A Pair of Nines

I played in a new Poker League On Saturday night. The concept is you play 5 monthly tournaments, and points are taken based on your finish. The Top 10 points earners play a single table championship. The format is $50 buy in with one $40 rebuy if you get down to T300 (start with T1500). $5 from the initial buy-in and $10 from any rebuys goes to the championship pool. Blinds start at 25/50 and go up every 20 minutes.

When I looked at the blind schedule, it looked a little crap-shooty to me. You start with 30x the BB, and with 20 minute levels your probably going to see 5-6 hands per level. The rebuy helps, but you can only take it if you get low. I was going to have to miss the august event, but I decided to play anyway. (You get to drop your worst finish).

Play starts with 30 entrants, and I can tell right away that these guys are not very good. I will have to wait for a real hand, as these guys are calling anything and getting into some big pots with crap. There was an early hand where three people were all in on the flop, and none of them even had a pair yet. Gutshot draw beat the flush draw on that one. I sat back and waited, but it was not going to be my night.

My best hand all night through 2 1/2 hours of play was a pair of nines!

Below are the few hands I was able to play:

I called a min raise with pocket 3s from the BB, with 6 people seeing the flop. I missed and folded on the flop. Eventual winner had AA. Dangerous!

I raised 3x from the cutoff with 66 after everyone folded to me, and stole the 50/100 blinds. My first pot of the night 50 minutes in to the tournament.

My stack got down to T975, blinds 100/200, and I pushed in UTG with AK (best hand all night). I got one caller with AK, no help, and we chopped the pot for my second win of the night.

I get blinded down with nothing playable, and have T500 left with blinds 200/400 at the break after level 6. I will be in the SB on the first hand after the break. I pretty much am going to have to push if I want any shot at this thing with any 2 cards. We are down to 15 players, and the top 15 get points. I am thinking my chances of a cash are low, and if I fold my first hand I may be able to pick up some valuable points towards the championship. I get delt 97o, with 4 limpers to me. I have to complete the blind with these odds. Flop comes AQx, and after checking a betting frenzy breaks out. I figure I am pretty much dead here, and fold even though I am down to a single T100 chip. I will wait for the BB, and try to pick up some points.

In the cutoff I get A5o, and it folds to me. I figure I got a shot here, and toss my last chip in. SB and BB call. Flop has a flush draw, and misses my hand. Turn completes the flush, and BB bets, SB folds. We flip up, and my A high is still good. River misses the BB, and I triple up to T300.

I am all-in in the BB with 94o. Flop comes 9 high, and a maniac at the table makes a huge bet. We are heads up, and maniac has a gutshot. He has hit these all night, but misses. I triple up to T900.

Blinds still 200/400. On the SB I get ATs. It folds to the button who goes all-in for 600. I call to see a flop, and BB calls. Flop comes KQx with one of my suit. I check and BB puts me in. I have a gutshot, an over and runner runner flush potential. About 9 outs. It will cost me T300 for a T2400 pot. I have odds galore and call. BB has KQo, button has T9o. Damn, I will need a J or runner runner flush. I don't hit, and am out in 13th out of 30.

My best hand all night was a pair of 9s when I was all-in in the BB. Pathetic. These guys were horrible, but I could not pick up any cards to go to war with. Its amazing I made it that far, outlasting 17/30 people without the flop ever helping me and no big pockets all night, and without a rebuy. I actually think I played pretty good. These guys would have paid me off if I got a hand, but there were not the types you could bluff off easy. I ended up picking up 4 points towards the championship on a horrible night. I can't wait till the next one to get some payback.