YTD: +$21828.54
Well that's the end of the WCOOP for me for another year. I only played the two PLO events, both making kaput, but playing very differently in both.
The rebuy event went poorly. I did not have my head "straight" and I decided that as I was likely to not win the event, I should keep my outgoings low. Entering a rebuy event with this approach, especially one where swings can be as severe as PLO, is simply fatal. My stack could have been at least 50% bigger at the first break if I had played my normal game and shortly afterwards my stack took a big hit when I talked myself into believing that a player could not have called bets to the river just to draw to a bad straight. Soon afterwards, IGHN, feeling I never really did myself justice.
The main PLO event did not have rebuys and so it was important to play well right from the off. Which I did. When the blinds are small in comparison to stack sizes then my lack of aggression preflop and playing through the streets style pays dividends. Funnily enough, when the PLO element diminishes and it becomes more tournament poker, then the "faces" start to do much better. I don't think it was a coincidence that the final table of this event had no cash game players in it - the rebuy event was the same, as I recall.
As a whole the event went well and I played something approximating my A game. Some key hands, however, "fated" me to lose. Raising on the button with a very healthy stack with A88 suited, a strong player in the big blind called. I bet the flop when I hit my set, he called, we both checked the turn when a flush draw came and he bet into me on the river when the 3 flush was added to by a straight card. Eventually I summoned up a pass. Later, I called on the button with JJ ss after an early limper. Everyone checked a QQx flop and I took a stab at it. Unfortunately I not only got a caller, I picked up a J on the turn, and payed off a small bet on the river against quads. 0-2 vs destiny so far.
The coup de grace came after the four hour mark. With only 10 big blinds left I raised UTG with QQ64 ss. The big blind, a poor cash player I had some experience with, reraised me. I hummed and hawwed and eventually passed. He showed an AKJ9 ds. The very next hand, my reraiser and I were on the blinds and he raised again. With AA94 ss I reraised and he set me in. His AAJ6 hit two pair and kismet won. Interestingly or not, if I had called and doubled up on the QQ hand, I *still* get busted the very next hand. No wonder I hate tourneys.
2 comments:
Hi Dave
I didn't play as although I don't hate tourneys, I don't like them either. This is because since I don't play then it stands to reason I am not very good at tourney strategy. Plus since the odds of winning a very good paying position are lower even for good tourney players, then a tourney isn't as good a use of my time as playing cash games. Plus in cash games you still get reckless players who treat their money as a tourney buyin.
From all that I have read and seen of tourneys, it sure seems that the best strategy is to be very aggressive early and either get a big stack or get busted and move on to a productive cash game. That way when the blinds get bigger, you can both sustain bad beats, and also profit more from beating another player since you gain both his chips and a better prize possibility position by virtue of eliminating him.
BluffTHIS!
No, if you had called and doubled up with the QQ, the next shuffle would've been completely different. Although you may well have still been knocked out anyway.
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