SuckPwnage

First off, congrats to Lucko for taking down the first blogger "Big Game". He got some great cards, made some huge suckouts, and wielded his big stack with authority at the final table like nothing I have seen before. It was quite a run, and I somehow survived the bubble for a decent cash.

The double stack structure really plays into my tourney strengths. I am about as patient as it gets, and the deep stacks allow me the time to make some key moves. I warmed up with a Deep Stack tournament on Stars Saturday morning. I won 7 hands in the first 200, but still had an above average stack. You just don't need to play too many hands, just get paid when you do. I ended up getting bored in the Stars, and took a small cash vs. playing it hard to the end.

I drew a pretty tough table with Lucko to my left after an empty seat, and crackinaces there as well. I played ubertight, and was getting decent cards in the first hour. I really could not get anything paid off, and hovered just north of my starting stack for most of the first hour. My table was way tight, and we played about 90 hands during the first hour. I was running tracker, and it was interesting to see that the entire table was playing ubertight like me, except dynast, who was much looser, and lucko who was slightly looser.

In the second hour, I got my first big hand when I called a raise with KQ, and flopped Q high. I bet the flop and got called. A king dropped on the turn, and this time I think it was tripjax, bet into me and I pushed, and got called by TT. I double up to about 6k. I stayed in the 6-7k range until I got moved to a new table. My first hand at the new table, I got KJs in the SB, and was welcomed to the table by a button steal from Iak. I called and flopped an ouside royal flush draw (about 18 outs). I pushed because Iak was short, but he folded. A couple hands later, I limped with 88 in a 4-way pot, and flopped a set. I reraised the flop and got called, and then pushed on the turn as the board was getting scary. I get called by a slow played AA and double through to about 13k in chips, and the chip lead. I continued to resteal and push in a lot at this table, which was helping my image. I then started to bleed chips back. I called a push from the BB with KQ when a shorty had AT and could not connect. I called Iak's push with TT and could not beat his KQs. Basically I was bleeding away chips instead of accumulating. I arrived at the final table in 6th place, with about 6500 in chips.

Lucko, had a huge stack, and was on my right. Every hand was getting raised by lucko, Iak, or crakin. I was about as card dead as can be, and could not take a stand. Kat was short, but had more than me. She appeared to be trying to fold in, so I knew I would need to take a stand at some point. Still nothing. Finally, I catch A6 in the BB, and push in for slightly more. I flop an A and double through. Kat goes out an orbit later, when her KK all-in preflop loses to a rivered straight. Still no cards for me. I push from the SB with J4s when I am getting 7-1 odds. If I fold,I would have about 500 left, so I have to call. I miss, and take 5th. Crackin, and Iak get eliminated on the next orbit, so I am kicking myself a little for going out, but I had to play the SB.

Lucko's play was great, as he was raising/reraising most pots preflop. I have to question one hand where UTG he pushed in with the hammer, and showed the bluff. If crakin wakes up with a hand behind him, he doubles-up crakin, and they would have been close to even in stacks. I think he needs to raise less there, but he is trying to show off with the hammer I guess. No one would really take a stand against lucko on the bubble, and he accumulated tons of chips. Overall, I am happy with my play, but just wish I could have caught some cards at the final table. I knew the range was way wide for most of the preflop raisers at the FT, so a few double-ups would have been easy, but it did not work out.