Day Three, Round One

Well,  i knew something had to give this round.  We lost our short stack about ten minutes in,  which made me the short stack.

Kidai, meanwhile,  is hyperaggressive,  playing most hands,  and always betting.

So about twenty minutes in,  Kidai raises and I'm on the button with 9 10 suited.  I know I'm going to need a big hand soon,  so i call with position and suited connectors.

Flop comes Q 2 2, with a couple clubs and none of  my spades. Wow,  i missed that about as bad as a flop can be missed.  So he lays out 2,200, and i reflect - 2,200 is his standard continuation bet that I've seen him make several times now...  The last time,  seat 7 raised him and he folded.  Since i missed the flop,  i decide to play the man and not the cards... I raise to 6,000.

He calls.  Hmmm... Maybe when "playing the man", i should pick a man that isn't currently ranked number two in the world.  Turn was a 5, no help.  He checks,  i bet my tournament he had nothing and shoved... he folded. 

Phew.

That gave me enough chips to stay alive more rounds and a half hour later,  seat 9 raises my big blind.  Seat one calls,  seat seven calls,  and I'm looking at 8 9 off...  Not a good hand,  but it's a min raise so I'm looking at 1,800 more chips to play in a pot of over 12,000... Priced in,  i call. 

Flop comes 5 2 8 with a couple hearts.  Small blind checks,  i bet like 8,000. Seat nine folds, seat one calls,  and seven thinks for a bit before folding.  Turn was a 9, I'm first to act.  I've got two pairs, a pot with about 30,000 in chips, and about 25k - 30k left.  I debate betting 15k or 20k, but i was pot committed and willing to take down the pot without him getting another card,  so i shoved.  I'm all in. 

And he calls.

Now,  I've shoved a couple times this tournament,  and I've been called a few times,  but this is the first time someone that had me covered called and i was facing elimination at the end of the hand.

Jacks,  he has pocket jacks,  an overpair. Now,  as long as the river doesn't pair the board...

Queen!  Lucky lady!!!

I doubled up to over 100k.

Giddyup.

But then i got chip drunk...

J7 on the button, i raise!  Small blind three bet me and i folded. 

Stupid chip drunk...  OK,  I'm over that. An hour fifteen in,  we've lost 200 people and are at 1,593. If i walk away now,  i think i can blind and ante my way to the money. 

Hmmm... Maybe i should just walk away for a couple hours? 

Kidai is the most annoying player ever...  Everytime someone bets more than 8,000... Which is fairly common at these levels...  He needs to think about it for five minutes - which is a REALLY long time.  I almost called clock on him earlier and then someone else finally did later in the round - two clocks in a round is excessive.

We lost Greg Raymer this round,  another tournament champion i sat with and outlasted :) The 94 year old WWII veteran is still going strong though...

With about a half hour left,  i got pocket tens one off the button with a raise and a call in front of me,  putting about 11,000 in the pot so i three bet to over 9,000 and picked up the pot preflop when they all folded.

Of course,  the voice of my inner Tiffany just keeps getting louder - "fold until the money,  fold until the money"...

Ooohhh... I wonder what would happen if inner Tiffany ended up in an imaginary cage match against inner Jay Cutler?  I bet that little cry baby wouldn't last two rounds with her and fifteen grand on the line. 

Anyway,  dreaming of imaginary cage matches is how i finished the round,  but it's amazing how good only playing a couple hands can be if you win over 70k on two of them.

End of round one,  1,512 players left - we lost almost 300 in that round.  I'm at 105,600 and an upcoming M Ratio of about 18 with upcoming 300/1000/2000 blinds and antes - the jump in antes will put a hurt on small stacks and I'm guessing at least another 300 go next round.  Maybe i should take a break until the money?