10$ x 180 players

One of my favorite tournaments to play is the 4.40$ 180 sng that PS offers. I've placed 1st, 3rd twice, and have numerous other FT appearances. It is by far in a way my most profitable tourny. So tonight, armed with a lot of the things I've learned following the Card Player forums, I'm going to take a stab at the 10$ equivalent.

2nd hand of the tourny and we've already got our first all in. Hijack raises 6x (120), SB re-pops for 300, hijack moves in, SB calls. Hijack shows AcQc and Hijack shows K4s. I blink a few times to make sure I'm not seeing things. AQ holds. Maybe I can beat this tourny.

I get AQ and call our K4 player's all in. This time he's got K5 and the board bricks out. Hopefully he learned something tonight, but somehow I doubt it.

Suited connectors are still a little strange to me. I want to learn how to play them. Just lost ~400 chips leading at a T66 flop with 9Ts in my hand and getting min-raised. I think I probably had the best hand, but for some reason I let it go. Oh well. My 99 flops 8 high and I knock out 67 on an OESD to get back up in chips.

KQ clubs. I used to like this hand. It's gotten me in a lot of trouble lately. Board runs 62A3, turn was the 3rd spade and I fake it and take it.

I hold 55 and flop J24. I have position and bet 1/2 the pot. 1 caller. Figure I'm in trouble, but he checks the turn, I check behind. River is a Q and he bets 200. Pot is ~600. I figure I have enough to look him up and he shows me 44. It's time for a big hand here....

JJ and KQ play well. Stack is ~2500, slightly below average. Break time and I'm at 3K even, good for 39th of the remaining 77. Got some work to do in hour two.

Just got moved away from a table I had great reads on and was slowly chipping away at (still waiting on really big cards.) This table has the chip leader and every other stack is about my size. Should be fun.

7 hands and we've yet to see a flop. (The blinds are only 75/150, average M is 10-30). I feel like Im at a FT.

A desperately short stack just limped with AA in the SB. Didn't get any action and showed them when everyone folded. Hilarious.

Since I showed up at this table 14 hands ago I've seen 4 rag queens and no other paint. Can't wait to get cards because the action has really intensified now.

Desperate shorty just found AA again. Called it down. (Won, fortunately for him) I don't get some people.

KQ decides to test my AJ (finally, a hand) and I pick up 2k. Getting more cards now. Chipped up to 6200 which is about average. 33 gets a friendly 545 flop and I steal my way to 7200.

Now I've gone card dead again and my M has dropped to 8. Action is really hot so I'm probably not getting away with many steals. Damn. It's desperate time. I hate it when this happens. At this rate I'll be moving with T5o.

Sometimes it even amazes ME how bad I run. In the BB with KJ. SB has been making some rash plays as he gets shorter. It folds around and he shoves for 2.5k. I'm down to 5500 myself and its a snap call. My KJ has his J7 dominated, but the board runs out 85264. Now things are really desperate.

We're at the 2nd break, but that level was ROUGH. With 4,660, Im slightly over half the average. The board straight was a real killer. Still card dead. People stacking off everywhere. Can't move with T3, 92, etc.. AA finally comes knocking. MP raises PrF and I jam, he thinks and folds much to my dismay. Oh well, I'm alive again. I've been stealing a lot. Only a matter of time till I get caught. Worked my way up to ~8500, slightly below avg.

KQ OTB, MP raises, I call, BB raises to 8k. MP folds and I think, put him on a pair like TT or JJ, and call, knowing this may be the best spot I can find. Sure enough, he's got TT, spikes a T on the flop, and its GG to me. 27th. A little upset, but I doubt I could have done much differently. Aside from the one AA and a couple KQs, I think I got dealt 2 top ten hands out of 174 hands. 4 or 5 11-20 hands. I don't know how to win tournaments without getting around10% playable hands. Without exaggerating, I'd say I held 7 truly playable hands. Thats 4.6%. No good.

See you next time.