Heartbreak hotel

Von nzvr4poker, 11.04.2009, 4444 Aufrufe, 54 Kommentare | Kommentar hinzufügen

Thursday had finally arrived. It was day 1A and my turn in the main event of the New Zealand poker championships (NZPC). After ordering my allotted stack of 15,000 chips into neat piles, I set about the task of making day 2 which required me to still have chips after the eight mandatory hour-long blind levels.

The 48 players were treated to a stirring haka challenge from the local Maori warriors and then we were down to the business of accumulating chips. Unfortunately the colour of the 500 and 5,000 denomination chips was very similar. During the main event of the APPT event in Auckland I made the mistake of betting a 5,000 chip instead of a 500 chip. Luckily for me, on that occasion the other player folded and I escaped without being punished. This time when history repeated itself, I wasn’t the player making the error. Just two hands of the tournament had elapsed when a player bet his lone 5,000 chip post-flop into the pot of just 1,000 and was called. To compound matters he bet 3,500 on the river effectively turning his hand of pocket threes into a bluff on a board showing three picture cards including an ace. The other player called with AQo and picked up a nice pot very early on.

It wasn’t long before I got into a position to take the reckless player’s chips. Half an hour into the first blind level of 25/50 I had and called a bet of 300 in the small blind after the raise from my opponent. The flop was and I now believed I had the best hand. I checked to my industrious opponent who wasted no time before firing out a bet of 500. I called and we saw a turn card of . I was sure this couldn’t improve his hand and I gave him another chance to take a stab at the pot. Without hesitation I was facing another bet of 500. I checked my foe’s stack before pushing a stack of six white 1,000 chips which was enough to put him all-in. After about thirty seconds I was called. To my delight I was up against and my over-shove of 6,000 chips into the pot of roughly 2,500 induced a call from a worse hand. The river was the and my chip stack had improved to 22,000 chips early on.

My only sizeable pot during the next few levels came close to the second break during level four. The blinds were 100/200 with an ante of 25 and I called a raise of 650 from an early position raiser with . After seeing a flop of , my opponent fired out a bet of 1,000 which I promptly called. The on the turn was not likely to improve my opponent’s hand as we both checked. The river was a great card for me making my hand nearly a lock with the top full house. My opponent bet out 2,100 chips on the river which I just called as my opponent was likely to be bluffing and would not call a bigger bet. My read was right as my opponent turned over for a busted flush draw and I took down a nice pot. I went into the second break with 24,000 in chips.

The two levels leading up to the dinner break were very uneventful for me. After having no notable playable hands one-third of the 48 strong field had been eliminated and I went into the major dinner break with 18,000 in chips. 

After a quiet level seven where my chip stack dwindled to just under 10,000 chips, I was needing to double up. In the early stages of level eight which was due to be the last level of the day, I picked up . With the blinds now at 400/800 and an ante of 100, I pushed in my short stack and was instantly called by the big stack to my left. After the action had folded my foe showed , leaving me hanging by a thread. To my utter amazement the window card was and I held on to double up winning a pot of 21,000 chips.

Two hands later I was involved in an even bigger pot. An aggressive player raised to 2,200 chips from middle position and the player to his left pushed all-in for his last 24,000 or so chips. I looked down to see . I decided that my hand was likely the best hand or a 50/50 chance to win a pot of 45,000 chips and put me in great position to make day 2. I called the all-in and the initial raiser folded showing . The player who had 24,000 chips turned over and I was in front. The dealer pealed over the flop of . The villain had caught up getting one of the three jacks he needed to improve his hand. The turn and river of and respectively, were blanks for me.  My dream of winning the New Zealand Poker Championships was over for another year and I was confined to watching from the rail.

After returning to Tauranga on Sunday with my friend and girlfriend I decided to play the $320 ANZPT Queenstown qualifier. 47 players registered and the last four remaining players would win a $2,950 package. The next seven players would receive their buy-in of $320 back. 12th place was $60. During the first level I picked up and raised a middle position limper to 90. The limper called for the extra 70 chips and we saw a flop of . My adversary checked to me and I bet 140 which was quickly called. Both of us checked the turn  and the river was giving me three of a kind. The other player over-bet the pot betting 660 into 490. The bet was scary but I felt that I couldn’t fold trips and I called with my opposition showing for the straight and I was down to 2,400 in chips.

I had built my chip stack back up to 3,000 chips when I was involved in a key pot. The action folded round to me in the cutoff and I made a standard raise to 300 with . The button flat called and the flop was . I checked to my challenger who bet 500 or two-thirds of the pot. I decided that it was unlikely that the other player had hit the board and that they more likely had a draw of some sort. I pushed all-in for my last 2,615 chips covering the other player who had 1,085 chips left. Amazingly my opponent called with just  . I took a handy lead to the turn and river for a pot of 4,950 chips. The turn was a safe but the river was the giving the other player a straight, leaving me with just over 1,000 chips.

The blinds had risen to 75/150 and I was in desperate need of a double up. My opportunity came when I had in the cutoff seat. The under-the-gun player made a raise to 450 leaving just 1,265 behind. I pushed all-in for 1,080 chips and my opponent hesitated before calling. My rival turned over and I dodged a king collecting the pot of 2,385. After winning a few small pots I raised to 450 with the blinds at 100/200, holding   on the button. The big blind min-raised me to 700 and I made the call. I flopped a straight with the board showing . The big blind bet 1,000 chips and with exactly 2,010 chips I made the easy decision to push over the top. The player in the big blind quickly called with and the board ran out and I won the pot of 5,520 chips.

I was looking to step up the aggression as a couple of bigger stacks had arrived at our table. A shorter stack of 3,725 min-raised to 400 from the button and I was in the small blind with . I shoved all-in over the top of the button and to my surprise the other player called with just  leaving me with just 1,600 chips if I didn’t improve my hand to win the pot. The board ran out and the villain increased their stack to 7,650 chips at my expense. However, it wasn’t long before I was to have some good fortune allowing me to stay alive in the tournament.

With the blinds at 125/250 and the introduction of 25 antes I open-shoved under-the-gun for 2,070 chips, I was instantly called by a rival and we were off to the races. I turned over  and was up against . To my disgust the flop was  giving my opponent three of a kind. I now needed a runner-runner combination of some sort to stay in the tournament. My prayers were answered when the turn and river appeared as the and respectively. I now had 4,690 in chips.

I was developing a strong rivalry at the table with the player on my immediate left and this only intensified following our latest skirmish. In the big blind I was dealt pocket aces. My adversary limped in for 250 and I raised to 1,025 chips. To my delight, the other player pushed all-in for 6,000 chips and I called for 4,000 total. I was up against pocket eights. If my aces could hold up against eights I would win a pot of 8,455. The board ran out and I was back in the game. The very next hand I was dealt pocket kings. The player in first position raised to 1,000 chips and the action folded round to me in the small blind. I shoved all-in and the initial raiser called for 4,400 chips creating a pot of 9,300. This time my opponent showed . The flop was good for me as appeared on the screen. The turn was and I just needed to avoid a heart or an ace on the river to knock out an opponent and move into the top four in rankings. It wasn’t to be as the cruel appeared on the screen sending me spiralling down to just 4,000 chips with 17 players left.

I tried to regain some momentum when I saw a couple of flops with speculative hands but had to fold as there was significant post-flop action. My chip stack had dropped to 2,300 chips and with the blinds 150/300 and antes 25, I had to find a spot to double up quickly. An aggressive player in middle position opened for 840 and I decided to take a stand with . My last 2,300 chips went in the middle and it folded round to the initial raiser who called quickly with . The flop signalled the final nail in the coffin for me when appeared and I couldn’t hit one of the two fives left in the deck. The board bricked for me with as the turn card and coming on the river. Unfortunately I stone cold bubbled in 13th position and picked up nothing for my efforts.

It was a really disappointing outcome for my efforts in the casino and on the virtual felt after my score in the south island champs. Hopefully, next time I will have some good news for you all with some exciting prospects on the horizon for me.