26th out of 290...not a bad showing. Happy also because I played well with just about every hand. It's a very different game in some ways, playing with real people at a real table.
Won $5 ($30 payout after the $25 buy-in) too. Not a bad way to spend three hours in the morning.
...because in tonight's Speed Tournament, I misread "21,000" chips for "2,100", and went all in (because I had 14,000 chips and wanted to take them out). Unfortunately my 2-3 offsuit didn't hold up, and I went out in 40th (out of 1118). Now, this is two good showings in a row (and I've made back the losses of the last two weeks), but still, if I had noticed that extra number in that guy's stack of chips, I might still be at the table (as I was behind the button). Oh well...
In other news, I'll be at Pechanga on Saturday morning for their No-Limit Hold'em Tournament ($2,000 Guarantee). If you're there also, say hello!
Congrats to Wil on joining team PokerStars, and good luck in the Main Event!
$5+$1 buy-in for a NL Hold 'em Speed Tournament - finished 32nd out of 1121, winning $26.90.
This one's all about luck, and I got moved behind the blind on two seperate occasions. I would have been moved again if I didn't get called when I was the only blind (by the end, the blinds are greater than almost everyone's stacks). Still, a nice finish, especially since I've been losing more than winning lately.
Party Poker has a $2+$0 Omaha Hi tournament which is fun to play, mostly because it's A) an Omaha tournament and B) only $2. Therer were 815 players, with the top 90 in the money. I started well (keeping up with average), but faultered around 200 players, but held on. I was pretty sure I could survive the blinds to get the $4 and change for 81st-90th.
I was able to survive the blinds, and kept on surviving. This is especially amazing since I don't think I got a hand I'd play normally in the last 100 I played - hand after hand of four suits, or aces without suited matches, or just low hands without anything useful. I got lucky on four different all-ins, and didn't end up going out until 21st, hanging on with a few hundred chips while the average was well over 10,000.
I ended up winning $12.78 (would have been $17.04 if I'd held on one more player, but I was about to get the BB), and had a good 4 hours of entertainment, and was paid for it. Hard to go wrong with that.
After being excited all week about my $200K tournament, I sat down to play tonight. Started well, winning some hands, before losing a big hand with trip 6s to a straight (he had the 4 in the 7-high straight). A few hands later I had trip 8s and was beat again, this time with the 5-8 for the 9-high. So I got a very disappointing 985th out of 1185. It's bound to happen. Oh well, at least I only paid $9 to get in, instead of the $200 about 3/4ths of the field paid. Next time!
Another $10+$1 Omaha single table tournament, another 2nd place finish. That's in-the-money in all of my last 6 tournaments in the last 48 hours. Not too shabby...
Update: Next table I played was a "Step" tournament for the World Series of Poker. A $12 buy-in gets you in a one table tournament, and depending on how you place (see link above), you move on, do the same level again, or drop out. Placed 1st, now I'll move on to step two. That's 7...
Second Update: I was in a $1 (yes, one dollar) NL Hold 'Em tournament, and found myself with pocket aces early. I raised 75, and was called by one player. The flop was 9c, 2s, 6h, and I bet 250, and was called again. The turn was 7c, and I raised it all in (645 more), and was called. Unfortunately she had an 8s and 10s, so I lost to the straight. So it goes.
What a great 30 hours of poker! For the last few days I'd been not playing well, both because I've been sick and because I just haven't been getting the cards. Last night I finally placed in the money in a single table tourny (2nd in a $5+$1 Omaha, $15 payout), and been winning since. This morning I placed 2nd in the same type of table, then tonight placed 2nd in a $10 version ($30 payout). I placed 3rd in another $5+$1 after that one, then thought I'd change it up a bit, and play a hold 'em satellite ($9+$1 for an entry into the $200+$15 $200K Guaranteed Saturday tournament). I was up and doing well the whole game, and placed 10th out of 250 - with 1st through 10th getting an entry. Rock!
This is actually the second time I've won one of these satellites, but I didn't win anything that time. I'm hoping my expireince since then will help with it, but we'll see.
I'm always geeked up to go to Vegas, but this trip moreso than others. Perhaps because I'll be meeting Chris Stankevitz and Marek there, perhaps because I have a little more time to look forward to it, and perhaps because I'm feeling fine about the amount of money I'll bring with me. Regardless, it should be a great trip. I'm hoping to play poker there for the first time, though I'm finding that limits are higher than I want on Omaha tables (and what's a "Kill"?), plus I tend to prefer tournament play. With so many casinos offering poker rooms, though, I'm sure one of them, somewhere, has what I'm looking for. Do any readers have experience playing at Vegas poker rooms with either Omaha tournaments or $2/$4 tables?
I'm also planning on playing at Pechanga this weekend; I don't think I get enough real table time in that's not online. If any readers would enjoy meeting up there, I'll have a drink with ya.
Party Poker Speed Tournament - 60th out of 1040, winning $17.68 with a $5+$1 buy in. Not bad, beating 980 other players.
Weird bit of tournament stratergy - I got to my final table in the Small Blind, which was 10K, and I had just over 12K. The only other guy in the hand was the BB, who had more than me. I had a 4-6 offsuit, but against just one other guy, when I was already so committed, I really considered playing. If I'd won, I'd double up to 25K or so.
However, I folded. I figured that if I had gone in and lost, I would have placed 95th or so, winning $7. If I let it go around, I could just let others go out as I sat and waited for the blinds, or a great hand. Not only that, by the time the blinds got back to me, I'd had less than the BB even if I did call and win. I ended up placing 35 spots ahead, just holding on to my short stack, and making more than twice as much money had I gone out...it really is a different game when you're playing to place.