hotter than Georgia asphalt....

The Mookie review… I am just running so, so sick in this tourney this year….

Blinds 20/40, I have 2915 with 5h4h on the button. TheMan2484 is already down to half his starting stack.
TheMan2484 open raises to 140 from MP after a brief pause, I flat, blinds fold.
Flop 843r, he pauses, bets 160. I call.
Turn 3c, he pauses again, shoves for 1235, almost 2x the pot. I think, decide this is a silly line for any overpair, figure him for AK/AQ and call.

His AK does not spike on the river, he’s eliminated and I’m up to 4500 in chips.

The rest of the hour goes smoothly, I chip up to 5300 and hit the first break in decent shape… Staring hour two I hit a couple of potholes… but make it back here…

Blinds 80/160, I have 4400 with 76o in the big blind.

Chippy McStacks opens for 400 UTG+1. Mattazuma flats, Blinders calls on the button, I close the action and call.
Flop 764r. Nice. I check and it sadly checks around.
Turn Jh, I go ahead and donk a pot-sized bet and all fold.

Couple of other resteals, and I chip up to 7500, then have to give some of it back before I drive Instant Tragedy nuts here..

Blinds 100/200, I have 6500 and KQo UTG+2
I open to 550, IT shoves behind me for 1430 total, folds back around…
I hate getting caught opening loose and being priced in to call (880 to win 2300 is a little better than 2-1, unless IT is only shoving AA/KK/AK here, I need to ship)….
I type “maybe I’m live”, call, and am happy to see I’m flipping with 88.
Board runs T93… 7… J… and I river a bigger straight and take IT out to get up over 8K in chips.

Next hand, I openraise 99 to 550, this time Mattazuma shoves for 1465, I call, he shows ATs. I flop a 9, which is good, since the ace comes on the river.. Up to 10K now.

Naturally, the next hand I pick up KK, openraise to 550 UTG, and all fold…..

I can run bad, though.

Blinds 120/240/25, I have 11K with AQo in MP.
I open for 775, Wadzilla shoves for 2240, I call, he shows AJo.
Flop 987r. Turn K. River T. Sigh, back down to 8600.

But it eventually evens out…

Now at 150/300/25, I have 9300 with TT UTG+1.
I open to 900, Wadzilla flats with a 3675 stack (hmmm) all fold.
Flop K96, all diamonds. I don’t have one, but hope Wadzilla doesn’t have one either and shove for 2750. He calls with AA, no diamond. Boo.
Turn Td. River not a diamond or Ac, so I suckout up to 13K.

The next big spot….

Blinds 200/400/50, I have 11.7K with TT on the button.
Blinders opens to 1200 from MP with 6400 more behind. I flat, blinds fold.
Flop 764, two clubs. Blinders shoves. I decide, hey, that’s the kind of flop I’m looking for with TT, no point in folding, and call. I get to see Ac9c, so we’re essentially flipping.

His nut flush draw and one overcard does not get there and I hold to make 20K in chips.

I don’t bet every time I have hand…

Blinds 200/400/50, I have 21K with JJ in MP.
I open to 1100, Chippy McStacks flats in the cutoff with an 11K stack, all fold.
Heads up to a Q63r flop. It checks through.
Turn 2d, completing the rainbow. I check, Chippy bets 1759, I call – mainly because I don’t believe he has a Q, which means he’s drawing thin and I’m only getting value by letting him blow me off the pot. Obv, if he has me beat already, I’m at least pot controlling and getting to showdown.
River T. I check, let chippy bet 3255, think about it, and call.
He shows 8h7h and I pick up nearly half his stack.

I sit on the big stack for a while, take out some short stacks, and chip up some more… 30K, 35K… I openlimp AA in the small blind and let lightning36’s J4 hit a JTT flop and take his stack, up to 39K.. bounce around 35-40K, then get moved to the other table to PirateLawyer’s right and need to tighten up a tad.. He’s running great with a big stack and position on me, so I’m just trying to scoop a few crumbs he’s not interested in.

Finally, on the money bubble...

Blinds 600/1200/150, five-handed, Jamyhawk opens to 4350 with 10500 more behind, I shove my 31K stack with 99, he calls off with 88 and I hold as we get to the final table.

Seat 1: HighOnPoker (37,860)
Seat 2: microvillain (17,794)
Seat 3: cutiepiegirl696 (33,510)
Seat 4: Joanne1111 (20,389)
Seat 5: cardgrrl (35,670)
Seat 6: PirateLawyer (76,021)
Seat 7: twoblackaces (2,960)
Seat 8: Shabazz Jenkins (22,681)
Seat 9: heffmike (47,115)

I resteal a couple of times, and then I run into a wall…

Blinds 800/1600/200, sevenhanded - I have 54K with JJ on the button.
Twoblackaces shoves for 10K, I reshove (standard), HighOnPoker calls allin for 20K (shit).
TBA, A7o, but Jordan has KK and I do not spike. He more than doubles up, I sink back to 33K

Then we get into the big hand of the final table, one I get to watch:

Full Tilt Poker Game #11094716985: The Mookie (82552584), Table 8 - 800/1600 Ante 200 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:12:02 ET - 2009/03/12
Seat 1: HighOnPoker (53,340)
Seat 3: cutiepiegirl696 (25,210)
Seat 5: cardgrrl (61,049)
Seat 6: PirateLawyer (101,405)
Seat 8: Shabazz Jenkins (23,381)
Seat 9: heffmike (29,615)
HighOnPoker antes 200
cutiepiegirl696 antes 200
cardgrrl antes 200
PirateLawyer antes 200
Shabazz Jenkins antes 200
heffmike antes 200
HighOnPoker posts the small blind of 800
cutiepiegirl696 posts the big blind of 1,600
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to heffmike [7s As]
cardgrrl folds
PirateLawyer raises to 3,200
Shabazz Jenkins folds
heffmike folds
HighOnPoker has 15 seconds left to act
HighOnPoker raises to 12,400
cutiepiegirl696 has 15 seconds left to act
cutiepiegirl696 has requested TIME
cutiepiegirl696 folds
PirateLawyer calls 9,200
*** FLOP *** [8d Td Ks]
HighOnPoker has 15 seconds left to act
HighOnPoker bets 16,000
PirateLawyer raises to 88,805, and is all in
HighOnPoker calls 24,740, and is all in
PirateLawyer shows [Ts 8s]
HighOnPoker shows [Kd Kh]
Uncalled bet of 48,065 returned to PirateLawyer
*** TURN *** [8d Td Ks] [6d]
*** RIVER *** [8d Td Ks 6d] [9c]
PirateLawyer shows two pair, Tens and Eights
HighOnPoker shows three of a kind, Kings
HighOnPoker wins the pot (109,080) with three of a kind, Kings
PirateLawyer: nh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 109,080 | Rake 0
Board: [8d Td Ks 6d 9c]
Seat 1: HighOnPoker (small blind) showed [Kd Kh] and won (109,080) with three of a kind, Kings
Seat 3: cutiepiegirl696 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: cardgrrl folded before the Flop
Seat 6: PirateLawyer showed [Ts 8s] and lost with two pair, Tens and Eights
Seat 8: Shabazz Jenkins folded before the Flop
Seat 9: heffmike (button) folded before the Flop

My thoughts… only thing to even second guess is the preflop call with T8s… not because it’s only 10% of PirateLawyer’s stack… but because it’s nearly 20% of effective stacks (Jordan only has 53K to start the hand) - so you’re not really getting great odds, considering Jordan probably will donkbet most flops, and then you’re going to have to shove or fold… or, Jordan will check/shove over your flop bet, and then you’re playing for half your stack with T8s. I think the chances of him check/folding or bet/folding the flop are pretty slim.

This, coming from someone who would probably call with T8s as well, because I hatehatehate openraise/folding to a threebet from the blinds, regardless of stacks or odds.

Obviously, once the flop comes down the hand plays itself.

Anyhow, I short stack for a bit… then do my usual call and run goot thing…

Blinds 1000/2000/250, six handed, I have 33K with A3o in the big blind.
Cutiepiegirl696 open shoves her 10K short stack, folds around to me, I call, she shows 98o.
Flop T93. Turn 3. River A. That’ll do. Back up to 45K and I actually have a bit of room to maneuver.

Meanwhile PL gets boned again and we’re fourhanded, as Jordan and cardgrrl have all the chippies (over 100K) while me (44k) and Shabazz Jenkins (22K) are looking for handouts…

I slowly but surely start to chip away… I get up to 80K without a showdown before I ship some chips to Jordan when we both call Shabazz’s shortstacked shove on a T95 flop (me - 98, Jordan - QJ, J on the turn) and get to threehanded play. I’m the short stack but I flip that around in a few minutes.…

Jordan 94K, cardgrrl 145K, me 55K. I have KK in the small blind at 1500/3000/400.
Cardgrrl opens her button for 9K, I flat. Jordan folds.
Flop 632r, I check, cardgrrl bets 18K, I shove, she calls 27K more with A8o, I river a king as icing to take the chip lead.

Two hands later, as Lucko asks me if I have a seat, and I explain I’m not chopping, which makes him happyhappyjoyjoy…

Jordan 94K, cardgrrl 87K, me 112K. I have A6o in the big blind at 1500/3000/400.
Jordan opens for 9K, cardgrrl calls, I call.
Flop AsQh6h. cardgrrl leads for 28K, I shove, Jordan folds, she calls with Ah4h.

Board bricks out. Cooler. Now we’re heads up, and I have a pretty good chip lead.

Seat 1: HighOnPoker (84,773)
Seat 9: heffmike (209,227)

It took about 80-odd hands, maybe a half hour of heads up play.. So, the basic theme was, I felt in control and maintained the chip lead, but Jordan kept winning the big pots… well, because he had the best hand every time.

To be honest, I didn’t string him along enough… There were spots I should have flatted instead of raising his lead bets, and so I didn’t get full value when I flopped huge and wanted him to commit his stack… but that’s 20/20.

I get him down 6-1, he starts turning the aggression up, and so do I.

At 2500/5000/600, I open shove K3o into him (52K stack, 10BB effective) and he calls with A8 and holds (he flops an 8, I river a King… that gives him a four flush)

After this, I gotta admit, I lost my focus a bit… mostly because I already had a TOC seat, I took down a 90-man KO tourney an hour earlier and just didn’t have a greedy enough killer instinct. I start playing too wide open….

I’m leading 197K-97K. I limp A4o, Jordan raises to 16K, I decide to shove and get called by A8o. Yeah, I flop a 4, but Jordan rivers an 8 and I give up the chip lead.

A few hands later, with the stacks reversed… Jordan raises his button to 15K, I resteal for 95K total with T9o… He calls with KTo, and I’m not even drawing live…. Board hits neither one of us, and King-high is good FTW.

So, that was kind of disappointing.

But, at least the seat and win went to an old-schooler who’s got some game.

And I can’t complain about being finishing #2 of 98.

Should be a good points boost, at least.

‘til Sunday….