Managed to make it 7.5 hours in this one yesterday to bust ~114th of 650 when 64 pay. It was pretty grueling especially because pot limit events don’t have antes. It started out 10max and switched to 9 handed when we got down to 200 or so. You have to play mega tight in these things it’s ridiculous. I probably average one hand per hour or something. I really wish all tournaments were 6max and started with antes but you gotta make do with what you got. These tournies are really a test of your patience than your ability to play a wide variety of poker hands well.
Anyways on to some hands. I should have busted in level one but managed to make my first suck out of the series. Blinds were 25/50 and you start with 4500 in chips. French canadian lady opens utg, everyone folds and I have two red queens in the big blind. I decide to just flat. It looks super strong if I 3 bet and I’m not really sure what to do if she 4 bets. Lol 10 handed play. Flop is J64 rainbow, I check, she cbets 300, I contemplate just calling, but decide to make it 1000 to go. She pretty insta makes it 3000. I think her play is pretty terrible with anything but some sick bluff cause if she just calls I commit myself on the turn but I figure I’m behind her whole value range as I REALLY doubt she does this with AJ and it’s only like 3 hands into the tournament at this point and there’s certainly better spots so I just muck.
Next round utg opens and I look down at two red queens again utg+3. Same spot as above and I think I should have 3 bet this one just to get it headsup and try to make some soul read if he does 4 bet. I end up just calling and 3 more people call behind me so pot is 750. Flop is J93 with two diamonds and the sb leads out pot. Two people fold and it’s on me with a little over 3k to my stack. I doubt he does this with a set so I thought he had J9 or a big draw, neither of which I have great equity against, but I’m not really in any mood to fold another overpair with shallow stacks so I make it 1650, lady folds behind me and sb ships I call and he shows J9. Turn is a King, river a queen and I double up.
Nothing interesting happens for awhile, I called an utg raise with TT at the 50/100 level. Called a cbet on KdQh3d, turn Q, check check, river is 4d and he leads out 2/3 pot and I tanked for awhile and mucked. I called an open with 77 from the blinds and managed to turn a boat on QQ573 board and got two streets of value vs KK. I raise called a shortstack shove for 2k with AJs vs his AQ and didn’t manage to suckout.
I then folded for what seemed like an eternity and dwindled down to 2300 chips at 300/600 before doubling up by winning a flip with my KJs vs 77. My crippling hand then came at 400/800 when my stack was 6500 and the button shortstack committed himself with JTo, I shove with ATo and he turns a Jack. I’m left with 1BB after this and shove the button with K9s, bb obviously calls and shows K4o, but 4 on the flop and I’m out.
I have a funny Ivey story for the day. I was railing the $10k stud event for a short while during my dinner break and Ivey is just chilling getting a massage and watching the lakers game on one of the flat screens while playing. This guy walks up next to Ivey’s table and takes a picture with flash. There is no flash photography allowed in the poker room and Ivey mutters something about it to the guy. The guy just says, “Hey, I just think your awesome. If you saw someone awesome you’d take a picture too wouldn’t you? Actually my wife just loves you.” Ivey replies, “Oh yeah? Where’s she at?” with a big grin on his face. Camera guy says, “Back home. With my baby. Although I guess you’d be on the list of people it’d be okay, ya know?” Ivey just smiles and puts his headphones back in. LOL, Ivey is so baller some guy just told him it’d be fine if he slept with his wife.