcefully into the pot. He deliberated for a while, annouced I didn't have the ace, and folded. Boy was he close from making a great call. I now had 80k.

After this hand people were afraid of entering a pot with him. It was clear to everyone I would raise liberally and be hard to read, so they stayed clear unless they had a monster. So I stole the antes a lot of time, reraised a couple times on the button when someone seemed to be raising lite, and I found myself with 145k without hitting a hand.

The machine was in motion.

 Thanks for reading so far. Coming soon the second part of the article with the big hands from the last table and an in depth analysis of the heads up.

 Nicolas