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Old 06-18-05, 01:40 PM
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Penguinfan Penguinfan is offline
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Default Interesting freeroll at Party last night

At least interesting to me. Anyone who takes the time to read this and reply will hopefully see where I am coming from, but it should make for some decent conversation.

Party has a couple freerolls each day for thier real money players and they put $5000 in the prize fund, not bad for a freeroll. Top 50 get paid starting at 50 bucks and going up to a nice grand for first. They limit it to 2500 people (if you call that a limit) and I decided to play last night with the thought in mind I was gonna get some chips early or bust out just as quick as I wasn't gonna sit and play tight for four hours just to bust out 90th and waste all that time.

I got my wish on the first hand, only three players including me bothered to make it for the first hand and I was the BB with AcKc, honestly 50 people busted out before we saw a flop waiting for everyone to time out, it folded to the small blind who raised to 100 and I held true to my game plan and pushed all-in and immediatly got called. We can debate the merit of this play another time, like I said, get some chips or bust out. He turns up QQ and I knew he was screwed because pocket Q's are death on Party, sure enough first card off the deck was an Ace and I doubled up.

I played ALOT of hands the first hour, maybe as many as half of them, seeing any cheap flop I could and trying to win pots after that, I ended the first hour with just over 3000 chips, not bad, but not great. I really got no cards the second and third hour, none, but managed to get to 4K in chips. The fourth hour is where the game starts to take shape, remember only 50 get paid at all and people who had 1500 chips were already stalling when there was 250 people left, it was rediculous, ALTHOUGH I did learn that this is the time to start stealing everything you can, and I mean everything!

I worked my stack to just over 26K with around 200 players left. I could give details of hands but suffice to say I got my chips in with good cards and they held up for the most part until IT happened. If hand histories showed how many people were left in a tournament I would post it so you know I am not lying here, after almost 5 hours, and by the way the game started at 6:20 est and I am usually in bed by 9 since I get up at 3:30 for work on Saturdays, it's 11:30 and I have decided that after missing almost 3 hours of sleep I had to get something for my effort (here's the IT that happened) with 51 people left on 6 tables I am in the BB and guy in MP raises to 25000, about half my stack and he has me covered, keep in mind we are on the bubble at this point, 51 gets nothing, I look at AA and have a decision to make. I am thinking about the 5 hours I just wasted if I bust out with this while he types in that I better be careful because he will call if I push. I type back that if I push I want him to call, no response. There is a guy on another table with 200 chips and will have to post blinds in two hands (hand for hand at this point) if I fold I am guaranteed to make 50 bucks, if I push and double up I could go deep in this thing and you have to get to the final table to really make any decent money, 25-50 get $50, 11-25 get $60. I thought about it and just called, the flop comes 2-7-9 all diamonds, I have the A of diamonds and tell him I will call anything he bets then I check, he checks as he is starting to think he may be beat, blank, blank on the turn and river, the cards turn over and he has KK and I win a nice pot. Had I pushed pre-flop I would have doubled up or if a another diamond falls I double up since he had the Kd. Tough spot honestly, keep in mind I wanted to get SOMETHING out of those five hours, getting dealt AA on the bubble when a guy raises half your stack in front of you is no fun, let me tell you!

Alot of you will say I should have pushed without hesitation, but keep in mind if I lose the hand I get squat, fold two more hands and I get $50. Anyway I played pretty well the rest of the way and made the final table where I was chip leader with 7 players left, though the chip lead changed drastically from hand to hand with blinds of 20K/40K. I busted out the 10th, 9th, 8th place finishers to get the chip lead and had over 400,000 chips. There were alot of hands that two or more people were all in and the short stacks just kept winning, we got to 6 handed and I went from penthouse to outhouse in three hands. I called a big bet with AK and got nothing on the flop and was facing an all-in and folded after the flop, very next hand I was small blind and it folded to me, I just called the BB and he pushed in, like he was doing alot, I had him covered by a bit but would lose over 100K if I lost the pot but I called with Qs9s (marginal call at best, I know) he has Js8s so I am in good shape until he flops an 8 and I get no help and lose a big pot, very next hand I get 66 and push my chips in when it folds around to me on the button, SB folds, BB calls, he has me covered and in bad shape with KK. I bust out 6th and got $125 for my trouble and it's now almost 1:00 in the morning.

Those games are long and made longer by the incredible stalling that goes on. I could have played much better at the final table, but just tried to win every pot. Big difference between 6th and first ($1,000).

Interesting game in my opinion and though this was a long post I left out some big hands. The things that stick with me are how people say you have to get lucky to win a MTT, I am not sure I believe that to be true, I think you just have to play very well and not get UNLUCKY.

I see why they say you just try to survive the first hour, the risk in winning a pot is just not worth the reward.

You don't need to win too many pots the 3rd and 4th hour since the pots are so big at that point compared to what the average stack is, if you have any chips at all you can wait for a good hand and when you get it play it very agressive.

When you get within 50 or 100 of the money steal like your wearing a ski mask.

I like the build a stack early or bust out just as quick theory for a freeroll.

If you made it this far and have any thoughts I'd love to hear them.
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Last edited by Penguinfan; 06-18-05 at 06:23 PM.