Biloxi

Davey and I decided to make a trip to Biloxi Tuesday to play in the "IP Classic". It sounds 100x's more serious than it is. It's a tournament series that attracts 60-80 players per event with decent structure. With the $10 add-on you start with 3k in chips. 30 minute levels. Blinds go 25/25, 25/50, 50/100, 75/150, 100/200/25, etc. We had 60+ in our tournament. It was a $200+$40 I think. Davey, Wild Bill, Monkey & I were all in the field. My table started off 6-handed. Some players weren't at the table while other stacks weren't bought yet. So at a 6-handed table I decide to open the very first hand to 100 from the high-jack position with A-8o. Most players aren't willing to play the first hand for a raise w/o a hand. So much for that.. 3 of 5 call lol. Flop nothing and fold. I didn't catch much of a hand until the first break. (btw there was a break after every 2 levels.. meaning every hour there was a break. I found that very unnecessary and annoying.) Well at the first break I was at $2,500 or so. Until the first hand back from break. The table folds to me in the high-jack again and I raise with Q-Jo. The button calls along with the SB. 3-handed to a flop of Ah-Ks-10s. That worked out nice. The SB leads into me. I call.. hoping the button raises but he folds. The turn is the 5s. The SB leads again and after a while of pretending to have a decision, I move in. He calls with As-10c. Giving him top-two and the nut flush draw. I dodge the outs and double up. Nice. Well for the longest time I can't catch ANYTHING. I'm making a couple of well timed steals. And we're on to our 3rd break. At the end of our 3rd break I tell the dealer that I haven't had a hand better than 4-4 all tournament, so now is the time to give me something. We're at the point of the tournament where a lot of players are just at the preflop shove point. And our table was pretty short on chips. I kept having to raise or shove with not much against the tighter blinds to pick up the blinds/antes. I shoved all-in with Kd-2d once and the tightest player at the table went into the tank. Shit! lol But after a while he folded. Phew. Then in the mist of all these shoves I finally catch my big hand. I catch K-K in the BB.... AND GET A FRICKIN' WALK! Geez! Well after a while of nothing we're down to 2 tables. One of the first hands at this table I'm dealt A-Qo. An Asian guy raises from middle position. Folds to me and I have a bad chip count at this spot. I don't want to call and miss because the raise really hurts me. If I just raise I am committing A LOT of my chips. Screw it, I shove. Everyone folds. That was actually a nice pot. The blinds, antes, and a preflop raise.. made for a sweet pot. Especially when you can get it uncontested. Well I'm not there much longer until I'm moved to the other table. My very first hand I'm dealt A-K UTG+1. This table has the other table KILLED in chips. Once again, screw it.... I'm all-in lol. I hate this type of play. I am a BIG FAN of deep stack poker. I don't like the Kill Phil method. But if I don't have the chips, I don't have the chips. No callers with the A-K but I pick up more blinds/antes. I think we go one rotation until the following hand occurs. I'm UTG+1 and the UTG shoves all-in. This guy was very tight, but he also was low on chips. I look down to see Q-Q. I don't know where to think YESSS! or SHIT!! lol Because this guy was pretty tight. I thought there was a good chance he had A-K and it was a race.. Or worse.. He had A-A.. K-K.. But I'm not folding, after all I'm not trying to sneak into 9th place to barely cash. I want to win this thing. I move in over the top of him. The rest of the table folds around to Bill in the BB who says, "Whatever it is, I call." I immediately know I'm drilled. Sure enough, he turns over A-A and the board bricks. Dammit. If he didn't have aces I take a nice pot. Oh well. I went out in like 15th place or close to it. Bill went on to cash. Congrats. I ended up playing another tourney at 6pm and some 1/2 cash game. Losing at both. A bad day overall. In all three games, my best hands were QQ, KK, and 99. My kings got a walk, and my queens and nines both ran into aces. Yuck. Oh well! Better luck next time.