Viejas - Ace of Aces

I forgot to post about my long day at the Viejas $100,000 purse tourney on Saturday. I got there about 10:45 am and was given an Alternate seat card. It turns out that 3 of us got there right about the same time and all were "alternates." This means that we wouldn't sit down until people busted out of the tournament. But as it turns out, they found another table and another dealer, so the first 10 alternates got to start with the rest of the field. It sucked though, that 3 of us (Chris G, Will G, and I) were all at the same table to start with.

Nothing too eventful happened to my chip stack in the first 2 levels, but in the last hand before our table broke, I called a raise on the button with QdJd. The flop came 566 with 2 diamonds. I called a small bet. The turn was the Jc, putting 2 clubs on board, but giving me top pair. I called another bet. The river was a 3rd club, and I checked behind with top pair. He had 5c2c for a rivered flush.

At my new table, I called a min-raise in the small blind with 4s3s. I flopped three 4s and check raised the preflop raiser. He went all in over the top of me I called covering him. He showed QQ. Wow -- he minimum raised the big blind preflop with Queens, and then came over the top of a check raise on a paired board. Thanks dude!

I later flopped trips in the small blind again, this time with 2-3 in my hand. I led out into 4 players, was raised, and I went all in. He called with K-10, top pair, good kicker. Thanks again guy......I guess he failed to realize that I was in the small blind in an unraised pot.

A couple of other hands of note:
I smooth called a late position raise with AK in the small blind and checked dark. An Ace flopped ....he went all in and I called. He had AJ and my King kicker held up.

I called an all in push from a short stack with pocket 10s only to have another player push all in for less than the bet. He showed 10s too! The initial pusher had KQ, so us 10s had to dodge Kings and Queens. Well, the Qd hit on the river and he let out a cheer, only to realize that my 10d had made a flush to knock them both out! Crazy hand.

I later doubled through with AJ vs. A3. But the real hand that killed me was when we were down to 50 players with 40 getting paid. I had 28,000 chips on the button with the blinds/antes at 2500/5000/500. I was medium-short stacked, as were most of the others at my table, but I probably could have made the money by just playing tight. I didn't have to pay the blinds for another 8 hands. I might have already been in the money by then.

I pick up Ad6d on the button in an unopened pot. I figure people will be playing bubble tight and push all in. The 12,500 chips in the pot with the blinds and antes would increase my stack by close to 50%! The SB immediately calls, and I know I'm dead. He shows A-10. Wow - was it that easy of a call with A-10? Anyway, no help for me leaves me desperately short stacked.

2 hands later I push with 7-4 offsuit, and get some protection when pocket 33 re-raises all in behind me. Wow - I didn't expect to be in a race here. I flopped trip 7s and tripled up!

But with less than 10,000 chips, I wasn't long in the tourney. I open pushed with A7 suited two hands later and was re-raised all in by QQ. He made a flush on the turn. I'm out in 49th place out of 454 with 40 being paid. Ouch.

I had a nice cash session to make up for it, but still, I hate the bubble.