Blargh 5K report

Pretty upset with myself for how I played one hand today, but whatever I'll get over it. There were some intersting hands anyways. My table was semi-tough with a lot of TV pros. Men Nguyen, Harry Demitriou, Eli Elezra, and Chau Giang all there.

Hand 1: I haven't really done anything notable and I've bled off some chips trying to hit flops and stuff. This is a weird hand. Men opens to 325 at 50/100 in MP. He opens a lot of pots though this is the first one in a while. The guy on his left calls who seems fairly weak, and a tightish European guy next to act calls. I'm next on the button and decide this is a perfect spot to squeeze, but the SB was sitting out and I guess the BB folded out of turn because the dealer went to put up a flop. I'm like whoa, whoa I still have a hand here, so they call over the floor who explains the ruling to the dealer (he has to shuffle up the the deck and redeal the flop). I stick with the plan figuring if anything my reraise has to look even stronger now and make it 1500 with J6o. To my surprise Men calls, the next guy folds, and to my even bigger surprise the tight guy calls. Now I'm really not sure what the heck these guys have, especially the tight European who I never thought could have a hand good enough to call there. The flop comes J72 rainbow, they check to me and even though I have top pair I know a bet here would be a complete bluff. Maybe I should have just bet anyways since they'd have to think I have a huge hand, but I decide to check behind and see what happens, maybe get some value from worse hands at some point. Then turn is a Q which is obviously pretty bad, Men thinks for a bit and then checks, and the Euro guy bets 3K. I can't imagine him betting anything I beat now so I fold and Men also folds. We talked about the hand later he asked if I had AK I was like no I hand a weird hand, asked him if he had AQ or something and he said something like that, I had a "big pair". NOt really sure what that means, hard to imagine he had JJ+ there but who knows.

Hand 2: Elezra limps at 100/200 from MP, I make it 800 with A6o in the CO, the BB calls (damn) and Eli obviously calls. The flop comes A43, they check to me and I check behind. Turn 5, the BB bets 1200 and I call. River K, he checks I check behind and beat 56ss.

Hand 3: I have like 12K now and open to 600 in the CO with AA. Chau Giang makes it 2200 on the button. So far he's shown only premium hands but I assume he's a strong enough player to reraise with a wide range here and he probably gets away from even very strong hands here if I reriase so I just call, which is pretty standard against a competent player in this spot. Flop AQx rainbow, I check and he bets 3500. I think for a while because I'm not sure whether to just call or shove it in now (a push would be 6K more) and eventually decide that if he has something he'll get it in basically regardless on the turn or river even though my call looks pretty suspicious and maybe he'll happen to turn some kind of hand or make a bad bluff. The turn is a T and I check, he puts me in and I call, he says "you win I have no pair no draw". Up to 24Kish.

Hand 4: Harry limps UTG, Elezra limps behind in MP, I make 1000 in the CO, the BB thinks for a bit like maybe he'll reraise and then calls, Harry folds, and Elezra shoves 3300 more. I'm pretty sure the BB has a fairly big hand but prboably not AA/KK since he'd have reraised and he likely folds everything else if I push (he has like 15K or something). I have no idea what Eli has but it's hard to given him credit for a big hand here even though he has to know he's always getting called by one of us and we likely have big hands. I go ahead and shove, the BB folds (must have been QQ or JJ), but Eli has AA. Damn. Down to 20K.

Hand5 : Raise KQo in EP to 600 at 100/200 a25 and Demitriou calls in late position. Flop Q9x 2 clubs, Harry has like 8K left. This is a pretty awkward spot as i don't have a club, I decide to check and he bets 1000. I consider calling and leading non-club turns since i don't like calling and checking again as his draws can take a free river. Eventually I decide just to checkraise all-in which is maybe kind of reckless but can't really be that bad and he instacalls with K6cc. wtf is he calling my early raises with.

Hand 6: I'm trying to forget this hand happened. It involves another awful hero call on the river that never really had a chance of being right.

Hand 7: Now to down 2500 there is a raise and call in front and I shove AKdd. Both call, I flop the nut flush and get to 8K.

Hand 8: I now have 5600 or so at 300/600 a75 and shoce T7o in late position. The SB calls, but turns over 44. I still lose though.

Not sure what I'm going to play tomorrow... There is a $5K at Bellagio that might not have a much of a field (Aaron played the $2500 today with only 75 runners) and the WSOP has a $1500 PLO and then $3K Stud Hi/Lo. So I may play the Rio event as I'm obviously a PLO master after my FTOPS 2nd place finish. We'll see I guess.

Mike