SSC Event #1 no limit six-seat Hold 'em.

SSC Event #1
Monday, 30 March 18:00 GMT
$4,000 guaranteed no limit six-seat Hold 'em.
1045 Runners, 2000 starting chips, 10 minute blinds

If you were paying close attention to what I’ve been writing and to the date and time I’ve posted my last piece you could have known that the first event was already played. I just finished the intro this afternoon instead of yesterday. All because I needed to play an indoor soccer match very late last night, 22.30 local time here (If I ever met the guy that comes up with these times…). I wasn’t home before 01.00 and didn’t have the energy to finish it and put it online. Ow btw the match was a straight down disaster! We lost with 2-7 and ended the game with only 4 players instead of the normal 5! Thank god I scored once, which made the game for me personally not a complete waste of time.

Well it’s about time now to tell a little more about the first event of the SSC. As stated on top of this it was a 6-seater tournament a format that should suit my playing style. I like to bully around and play a rather aggressive game, but sometimes I tend to play a little too aggressive at these 6-seater tourneys, which sometimes leads to a blow up if I don’t play focused enough. I still like the 10 seater deep stacked tournaments a bit more. So well I started the first tournament with a mixed feeling given the fact that this isn’t my strongest format, but I was ready to show that with the right focus and playing my best poker I could still make it a long way in this event.

The first decent pot I played was still pretty early on in the tournament in the 2nd blind level, blinds $20/$40 and me holding a stack of $1,740. At that point I found [9d Jd] on the BB. The player UTG limped as did the SB and I just checked hoping to hit a nice draw on the flop. The flop came [6d 8d Ad] giving me a Flush right away on the flop. I checked hoping to trap the UTG limper, who could have hit top pair, but he also checked and on the turn the [9c] came. Surprisingly the SB now bet out $120 a full pot bet. I just flat called, keeping in mind to make a reraise on the river if the SB would bet out once again, given the fact that it could be very likely that he had made a straight now or maybe could get some help of the board and make his straight on the river. The UTG limper also called the bet and we went on with 3 players to the river. The [7c] completed the board which now showed [6d 8d Ad 9c 7c] making it very likely that someone made a straight and was in big trouble against my made Flush on the flop. The player in the SB who raised on the turn now checked and I made a bet of $320 in the $480 pot. The UTG player folded and the player in the SB just flat called my raise. My made Flush on the flop was good enough to pick up the $1,120 pot and I was back on average with a total stack of $2,380.

In the next couple of hands nothing much happened. I managed to build my stack with [As Kc] to around $3000 chips and lost some chips later on with [As 9d] vs. [Kh Ah] unfortunately my opponent hit a better 2 pair on the river against my 2 pair Aces and Nines.
Not much later this happened.With a stack of $2,560 and the blinds $30/$60 I decided to limp in with [Jd Th]. The player next to me made it $120 to go with a minraise. I called and the flop came [Jh 7s Tc] giving me top 2 pair. I bet out $180 and he flat called. I fired once more on the turn this time $340 when the [Ad] came on. When he flat called again and didn’t reraise whilst the [Ad] made a straight possible I put him at something like AK, AQ. So what I did on the river can be called very stupid! The [Ac] on the river should have scared me of right.. He now made, based on my read before, a set right? Still I raised $730 and he instantly moved all-in for $1,670 total. After some thinking I called him and he indeed showed what I thought he had [Ah Kd] having hit a set on the river… This awful move did cost me my tournament! I was now unbelievably short stacked with only $250 left!

But you know what they say; you only need a chip and a chair right? Well indeed! I got lucky one hand after another and managed to double up with [Ts Ac] vs. [Ah 2d]. Once more with [Qh Ad] vs. [Td Tc] and with [7d 9c] vs. [6h 7h] on a [7c 5c 7s] flop my money went in again and I once again doubled up! Not even that much later I found myself going in on a [9c As Ad] flop. Me holding [Ah Js] vs. someone bluffing all-in with nothing more than [Qd Ts]!!!

You can call it a little miracle but I made the first Break with 3520 chips, just a little below average, and 455 players left out of the original 1045. Not that great but hey I could have been out already I was down to 250 chips with 30/60 blinds haha.

After the Break I got moved to another table and a couple of hands later I picked up [6s 7d] on the button. Because I was the first in I raised to $600 the SB folded and after using an awful lot of time, even using his time bank, the BB Moved in over the top for $1,585 total. I decided that my [6s 7d] was live and called him. He showed [As 5h]. The board came [8s Ts Qc 5d 4s] giving me a straight and knocking one player out. Now for the first time since the start of the tournament I had a decent stack of $5,255 total.

The next couple of blind levels nothing special really happened, I found some nice raising hands like 77, 66, AQ and could slowly build my stack to $8,455 without much resistance. Late in the 8th blind level I got dealt [Ks Kh] in the SB. Someone from middle position made it $900, 3 times the BB to go. I decided to just flat call to disguise the strength of my hand and the player in the BB also just flat called. The flop came [7s 9h 3s] I checked and the player in the SB with only a stack of $1,045 still behind bet out only $300 a min raise. I instantly reraised to $1200 which made the original raiser lay down his hand and the SB called all-in for his remaining chips. He showed [9c Ac] and didn’t get help on the turn or river. I won a nice pot there giving me a $11,425 stack a bit above average at that time.

In the next 2 blind levels I maintained my aggressive play and slowly but steady build out my stack to 14k. But after losing an all-in call with [Kd Kh] vs. [Ah 8c] and the next hand which I played terrible with [Qh Jc] vs. [Ad Js] on a Jack high flop I was all of the sudden down to a mere stack of only $5,515! Not much later I was pretty unlucky again with a flopped 2 pair against a straight draw. I had to call the short stacked guy’s all-in, but no luck for me. He sucked out on the river making his straight. At that point with blinds being $400/$800 and me only having a stack of $1,440 left I was once again in need of a miracle!

I doubled up once with [Ac Ad] and picked up some blinds with a desperate [Th 7s]all-in move and a couple of hands later I made the same play with [8h Th]. But my luck ran out not much later. I moved in once again but this time with a pretty decent hand [Jd Js]. I got called by [Ac Th] and [Kc Ah] and unfortunately an Ace flopped and my tournament was over. I was out in 115th place.Not a bad start 115th out of 1045, but just 28 places short of making an in the money finish.

Overall I’m pretty content with my play. Besides the mistake I made early on and the horrible play with the QJ I played pretty decent aggressive poker during the whole tournament. Well I hope I can maintain this level and even improve in the next events. Maybe I can get a decent result in tomorrow’s Omaha event . Wish me luck!

Greetz, Durdy