PokerStars $500.000,- Guaranteed

So, here we go again. As some of you might have heard, I came second in the Sunday $500,000 guaranteed on PokerStars last week. In this article I will discuss a couple of hands from this tournament, letting you in on the thought-processes that went through my mind.

PokerStars Game #24042664145: Tournament #132767618, $500+$30 Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (400/800) - 2009/01/18 20:01:39 ET
Table '132767618 34' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: Crisper (20228 in chips)
Seat 2: intervntion (20136 in chips)
Seat 3: revirjohn (18374 in chips)
Seat 4: 121themac (8690 in chips)
Seat 5: ChadBrownPRO (74530 in chips)
Seat 6: nofingclue11 (17500 in chips)
Seat 7: Pappe_Ruk (28850 in chips)
Seat 8: Vandiesel (16100 in chips)
Seat 9: Money800 (35621 in chips) is sitting out
revirjohn: posts small blind 400
121themac: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Pappe_Ruk
ChadBrownPRO: folds
nofingclue11: folds
Pappe_Ruk: raises 1200 to 2000
Vandiesel: calls 2000
Money800: folds
Crisper: folds
intervntion: folds
revirjohn: folds
121themac: calls 1200
*** FLOP ***
121themac: checks
Pappe_Ruk: checks
Vandiesel: bets 3200
121themac: folds
Pappe_Ruk: calls 3200
*** TURN ***
Pappe_Ruk: checks
Vandiesel: bets 9600
Pappe_Ruk: raises 9600 to 19200
Vandiesel: folds
Uncalled bet (9600) returned to Pappe_Ruk
Pappe_Ruk collected 32000 from pot
Pappe_Ruk: doesn't show hand
CheddarSon {observer} said, "??????????????????"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 32000 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: Crisper folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: intervntion (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: revirjohn (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: 121themac (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 5: ChadBrownPRO folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: nofingclue11 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: Pappe_Ruk collected (32000)
Seat 8: Vandiesel folded on the Turn
Seat 9: Money800 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

This was the first big pot I played in this tournament. I'm in middle position (MP), raise to 2,000 and get two callers. I flop top pair with a reasonable kicker and the BB checks. I decide to check here because there will be little value in a bet here. Vandiesel was very aggressive and was playing a little spewy. I would expect him to re-raise AK and AQ preflop, so I'm definitely not scared of a stronger Ace. He bets 3,200, BB folds and I call. I think that if he would have had 33 or 44, he would have probably checked the turn. Other hands with showdown value would have most likely also checked because the flop is relatively dry and there isn't much value in a bet. The turn card is pretty interesting, . The pot is now 12,800 and my opponent still has 10,900 in front of him. I decide to check again, despite the flush draw, and he bets out 9,600, which I didn't think was a very strong bet. I think that if he really did have the flush, he would have bet around 7K. In that case he would have been committed anyway, but with this bet it seems like he is trying to emphasize his commitment even more. I will now often expect a hand like Xx or Xx which he can't fold anymore. I shove for 1,300 more and he folds. I could have also fired out a small bet on the turn and call his all-in, but this seemed like the better option against this player.


PokerStars Game #24043480539: Tournament #132767618, $500+$30 Hold'em No Limit - Level IX (500/1000) - 2009/01/18 20:28:31 ET
Table '132767618 34' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: Crisper (23928 in chips)
Seat 2: intervntion (17011 in chips)
Seat 3: revirjohn (52180 in chips)
Seat 4: Axorm (48900 in chips)
Seat 5: ChadBrownPRO (35292 in chips)
Seat 6: nofingclue11 (40779 in chips)
Seat 7: Pappe_Ruk (38393 in chips)
Seat 8: tiger heat (41825 in chips)
Seat 9: Money800 (29471 in chips)
Crisper: posts the ante 75
intervntion: posts the ante 75
revirjohn: posts the ante 75
Axorm: posts the ante 75
ChadBrownPRO: posts the ante 75
nofingclue11: posts the ante 75
Pappe_Ruk: posts the ante 75
tiger heat: posts the ante 75
Money800: posts the ante 75
Crisper: posts small blind 500
intervntion: posts big blind 1000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Pappe_Ruk
revirjohn: folds
Axorm: folds
ChadBrownPRO: folds
nofingclue11: raises 1099 to 2099
Pappe_Ruk: calls 2099
tiger heat: folds
Money800: folds
Crisper: folds
intervntion: raises 14837 to 16936 and is all-in
nofingclue11: folds
Pappe_Ruk: folds
Uncalled bet (14837) returned to intervntion
intervntion collected 7472 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 7472 | Rake 0
Seat 1: Crisper (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: intervntion (big blind) collected (7472)
Seat 3: revirjohn folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Axorm folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: ChadBrownPRO folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: nofingclue11 folded before Flop
Seat 7: Pappe_Ruk folded before Flop
Seat 8: tiger heat folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: Money800 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)

I played this hand very poorly. Nofingclue11 had been raising a lot and since I had position I decided to call his min-raise to see a flop. Because of our stacksizes, this would have been an ideal spot to 3-bet. If I make it 6,200 here he will need a very strong hand to call and most of the time I will pick up a pot of 4,800. Now I call and intervntion goes all-in. This is an ideal spot to squeeze for him, and although his range here will be relatively wide, I am not in a position to call with 9-high.

PokerStars Game #24043591331: Tournament #132767618, $500+$30 Hold'em No Limit - Level IX (500/1000) - 2009/01/18 20:32:18 ET
Table '132767618 34' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: Crisper (23128 in chips)
Seat 2: intervntion (21584 in chips)
Seat 3: revirjohn (50380 in chips)
Seat 4: Axorm (46600 in chips)
Seat 5: ChadBrownPRO (36667 in chips)
Seat 6: nofingclue11 (38380 in chips)
Seat 7: Pappe_Ruk (35994 in chips)
Seat 8: tiger heat (43700 in chips)
Seat 9: Money800 (31346 in chips)
Crisper: posts the ante 75
intervntion: posts the ante 75
revirjohn: posts the ante 75
Axorm: posts the ante 75
ChadBrownPRO: posts the ante 75
nofingclue11: posts the ante 75
Pappe_Ruk: posts the ante 75
tiger heat: posts the ante 75
Money800: posts the ante 75
ChadBrownPRO: posts small blind 500
nofingclue11: posts big blind 1000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Pappe_Ruk
Pappe_Ruk: raises 1550 to 2550
tiger heat: folds
Money800: folds
Crisper: folds
intervntion: folds
revirjohn: folds
Axorm: folds
ChadBrownPRO: calls 2050
nofingclue11: folds
*** FLOP ***
ChadBrownPRO: checks
Pappe_Ruk: checks
*** TURN ***
ChadBrownPRO: bets 5000
Pappe_Ruk: calls 5000
*** RIVER ***
ChadBrownPRO: bets 7000
Pappe_Ruk: calls 7000
*** SHOW DOWN ***
ChadBrownPRO: shows (a pair of Queens)
Pappe_Ruk: shows (three of a kind, Nines)
Pappe_Ruk collected 30775 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 30775 | Rake 0
Board
Seat 1: Crisper folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: intervntion folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: revirjohn folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Axorm (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: ChadBrownPRO (small blind) showed and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 6: nofingclue11 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: Pappe_Ruk showed {9d 9s} and won (30775) with three of a kind, Nines
Seat 8: tiger heat folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: Money800 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

This hand is against Chad Brown. He had already been playing bad during the PCA some weeks earlier and wasn't having his best night in this tournament either. I raise UTG with 99 and he calls in the BB. The flop comes Q35, he checks and I check behind. On the turn I make my set and he bets out 5,000 into a 6,675 pot. We are both sitting 35 BB deep and I still have 33,5K left after my check on the flop. The pot is now 11,675 and I have two options, raising or calling. Because there is a big possibility he might be bluffing here, I decide to just call. The pot is now 16,675 and we both still have about 28K left. He bets 7K on the river, which looks like a value bet. The flush has been completed and there isn't much point in raising here because its unlikely I will be getting a lot of value out of worse hands. I call, he shows KQ and I take down the nice pot. With hindsight, I think a min-raise to 10 or 12K on the turn wouldn't have been a bad idea. Then again, that might have come over too strong, as I would never do that with hands like JJ or TT, hands that will often be in my range after checking the flop.

PokerStars Game #24043828033: Tournament #132767618, $500+$30 Hold'em No Limit - Level IX (500/1000) - 2009/01/18 20:40:29 ET
Table '132767618 34' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: Crisper (19353 in chips)
Seat 2: intervntion (21209 in chips)
Seat 3: revirjohn (50005 in chips)
Seat 4: Axorm (28833 in chips)
Seat 5: ChadBrownPRO (39809 in chips)
Seat 6: nofingclue11 (36505 in chips)
Seat 7: Pappe_Ruk (62769 in chips)
Seat 8: tiger heat (39825 in chips)
Seat 9: Money800 (29471 in chips)
Crisper: posts the ante 75
intervntion: posts the ante 75
revirjohn: posts the ante 75
Axorm: posts the ante 75
ChadBrownPRO: posts the ante 75
nofingclue11: posts the ante 75
Pappe_Ruk: posts the ante 75
tiger heat: posts the ante 75
Money800: posts the ante 75
Crisper: posts small blind 500
intervntion: posts big blind 1000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Pappe_Ruk
revirjohn: folds
Axorm: folds
ChadBrownPRO: folds
nofingclue11: folds
Pappe_Ruk: raises 1455 to 2455
tiger heat: raises 4545 to 7000
Money800: folds
Crisper: folds
intervntion: folds
Pappe_Ruk: raises 55694 to 62694 and is all-in
tiger heat: folds
Uncalled bet (55694) returned to Pappe_Ruk
Pappe_Ruk collected 16175 from pot
Pappe_Ruk: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 16175 | Rake 0
Seat 1: Crisper (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: intervntion (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: revirjohn folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Axorm folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: ChadBrownPRO folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: nofingclue11 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: Pappe_Ruk collected (16175)
Seat 8: tiger heat folded before Flop
Seat 9: Money800 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)

This is the last hand for today. After I had won a couple of hands I started opening more, something that the other players at the table also realised. I raise in the Hijack and get 3-bet by tiger heat in position who found an ideal spot there; I'm chipleader, I raise a lot, the stacksizes are ideal and he is in position. The first thing that immediately came to mind was to shove, which is also what I did. He insta-folds and I win the hand. It is important to not let other players walk all over you. If you raise a lot, you will also be re-raised a lot, so you will also need to start playing back at these 3-bets lighter than you normally would. This is not something I often do as a bluff, maybe two or three times per tournament, depending on the situation of course. Make sure not to make a move like this just for the fun of it and make sure you have some good reasons for it.

I still have quite a few hands to go through from this tournament, but we'll save those for next time.

Greetings from Utrecht

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