As mentioned in a previous post, I told you that I no longer played poker online due to a number of various reasons. Well I guess I need to justify that by saying that I no longer play poker online for real money. I had about 1500 FPPs built up on sanghoki from my approx. 3 month stint playing online. I have been slowly but surely burning those FPPs up and am down to about 200. Last night I played in a 60 FPP buyin event on sanghoki which would get me into a 6000 FPP event which would then get me into a buyin for the Monte Carlo event coming up that they are having in Europe.

The tournament starts with 400 or so. This was the 1st time in about 2 or 3 months that I actually played using FPPs. I started off a little rusty and then things get interesting when I am dealt AA UTG

I think to myself early in the tournament online with this kind of hand means 20xBB bet. I NEVER limp with aces. In my experience if you don’t bet big online you get everybody and their mother limping in for 1xBB to 5xBB and flopping 2 pair especially early in tourney with the weaker players still lurking about.

Anyways… I bring it in for 400 and get 2 callers.

Flop Comes: J9Q

Not a very good flop when you are holding pocket rockets. I check. 2 seats to my left bets 600 and the button folds. I go into the tank and am about to fold when the guy says verbatim “You should fold bitch!”. I get emotional when I play online. If this would’ve happened in the casino I would’ve smiled and folded but oh no. Not here. I get pissed and push them all to the middle. Josh Arieh Jr. calls and flips up the A9. The flop then comes rag, rag and I knock him out which puts me in position to sit back and coast for a while.

I continue on playing extremely well in my opinion staying in the middle of the pack the whole tournament. I make it through 2 breaks and the following hand comes up with about 57 people left and me sitting about 20th or so with a stack of about 19K. Chip leader is like 68k or something so I don’t mind where I am at right now.

The blinds are 400/800 with a 50 ante and I am dealt KJ

Everyone folds around to me and I am 2 seats off the button so I raise to 1600. The SB folds to the BB and the BB limps.

Flop Comes:88Q

He checks and I bet 1600. Something just doesn’t feel right here. He doesn’t have an 8 or a Q. At this point I haven’t put him on anything yet but I just think I have the best hand right here. A raise here would’ve pushed me out but he limps. This shows me more weakness.

Turn Comes:8

I don’t know why (maybe it was the subconscious knowledge of how the fella had been playing) but I don’t think he has me beat. I figured he might have a K-10 or something. Maybe an A (in which case I am beat) but I didn’t think so for some reason. Anyways… He comes out betting. The minimum bet. Is this a tease??? I think I can put him away. I push’em to the middle and he calls immediately.

I never put him on a pocket pair. He flips up 66

Dang. I think. He has me covered up (with about 40k) and I am gone. BUT WAIT…

The river brings the J and I double up to about 40k.

From here things get a bit boring for about 30 minutes or so. I play a few hands and fold alot of hands and am sitting at about 5th out of 16. With the top 4 all ranging in stacks from 80 to 100k I have about 40k or so still.

Then my Mike Matusow blowup happens… We are down to 7 at our table. 15 total players are still left.

I am UTG dealt AQ

I raise to 4800 with the blinds at 600/1200. Only 1 caller. The chip leader at my table (and the tournament for that matter) who is sitting on the button limps in.

Right here I think I make the right read and put him on maybe an A or K high card only. I figure he is playing his position and wanting to see a flop.

Well the flop comes: 263 and I check thinking that didn’t hit either one of us but I am definitely in the lead.

The button pushes and bets 3200. I call quickly and the turn comes 9

I check here and the button bets 3200 again. I feel like I have the best hand here and I raise to 6400 pretty quickly.

The button goes into the tank. Now while he is in the tank I will tell you what I am thinking here. I am thinking he has an Ace with a lower kicker than me but he hasn’t paired the board.

The button comes back and raises me to 17k and change. Now I really think I have him beat since he overbets the pot like he did and I haven’t ever seen him bet like that before in the 45 minutes that I have seen him playing. I push allin and the button goes into the tank.

I think he is about to lay it down right here and choose to fight another day but he calls half his stack with….. A3

Damn…. Now I have one card and one card only that will save me and when the J falls on the river I get put out in 15th.

Did I play this hand wrong? I feel like I read the guy right but since I got knocked out I feel like I did something wrong

I am glad that I did put him on a bluff hand though when he overbet the pot like he did. Betting a 3rd button pair on the board like that is a bluff in my opinion…. Okay maybe I will give him a semi-bluff.

Anyways… let me know what you think about the plays that I have mentioned. I would really like to know what you think about the play that I got knocked out with. I think I should’ve bet after the flop and then been willing to let my hand go after his raise on the turn but I don’t know. What would you have done given the circumstances.

I have about 130 or so FPPs left so I will get to try my hand a couple of more times at these things before I am all out. see you across the felt..