I decided to play day 1b of the Grosvenor Deepstack in Dundee with a 7pm start on a Saturday night. At 7pm there were only 11 players registered and by 7.30 it had only struggled up to 13. In the end a very poor 24 players (including re-entries)
Having seen that Di made it to day 2 in Bolton with 85K I gave myself a target of 125K which was 2.5 x the starting stack.
Playing 6 handed is a different dynamic from 9 or 10 and I found myself playing hands I would normally just fold.
I picked up chips with 56 suited, it helped that the baddie had flopped trip 4s and checked the flop allowing me the free card to hit my straight. I also flopped the nut flush and flat called flop and turn before a small reraise on the river had the baddie calling with two pair.
The table swelled to eight players with two aggressive players being added. My luck turned as twice in one round I was rivered and the nice pile of chips I had accumulated were swiftly reduced to 30k.
I had a rush of blood as I was dealt QQ on the button and had both the small and big blind call my raise but the excitement dissipated very quickly on a KKA board. A bet and a raise from the blinds and I had nowhere to go except the muck.
A5 clubs a few hands later had me calling in late(ish) position. When the flop came down with three clubs my plan was to play it slow as two others were in the hand. A bet, a call and a call from me, with fingers crossed that no more clubs or paired board would happen. A red ace on the turn helped my cause, a bet a fold and just a call from me after a little Hollywood.
The river didn’t cause me any worry and the baddie checked, I did my best to look as though as I was putting my tournament life on the line and shoved all in, hoping I was looking weak. He took the bait, called and I reeled in close to 70K in chips. As the tournament continued I found other players believed I had hit the flop/turn/river after that hand.
By level 8 I was up to 110K and feeling very positive about my play and of course, we all know what happens then. I get KK there is a small raise from a loose player in front of me and I re-raise up to 7.5K a player behind me raises to 17K and the initial raiser folds. So what should I have done? Accepted that he had AA and looked weak to the table? Flat call to see the flop or re-raise? I decided to flat call and the flop comes down 5 high. I check and he bets only 8.5K. Am I being reeled in here? I look at his chips and he has about 45K behind. I`m smelling AA but I`m not good enough to lay down KK and put him all in. I get an instant call and of course its AA. I have lost 70K, I`m down to 45K and I`m fuming with myself!
I start the long climb back and the BBs and antes are starting to hurt. I get it back to 75K when we enter level 12, 3K BB and ante. I look down and AA and the loose player is on the BB so I know he will call my raise. We are 7 handed at this point, I decide to bet 11K and the player to my left calls as does the BB. The flop comes 875 with two diamonds. I decide that I don`t want to see any more cards and shove the rest of my chips around 64K. A call from the player to my left and the BB folds. I turn over my cards and he turns over 88 and with no help from the turn and river, out I go.
Should I have looked at 7.5K in blinds and ante as enough reward for AA and pushed all in with 75K? Or did I do it right and just got unlucky? Think we have all been here before but it won’t stop me trying again.
In conclusion: Aces, can’t win with them, can`t win against them!
