A shot at the Big Enchilada

So I jumped back into the poker pond this weekend and resumed the $300 challenge.

However I really wasn’t in the mood to grind it out playing dozens of tiny turbo sit-n-gos.  I know that’s the mission of the $300 challenge, to try to have long term gains based on positive ROI,  however I believe if you’re not in the mood to grind, then you shouldn’t play them on a particular session.

I was in the mood to play in a longer, slower, bigger tournament for a large cash payout,  so I played in the $55 Buy-In event at 2pm Sunday on Poker Stars, and decided to take a shot at the BIG ENCHILADA!

I love this event, first, I won it almost a year ago in early May of 2007, my biggest tournament win ever ($11,280),  and second, you start with twice the normal stack, $3,000 in chips,  this combined with the slower blinds (every 15 minutes) really allows for skillful play for a good portion of the tournament.

We started with 1,520 people,  with the top 252 players making the cash, and first prize paying $13,000.

The first hour was pretty uneventfull, I played it really tight, but then right before the first break I got, well, a break;   I was dealt 6-9 offsuit on the big blind,  a few players limped in, the button min raises, the blinds were still very small, I believe $25-$50,  so throwing in another $25 on the BB was worth it.  

The Flop comes up…

7-8-A  rainbow.

I couldn’t ask for much better considering my garbage hand.     I check the flop, everyone else folds,  the min-raiser makes a small raise, $100 chips.   I figure the pot odds are pretty good so I call, everyone else folds.

The Turn was my bingo card,  a beautiful 5 of clubs,  giving me (so far) the nuts.

I check,  min raiser bets $500,  I re-raise $1000,  he goes all in, I call.

Predictably, he had an Ace,  Ace Queen, he never saw the straight coming.    The river was a useless deuce, and I double up right before the break.    It’s rare that you get a hand like that,  but when it happens you usually double up on someone.  However, he should have known I had something by the mere fact that I was on the big blind, and the flop was raggy.   Always be aware of BB or SB limpers when raggy flops come up,  odds are they hit a piece of it, or maybe even a monster with some sort of goofy straight like I had.

The next hour or two were uneventful,  I bluffed a few pots,  and was the benefit of a small suckout when I called a short stacks All In with 77.  It was only 20% of my stack so I figured it was a good call,  he shows 88,  but I river the 3rd 7. 

I make the money (Top 252) in around 150th place.  

From here on out it gets into push/fold territory for most of the stacks,  If you’re sitting on less than 10 big blinds, it’s really the only move you have.   

When it gets down to the top 100,  I’m in trouble.  A few times I push all in, and win the blinds on some cold stone bluffs,  one in particular was a situation where a large stack was trying to push me off after limping in the BB with 55.  The flop comes up A-K-K.   He bets,  I push All In.  he thinks.. and thinks.. .and thinks.. and folds.   Even though if he had called, he would have been ok,  I’m pretty sure he didn’t have a damn thing and was just trying to bully me out of the pot.   The reason I pushed All In is because of a lesson I’ve learned about a flop like tht,  if it’s down to you, and one other player,  and you see a flop with 2 high pairs, such as AA thru 10-10, or even 9-9,  if someone has the 3rd card to make the set, they NEVER.. EVER…NEVER…EVER bet the pot.  99.9% of the players you face will slow-play that hand,  so a bet is a sign of a pure bluff.   I’ve re-raised these bluff attemps maybe 100 times since I figured this out, both online and in real life, and only ONCE did the other guy have the set.

I make it to the top 60, but in big trouble,  I’m right around the bottom, in 57th or 58th, and down to 5 Big Blinds,  finally I had to make a stand with Ace-3 Clubs,  I push all in, hoping to steal the blinds.  All fold around to the big blind, who calls with King-King.  I don’t pop an ace, and finish in 51st place, for a cash payout of $130.98.    I think I made the right choice on pushing with the Ace-3 Cubs,  I suppose you can debate that, however I was on the verge of being blinded out,  and it was just bad luck that the BB picked up KK.  Had he he not, I’m pretty sure I could have stolen the blinds there, and gained some ammunition to survive another orbit.

So I ended up around $75 for the day.   A good day for the $300 challenge,  however a very disappointing end to the tournament.  I know finishing 51st out of 1,500 people isn’t bad,  however the real money ($1,000 and up) started with the top 18.    Over the past year I’ve come so tantalizingly close to the big money,  I would guess this is about the 10th time I’ve finished just out of reach of the final table in one of these big multi-table tournaments.

The Big Enchilada will have to wait for another day,  meanwhile, the $300 challenge awaits.