Gray-haired poker TRs: Living the WSOP dream

Hi Leon,

I can't argue with pretty much anything in your first post. My level of aggression needs to be ... more. When I get somewhat short-handed I am very comfortable significantly turning up the aggression. When I am deeper, not as much. I'm working on it. I'm a work in progress.

As for your second post, while you may very well be right, I'm not flashy and I'm not interested in playing the role of the guy who is a little douchey. I'd rather be me. If that leaves some meat on the bone, so be it.

I feel like I am doing something right since the last WSOP ended since I keep getting fairly close to the money bubble. On the other hand, I have not been getting over the hump lately. Admittedly, small sample size.

But I need to find more spots than I am taking. That could lead to two steps backward before three steps forward. When I know I am playing every day for an extended period of time, I feel like I find more spots to be aggressive such as when I am playing every day at the WSOP. If I bust, there is always either a re-entry or another tournament the next day. It's when I am playing in tournaments the rest of the year that are one offs that I find it more difficult to rachet up the aggression because if I bust, there is no tomorrow.

I'm playing in a tournament tomorrow. Let's see if I can find more spots to turn up the heat.

And I take no insult at anything you wrote. Anytime time you have a blunt assessment, feel free to let it rip. I can take it.

Yeah, looks like Airbnb doesn't break out the host fees, cleaning fees, etc., any more. There was a federal regulation that took effect last year mandating the all-in price excluding taxes be the advertised price.

Looking forward to the Florida TR!

This strikes me as a great attitude. Take the input of other, more experienced, players without insult. As I've been saying for decades, the truth cannot be pejorative.

Two things, of course: is what's being discussed really the truth. Also, that does not apply only to poker.

Massive Florida trip report content incoming. A 13-part series.

I get a Lyft out of Florida poker ... A poker tournament almost no one in the casino seems to know about ... Sports book ... A Vegas style buffet
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 1 OF 13)

Enough of the 20-degree weather in Illinois. Mrs. rppoker, our younger daughter and my mom are tired of living like Eskimos. We are spending 10 days in Hollywood, Florida where the weather is in the 70s. It’s nice to thaw out and warm up.

Mrs. rppoker chose the location and the Airbnb house. I was happy about the fact that there is a nearby casino with tournaments going on.

The tournament that worked best for our schedule is the Seminole Hard Rock Casino 6:00 p.m. $250 buy in Quad Stack with a $20,000 guaranteed prize pool. It’s a re-entry tournament. Starting stacks are 40,000 chips, and while the blinds go up every 20 minutes, the amounts of the increases are the bare minimum, unlike some other tourneys I’ve played recently where they skip certain jumps. This quad stack tourney looks like it could be a slow, deep structure, which I like.

Mrs. rppoker, my daughter and mother are going shopping and are taking our rent-a-car, so I’m on my own for transportation. That means Lyft, which may or may not be a challenge for me.

There’s a story here that I don’t think I’ve shared in this thread. I am a limited partner in a fund that invests in mid-stage start-up companies. The fund does not invest in start ups during their earliest stages. Instead, it invests in companies that are at the midway point between two guys starting in a garage and the actual IPO. They have a land and expand approach where they start with a smallish investment and if they like what they see over time they keep investing larger amounts.

Once a year they hold a conference for the limited partners where they bring in the CEOs of a bunch of the companies the fund is invested in, the first meeting taking place in California. I was all signed up to attend. One of the startups the fund was invested in was Lyft. At the time I had never used Lyft or Uber. I figured there was a good possibility that the limited partners would go out in the evenings of the conference, and I thought I’d look ridiculous if we took a Lyft and I was unable to use the app. So, I had one of my daughters set me up with a Lyft account. Unfortunately, my dad’s health took a significant turn for the worse, and I was unable to attend the conference.

Ever since, the Lyft app has sat on my cell phone, never once being used.

Well, today was the day I would need to use it. My daughter offered to order the Lyft for me, but I said no. It was time for me to put my big boy pants on and do it for myself. Step one, I realized, was I needed to update my credit card info in the app. Smooth sailing. Then, at the appointed time, I took a deep breath and ordered a car. Success! Look at me, utilizing technology and getting with the times. I realize this sounds like no big deal, but at my age I believe in celebrating any instance in which I master some aspect of technology. Next stop: the casino.

I get to the Seminole Hard Rock plenty early because I have stuff to get done. Job 1 is I need to get a player card. That goes smoothly at first. I have my card, but the ride gets a bit bumpy when I ask them where the 6:00 p.m. poker tourney is being held. In other words, is it being held in the poker room, or does the fact that it is part of a series of events mean it is taking place in a ballroom. They look at me as though I have just spoken in Klingon. They have no idea that the series is even taking place. How is it that the people handling player card creation have no idea about the casino’s poker series going on at the moment? The person helping me asks her supervisor. The supervisor seems a bit unsure but says if it’s a poker series it must be taking place in a ballroom. The ballrooms are at the opposite end of the casino. I make the long walk, and when I get to the ballrooms, there is not a poker table to be seen. A medical imaging conference is taking place.

I see a casino staffer (there are tons of casino staff walking the casino floor which is helpful), and I ask if they know where the poker tournaments are taking place. The staffer does not know, but he tells me to go to the Players Club. I go there, have to wait in line for a bit, and when it is my turn, I find out that they have no idea. They check some sheet of paper that seems to have a list of events taking place on the grounds, but no mention of poker tournaments. When I tell them that I have already checked the ballrooms, they suggest I try the poker room, which is at the opposite end of the casino from where I am, far away from the casino floor, past all of the shops. If it was any further away, I’d leave Hollywood and be in Miami.

Even when I get near the poker room, I miss it. I find another staffer and they tell me where to go. It is tucked away out of sight. Like a dirty little secret. But I am in the right place. I go to the cage and try to sign up, but it’s too early.

I go to the sports book thinking I can kill some time there. But it has three soccer games and a spring training baseball game on the big screens. That’s not a desirable option for me, so I wander the property and take pictures for the Trip Report.

Cool waterfall:

Guitars, guitars, guitars everywhere you look:

I haven’t eaten today, but the buffet won’t open until 5:00 p.m. (my player card gets me a 50% discount, so that’s the place for me to eat). I guess if I want to kill time, it’s back to the sports book. I consider placing a bet on Notre Dame to cover what I think was a 16.5 spread against #1 ranked Duke. My theory is Duke just won a monster matchup against my Michigan basketball team and may not be focused on Notre Dame. In the end, I don’t place the bet because 1) I never bet on sports, and 2) I know absolutely nothing about Notre Dame. Good thing I passed, because Duke won by 44.

I take a seat in the sports book. Soccer dominates the big screens.

One of the soccer games on the big screens ends in a 0-0 tie. I know soccer fans will disagree with this, but I can’t think of many things more painful than going to a soccer game and neither team scores a goal. To me, that means nothing has happened.

It reminds me of a story I don’t think I’ve told in this thread. After I graduated from college, three friends and I bought two season’s tickets to Chicago Blackhawks games, and we divided up the tickets. I went to a game against a non-Canadian team. The two guys sitting next to me were all dressed up in Toronto Maple Leafs gear. I asked them why they were at the game since not only was Toronto not playing, but the Blackhawks opponent was not even from Canada. They said they were big hockey fans, and they had always wanted to go to a game in Chicago Stadium so that they could hear the loud scoring horn that goes off when Chicago scores a goal. They had made the eight-hour drive to hear the scoring horn. Hard core. Final score: 0-0. An eight-hour drive each way for them just to hear the scoring horn, which never sounded because the game ended in a scoreless tie. You’ve never seen two guys more disappointed. So, 0-0 ties leave a lot to be desired.

I get to the buffet at 4:55 pm for the 5:00 opening. There is a line. It is pretty long. It skews senior citizens. My people. At 5:00, it doesn’t open. At 5:01 the barbarian horde is getting restless. At 5:02 they let us in, and there was much rejoicing. I show my player card and get my 50% discount.

Of course, I start with the seafood section which is very good.

A waitress comes by and asks for my drink order. They have Dr Pepper. I am a happy customer.

Trip #2 to the buffet has me go to the Italian section, which is satisfactory.

Trip #3 sees me go for beef from the meat section and a couple of dumplings of some kind (the best things I eat at the buffet) from the Asian section. The beef is solid but not memorable, so I just eat a couple of bites of it since I’m getting full.

Trip #4 is dessert, and I get a berry sorbet, a cheesecake cupcake, and a molten chocolate. All are excellent.

I leave the buffet. The poker tournament begins in 23 minutes. Do I have a food coma coming on to overcome?

The tourney begins ... Five-handed play ... I get off to a fast start
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 2 OF 13)

I get to the poker room and sign up. The temperature in the room is close to perfect. There will be a brief stretch where it gets mildly cold, but for the most part it is just right. No icebox like so many poker tournaments. The room itself is very pleasing to the eye.

It’s time to play some poker.

Level 1
100/100/100
40,000 starting stacks.

On a board of 5-5-7-K-K, I have A-10. As played, I don’t think my opponent has a 5 or a King. I think my Ace is going to give me the winner, so when my opponent checks I bet for what may be thin value. If he raises, I’ll fold. He calls with Q-J.

I flop a straight and win a big hand.

I already am up to 50,000 chips.

I am dealt 9-9. Someone limps, I raise. Call. On a 5-5-J-7, I bet and get a couple streets of value before a rag river in which I bet, and my opponent folds. I have 52,600 chips.

We have been playing five-handed the entire level. I am off to a fast start.

End of level 1: 51,000 chips

Level 2
100/200/200

We remain five-handed the entire level.

I am dealt A-Q and no one calls my opening bet.

I have A-K. I bet and get one call. I whiff the flop, but I continuation bet and get called. The turn is a delightful K, I bet and my opponent folds.

I have 4-4 and the flop hits villain’s range so I fold to a bet.

End of level 2: 56,000 chips

Level 3
200/300/300

I am dealt Q-Q. I bet and get a call. The flop is 2-7-4. I bet and get called. The turn is an Ace and it goes check-check. The river is a blank. I check, planning to call any raise, but villain checks back and mucks when he sees my pair of Queens.

We are now seven-handed.

End of level 3: 63,500 chips

Trip Queens ... K-K but there’s an Ace on the flop against the table fish ... A player overplays K-J vs. my A-A ... Two pairs on the turn
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 3 OF 13)

Level 4
200/400/400

I have no playable hands this level. I’ve been the most active player at the table, so I don’t get out of line with junk because I suspect people may be getting ready to start playing back at me.

The player to my immediate left is very aggressive. The player to my right does not like to fold.

End of level 4: 60,500 chips

Level 5
300/600/600

I am dealt Q-Q. I bet and get three calls. As I just wrote, I’ve been involved in a lot of hands, and I suspect people are ready to give me action. I flop a set of Queens. I hear angels singing. I am first to act, and I just check. I am certain someone will bet, especially the very aggro player to my left. All three opponents check. Color me surprised. The turn is no threat to me. It’s time to get some chips in the pot. I bet. All three players fold. Damn. That’s just not right. Disappointed. Now the aggro player to my left decides to show discipline?

The table is finally nine-handed for the first time.

End of level 6: 65,600 chips

Level 6
400/800/800

Two players limp. I look down at K-K and pop it to 4,000. Only the table fish calls. Why is he the table fish? He acts uncertain. He is giving off tells left and right. He fumbles his chips. Plus, he is wearing a zipper jacket that says “Dr. HisLastName” and the name of his practice on it, which reminds me of the scene from Rounders where two conventioneers sit down at a poker table full of regs and Mike says, “These guys have no idea what they are about to walk into.”

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=123393...

The fact that Fish has just called, makes me think he does not have a monster. He’d have raised if he did. I am thinking something like a weak ace. If I can avoid an Ace on the flop and then play slow, I am confident he will hand me his chips. The flop is A-2-3. He instajams all-in for 32,000 chips. He couldn’t get his chips into the middle fast enough. He is acting like he just won the lottery. He has been passive all tournament up until now. I take my time, but I am certain he has an Ace. His excitement is palpable. It sucks to do it, but I fold. I have 59,600 chips. Still way above average. There are way better spots to be had than this.

Just such a better spot happens a few hands later against a player I’ll call Hollywood. Not because of the town by the same name that this casino resides. Hollywood because he puts on a show constantly. When he is going to fold he always makes a show of counting out raising chips, counting out his entire stack, going deep in thought ... and then he mucks his cards. Same process when he calls or raises. Every decision is as if his tournament life is on the line. Not massive tanks, but mini or mini+ tanks constantly. Hollywooding.

I am dealt A-A. Hollywood limps, I raise. Hollywood tanks. Hollywood calls. The flop is J-4-2. Hollywood goes pretty deep in thought and then just checks. I bet. Now he Hollywoods it more than he ever has so far. Really puts on a show. Counting his chips. Counting out chips to raise. Deep in the tank. He seems pained. The Oscar for best supporting actor in a poker tournament goes to ...

He goes all-in huge. I ask for a count, because I have to consider if he flopped a set. Someone at the table says he has me covered, and before the dealer can finish the count I call. Hollywood has K-J for a pair of Jacks with a King kicker, which is way behind my Aces. The turn and river run pure for me, and now I have a massive 121,500 chips.

The level ends, and I’m color up guy as table chip leader.

End of level 6: 121,500 chips

Level 7
500/1,000/1,000

I have Ad-4d and we are four to the flop, which is J-7-4. It checks all around. The turn is an Ace. Lovely. I have two pair. I then get into a big hand with AggroGuy to my left after the turn and after a blank on the river. He has A-9 for top pair, medium kicker, which is no match for my two pairs. When he sees my cards AggroGuy is very angry.

End of level 7: 138,000 chips

9-9 and the board is 8 high ... I actually lose a hand ... My chip stack continues its steady rocket into the stratosphere
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 4 OF 13)

Level 8
500/1,500/1,500

I am dealt 9-9. I bet and get one call. The board runs out 2-3-5-7-8. I bet and get called on the flop. I bet and get call on the turn. I bet and my opponent folds on the river. I have 175,500 chips.

I give back some chips semi bluffing against Hollywood who has rebuilt his chip stack nicely after my A-A took a ton of chips from him earlier. I have K-10 and I open the betting. Hollywood and someone else both call. The flop is Q-10-2. I continuation bet with middle pair, and Hollywood and the other guy both call. The turn is an Ace. Two overcards to my pair of 10s with a King kicker. I think I should slow down. I could try to bulldoze my way to the pot, but my sense is I am beat and I should slow down. I have heaps of chips and no reason to give away a ton of them. I check, the other guy in the hand checks. Hollywood then puts on a major show before going all-in. I fold. Can’t win every hand. Can’t be all gas and no breaks. This was a small speed bump.

End of level 8: 166,000 chips

Level 9
1,000/1,500/1,500

I have A-7 in late position. It folds to me, and I open with a bet. The big blind calls. I whiff the flop. Villain checks, I bet, villain folds.

I have A-J, and I open the betting and get one call from a loose aggressive player, who is somewhat new to the table. The flop is 10 high. Nothing for me, but I bet anyway and LAG calls. The turn is a beautiful Jack. I bet, LAG calls. The river is a harmless rag. I bet and LAG folds. I have 197,500 chips.

End of Level 9: 193,500

We go on break. I write down a number of things in my notes:

“My chip stack has been like a hot Artificial Intelligence stock climbing almost nonstop with all peaks and almost no valleys. I am getting great cards. Flops have been overwhelmingly positive in relation to what I have. ... I’ve made a couple of big laydowns, including one I did not write down for some reason (I think I may have had a big hand the very next hand) in which I opened with J-J, a weak player went all in massive and I felt this was not worth playing for so much given how much I seemed to be controlling the table. Yes, it’s nitty, but my sense at the time was I was either dominated or flipping. The other big fold was probably more standard when I had K-K on an Ace high board and Fish went all in huge at the time. ... It’s nice to have so many chips that I view the blinds as insignificant ... After I won a massive pot against Hollywood with A-A, I sense that he desperately wants to outplay me in a hand. He keeps calling my raises, glaring at me in a way he doesn’t seem to do against anyone else.

Late registration ends ... Two pair against a worse two pair ... I make a flush ... My chip stack keeps growing
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 5 OF 13)

Level 10
1,000/2,000/2,000

Late registration has ended. There were 111 entrants and 14 will get paid. There are currently 56 players remaining in the tournament.

I am dealt 9-9. I open from early position and get one caller. The flop is 2-5-7, which is awesome for my pair of 9s. I bet. Villain calls. The turn is a Jack. I slow down for pot control. I’m not folding if villain bets. It goes check-check. I’m feeling pretty good about my nines, but I want to act cautiously. The river is an 8. I have second pair. I decide I will check-call if it comes to that. I check. Villain bets. I call. Villain has K-J and has me beat. I am confused. I thought I was supposed to win every hand this tournament. That’s what it has felt like up to now. I have a still imposing 160,500 chips.

On the next hand I face off against a LAG player from earlier who is now on his second bullet. I have A-8 and flop top two pair. I bet and LAG calls. LAG hits a worse two pair on the turn. I bet, he calls. The river is a King, which I don’t love (if he had A-K), but I remain confident I am ahead. I think LAG having A-K is unlikely. I bet. LAG goes all-in. I do not think he would play A-K this way, and I call. He’s out, and I now have 236,500 chips. Tournament chip average is 79,286.

There are 45 players remaining.

I am dealt A-J. I flop an Ace and my opponent folds to my bet. I have 246,000 chips.

I have As-9s. I bet and get two calls. The flop is Js-Jh-9c. I have a pair of 9s and a back door flush draw. I bet and get one call. The turn is a 2s. I now have a pair of 9s and a flush draw. I bet and get called. The river is a 4s. I now have the nut flush but full houses could be out there. I choose not to see monsters under the bed, and I bet. Villain calls and mucks when he says my flush. I have 292,500 chips.

In the small blind, I have J-10. It folds to me, and I bet. Big Blind calls. The flop is A-Q-2 rainbow. I bet, Big Blind calls. The turn is a Jack, giving me third pair. I decide I will bet and quite possibly/probably give up on the river. I bet the turn, and Big Blind folds.

There are 36 players remaining. Chip average is 120,000.

Hollywood has now gone to a hoodie (hoodie up) and sunglasses. Oooooh, sinister.

An early position player goes all-in for 18,000 chips. It folds to me in the big blind, and I call. We both have A-K offsuit. We chop.

Next hand I am in the small blind, and it folds to me. I have 5-6 off suit, and I bet. Big blind folds.

End of level 11: 292,500 chips

Level 12
1,500/3,000/3,000

34 players left.

I am dealt A-Q. I bet 9,000 and get one call. The flop is J-J-2. I bet and get the fold. I have 306,000 chips (average chip stack is 138,750).

End of level 12: 300,000 chips

Level 13
2,000/4,000/4,000

My allergies have kicked in like crazy. This sucks.

I have 4-4. One player limps. I bet 12,000, and he calls. The flop is 3-5-6 rainbow. I have a pair and a hidden open-ended straight draw. Villain has 53,000 chips by my estimation. I go all-in. He folds. I have 310,500 chips.

Hollywood has done a great job of bouncing back from his big loss to my A-A earlier. He has at least as many chips as me and maybe more.

End of level 13: 310,500 chips (29 players remaining, 14 will cash)

(I think this was my chip stack at this time)

Level 14
2,500/5,000/5,000

My notes are a little unclear on this hand, but I think I was in the small blind. It folds to the button who limps 5,000. I have K-J and bump it to 20,000. Big blind and button both fold.

I have 8-8 UTG+1, and I bet. Everyone folds. I have 330,000 chips.

End of level 14: 320,000 chips

We go on break. Down to 24 players. My allergies are kicking my ass.

I 3-bet light with 8-8 ... I 4-bet with K-K ... I flop a set of Queens ... The deck loves me
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 6 OF 13)

Level 15
3,000/6,000/6,000

I am dealt K-Qo UTG. I open the betting, and everyone folds.

With 22 players remaining, I am dealt 9-9, and I open the betting. Everyone folds.

I am dealt 8-8 in the big blind. It folds to the button who bets. I 3-bet and the button folds. I show my pair of 8s, and the button says, “That’s a pretty light 3-bet.” This response is exactly the reaction I was hoping for. I want the table to think I am overplaying hands in hopes that I’ll get paid off when I have a much bigger hand the next time I 3-bet.

End of level 15: 351,000 chips (22 players left. Eliminations are happening at a snail’s pace, and we have a way to go before the money bubble bursts).

Level 16
4,000/8,000/8,000

Surprisingly, my allergies have taken a turn for the better. I haven’t done anything to solve the problem. It has simply gone away on its own.

There. is an open and a 3-bet. I look down at K-K, and I 4-bet. This is where I hope showing my recent 3-bet with 8-8 will pay off. I have baited the trap. Maybe my opponents in this hand were not paying attention earlier, because everyone folds, and the 3-bettor shows an Ace. I have 377,000 chips. Chip average is 211,429.

End of level 16: 357,000 chips (21 players remain)

Level 17
5,000/10,000/10,000

The table chip leader opens with a bet of 25,000. I have Q-Q. I consider a 3-bet but decide to just call and assess after the flop, which is a tremendous K-Q-2. TableChipLeader bets, I raise and he folds. I have 422,000 chips (average is 233,684).

End of level 17: 413,000 chips (19 players remain)

On an A-7-A flop I bluff with King high ... On an Ace high board I bluff with King high ... The money bubble nears
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 7 OF 13)

Level 18
6,000/12,000/12,000

We lose another player to get down to 18 remaining, meaning my table goes from six-handed to nine-handed. Two full tables are all that are left. I tell myself to adjust accordingly to the fully stocked table.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to bet a wider range of hands. It folds to me in the small blind, and I have A-7, which isn’t a premium but looks pretty strong with only one player left to act. I open the betting, and the big blind folds.

We get down to 17 remaining (14 cash).

When I am in the big blind, I have K-10. A middle position player limps, and the small blind just completes the blinds. I consider raising, but instead I just decide to check. The flop is A-7-A. The small blind checks. I decide I will take one stab at winning the pot. I bet, and both of my opponents fold.

Next hand I am in the small blind, and I look down at A-K. It folds to the button, who limps for 12,000. I raise it up to 36,000. The big blind folds. The button limper also folds.

End of level 18: 457,000 chips (16 players remain, 14 will cash)

Level 19
8,000/16,000/16,000

I am in the small blind and it folds to me. I have Kh-8h, and I raise. The big blind calls. The flop is Ace high. I have not connected with any of it, but 1) people have been folding to my aggression, and 2) I was the pre flop aggressor so an Ace is more likely to be in my hand than in the big blind’s hand. I continuation bet. Villain raises. I fold. I tell myself, no big deal. As the saying goes, if you don’t ever get caught bluffing then you aren’t bluffing enough. I still have a hefty 379,000 chips.

The next hand I play, I have A-K. Two players limp 16,000 each. I raise it up to 64,000. Both players fold.

End of level 19: 430,000 chips. Chip average is 277,500.

We go on break. Still 16 players remaining. Players have been busting at a really slow pace the past five or so levels. We remain two from the money.

The money bubble bursts ... I make a big lay down with A-J ... I have A-4 on The Final Table bubble
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 8 OF 13)

Level 20
10,000/20,000/20,000

I am dealt Q-Q. I open the betting and everyone folds. I have 480,000 chips.

A player busts on the other table, and finally we are on the money bubble. I go card dead for a couple of orbits. The bubble bursts. We’re in the money.

End of level 20: 380,000 chips (average stack is 341,538)

Level 21
15,000/25,000/25,000

13 left.

12 left.

I have A-J, I bet 75,000. An extremely, extremely tight player raises to 300,000. If I call, it will be for almost my entire stack. Against this opponent I am absolutely certain I am way behind. I take my time. It feels like it will be a big fold, but I think it will be the correct fold if I waive the white flag of surrender. If I fold I’ll still have a workable 12 big blinds. It feels bad, but I fold.

I have to pay the blinds, and I’m down to 240,000 chips. I need to find a hand and go with it.

11 left.

10 left.

We are on The Final Table bubble.

A player I have barely covered goes all-in. I have A-4. I think this is good enough to go with, and I call. Villain has K-J. My hand holds. I have made The Final Table with a reasonably healthy chip stack.

End of level 21: 430,000 chips

Go go go! Run good!

I 3-bet all-in with A-J ... I fold K-Q against a bet that turns out to be A-A ... I keep getting K-Q ... I bet/fold A-K when faced with a huge all-in by an unknown opponent
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 9 OF 13)

Level 22
15,000/30,000/30,000

I have to surrender my blinds, and I’m down to 355,000 chips.

I have A-J, and there is a limp and a raise before it is my turn to act. I go all-in. The limper folds, and I am kind of surprised that the original raiser folds. I have 520,000 chips (average stack is 493,333). Yes, I folded the same A-J one level earlier when faced with a large 3-bet, but in this instance I was the 3-bettor. Plus, opponent dependent.

In my mind, the best player at The Final Table is seated to my immediate right. I played against him seated to my immediate left at my prior table. He is very friendly, very chatty in a good way and a very good player. We have been talking to each other a bunch. Doesn’t mean we are opposed to winning each other’s chips.

When he is UTG+1, he opens the betting. I have K-Q. I know from watching his play that a raise is not going to blow him off his hand. Plus, I do not think this is a raising hand against an UTG+1 open. Just calling seems bad at this stage since even if I flop top pair, there is a good chance I may be dominated. I am studying him, and my spidey senses are going crazy. I am convinced he has a big hand. I fold. He shows A-A. Crisis averted.

A player gets eliminated, and we are eight-handed.

I am dealt K-Q in middle position. It folds to me. While K-Q was not a call or a raise just a bit earlier when I faced an UTG+1 raise, it is definitely a betting hand when I am first in the pot from middle position. I bet and everyone folds.

End of level 22: 520,000 chips (average stack is 555,000)

Level 23
20,000/40,000/40,000

I have A-K. I open the betting. It folds to a tiny, tiny Asian woman who is old enough to be someone’s grandma. Probably old enough to be someone’s great grandma. I have not noticed her at all since I was moved to The Final Table. I had not played at a table with her at any time earlier in the tournament. She has either played zero or maybe one hand at The Final Table. Up until now she has been invisible to me sitting at the opposite end of the table. My read on her is that she is super, super tight. She has me covered, and she goes all-in. Now what do I do? I have plenty of chips. If I call her and I’m wrong, I’m out in eighth place when the significant money is top 4 or so. I can’t imagine her doing this with A-Q or A-J. And that leaves pairs which are either coin flips (with me a slight underdog) or I’m dominated if she has K-K or A-A. Do I really want to get it all-in with a hand that is a slight coin flip underdog to 2-2? If I fold, I will still have plenty of playability. Other than the chatty player to my immediate right who I think is better than both me and the entire rest of the table, I feel like I can hold my own against everyone else. Given that I’m not excited to play for it all against what I think is the tightest player at the table. It’s nitty and maybe it’s wrong, but I make the huge lay down.

I will eventually find out that my read on AsianGreatGrandma was in fact completely wrong. She turns out to be quite aggressive and willing to play for stacks quite often with somewhat light holdings. ChattyGuy to my right, who is a regular here, will much later tell me that she is a loose cannon. Even so, I’m not unhappy with my decision to not flip for everything if she had any pair. I suspect LVL will disagree with me, but I’ll analyze this hand in more detail later on.

After a while I am starting to see my chips dwindle. A player gets eliminated. Pay jump. Seven players remain.

Bluffing with K-5 ... K-Q again and I get it in great ... K-Q again and I get it in bad
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 10 OF 13)

It folds to me in the small blind, and I have K-5. The current player to my left is someone I have been at the same table as for much of the tournament. For quite some time now his only moves are to go all-in when it folds to him or fold. I have yet to see him call a big raise. I go all-in with my meager K-5. I need to manufacture chips, and K-5 should be ahead of any two random cards he has. He folds.

I am dealt K-Q. I have had K-Q a lot this tournament in scary spots. I folded it earlier to an opening bet when my opponent had A-A. This time I am first to act and I get into a huge all-in with a much bigger stack. My K-Q has his K-J dominated. My hand holds, and I have heaps of chips once again.

End of level 23: 690,000 chips

Level 24
30,000/60,000/60,000

The blinds are going through the roof, yet we have hardly lost anyone from The Final Table. We are still seven-handed.

I once again am dealt the confounding K-Q. I bet 180,000. One of the more passive players at The Final Table goes all-in. If I fold I will have 8.5 blinds. I think now is the time to embrace variance. I feel like my initial bet of 180,000 was committing. I am hoping he has a pair 2-2 through J-J and we are flipping. And if he has it, he has it. I call.

He has it.

A-K is what he turns over. Miraculously, I turn a straight. He has three outs to the same straight. If I hold I will be the easy chip leader. He hits his three outer on the river to make the same straight. We chop. What might have been. I can’t complain seeing as how I got it in bad.

I bluff with K-2 ... Another player and I turn down chop talk ... K-Q again and the turn is glorious ... I may be chip leader
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 11 OF 13)

When it folds to me in the small blind, I look down at K-2. As I wrote earlier, the big blind seems loathe to call big bets. I go all-in. He folds.

This same player to my left has been begging for a chip chop for a while now. The chatty player to my right said earlier that he never chops. I said at the same time that I also am not interested in a chop.

End of level 24: 615,000 chips (just a smidge below chip average). No one was eliminated this level.

Level 25
40,000/80,000/80,000

A player gets eliminated. We are now down to six players remaining. The player to my left again raises the question of a chip chop. No one is interested.

I am in the big blind, and I have K-Q. My goodness, I have had K-Q a lot. I call an UTG+1 open. The flop is 7-7-8. I check, and to my surprise he checks as well. The turn is a Queen. I now have a made hand. I bet, and he calls. The river is a 7. I go all-in. Villain folds. I have 915,000 chips, and I think I may be chip leader.

Card dead for a couple of orbits ... I am shocked to learn what time it is ... The blinds get so massive that every player only has 5-to-11 big blinds ... we agree to a chip chop
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 12 OF 13)

When I am UTG I have 8-8. I open the betting and everyone folds.

I then go card dead for a couple of orbits, which is unfortunate timing. I can’t complain seeing as how I have been dealt a ton of premium hands throughout the night.

End of level 25: 715,000 chips

We go on break. I have had my phone turned off for quite some time now because I am getting low on charge, and I’ll need it functional to get a Lyft to the Airbnb where I am staying. I ask the floor what time it is. He says it is a bit past 3:00 a.m. I am shocked. I had no concept of time.

My back is kind of achy from sitting, so I take a walk. When I return the chatty guy to my right – the best player at the table who earlier said he never chops – says maybe we should consider a chip chop. He notes that with the blinds about to go to 50,000/100,000/100,000 all of the remaining players only have between 5 and 11 big blinds.

ChattyGuyToMyRight says, “With those blinds, we’re about to play Bingo.” While I don’t like the idea of chopping philosophically, I see the merit. My reason for not liking chops is I figure if you never play a final table to its conclusion, how do you prepare for the big score when you final table a major tourney like a WSOP bracelet event. That said, there is no play left at these blinds with the paltry by comparison chips currently on the table. Whoever gets hands is going to win. Not much to be learned. Plus, the guy to my left has a flight to catch at 6:00 a.m. When the other players return from break, ChattyGuy and I both say we are OK with a chip chop given the massive blinds to follow. The guy to my left with a plane to catch is deliriously happy. The other players are good with a chop. The floor runs the numbers for a chip chop, and everyone signs off on the deal. Zero negotiation. Unanimous agreement instantly. Of the six remaining players, I am tied for third in chips. I will get $2,920, which is my biggest tournament cash in my short poker career. Chip leader gets $3,505, and second in chips gets $3,115.

ChattyGuyToMyRight says, “This is the most competitive final table I’ve ever played here.” He says he won a similar event here recently, and that tournament concluded with the blinds at 10,000/20,000/20,000 (level 20). Whereas we were about to go to 50,000/100,000/100,000 (level 26) with six players remaining before we agreed upon a chip chop.

It takes a while, but the floor proceeds to give us the forms for us to take to the cage to get paid. When I receive my stack of one hundred dollar bills, I repeat my much mentioned idea that, “I wish the government would introduce thousand dollar bills.” The cage staffer says, “That would make this easier.” I ask for a receipt, and she says they don’t do that. I say, “What am I supposed to use for tax purposes.” A supervisor hears this and comes over and says she can take care of it and she makes a photocopy of the document the floor gave me.

Next step, get back to my Airbnb. I go to the rideshare area of the casino, and walk outside. I am typing into my Lyft app when what appears to be an independent driver says he can drive me if I need to get somewhere. I tell him where I am going and ask him how much it will cost. He taps away into his phone, and he says, “It will be 40 dollars.” I say, “It only cost me 16 dollars to get here,” and I walk away. I’m not interested in a negotiation with this guy. I punch my info into Lyft and I get a car for $16. It takes him 15 minutes to arrive. I finally get back to my Airbnb at 4:30 a.m.

When I get to my bedroom, Mrs. rppoker stirs and groggily asks, “How did you do?” I say, “I won $2,920.”

“That’s nice,” she says and immediately falls back asleep.

Final thoughts
Seminole Hard Rock Quad Stack NLH tournament, Hollywood, Florida (PART 13 OF 13)

After a number of deep tournament runs where I have gotten in the somewhat general vicinity of the money bubble only to come up short, it was nice to get over the hump and make it into the money. Plus, I made The Final Table. Plus, this was my biggest score ever in a tournament. Plus, I did so on a single bullet. While it isn’t all the money in the world, it is a poker milestone achieved.

As for the poker room at the Seminole Hard Rock, it was awesome. I really enjoyed playing here. I thought the room itself felt somewhat upscale in design. The temperature was close to just right, which is a welcome departure to so many poker rooms that are freezing. The room was hopping with tons of tables in action on a Tuesday night. The dealers were all good. The floor was always present when needed. The players (with one exception) were either friendly or quiet. The one exception was not over the top, but he was a bit yappy and kind of in other people’s faces with his table talk when he did not like how they played a hand against him (I had zero interaction with him). Overall, I would say this poker room and the one at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona are my two favorite venues in which I’ve played. They are both way better than any of the Midwest venues I’ve played.

The one hand that I keep mulling over is the A-K hand versus AsianGreatGrandma. At the final table I only played I believe one level against her at the time of the hand. Her appearance was quiet, timid. She looked like a gentle breeze could knock her over. I did not realize at the time that she is a highly aggressive player who looks to go all-in huge. My read on her was flat out wrong. But I did not know that at the time when we were eight-handed. I raised with A-K, and she put me all-in huge. My read was that she had a monster (I have no idea what she actually had). And even if she only had a middling pair, we are still talking a coin flip. At the time I felt like I could hold my own and then some at this table. I felt like I could win the tournament. There was only one player whose game was a major concern (ChattyGuyToMyRight), but even against him I felt like I could use his aggression against him if I got dealt a strong hand. I’m not so conceited as to say I was going to win the tournament. But I liked my chances. Given that, I did not want to play for stacks in what was, I felt at the time, either a cooler or a coin flip situation. I didn’t want to flip a coin eight-handed in a tournament I felt I had a chance to win. My fold was nitty, but I felt there were way better spots to be had. I thought it was a situation where the chips if I won the hand were not as important as the chips I could lose (all of them) if I lost the hand. Eighth place was not worth a ton. Although not a major motivation for me, a top four finish was the goal from a financial standpoint, which I accomplished in the chip chop.

This was not the only big lay down I made. In fact, I made a bunch of them. It’s impossible to know if they were correct laydowns since most of the time I never knew what my opponent had. But I think you have to be careful playing too many coin flips for stacks, because eventually you will lose one and you’re out. There’s a time to make the big laydown, and there’s a time to play a big hand that may be only 50-50. I think making a big, correct laydown is just as important, and in some cases more important, as making a big, correct bluff. I think I did a good job of walking that tightrope this tournament, although I am sure some of you will think some of the laydowns were too cautious.

I think I picked some good spots to go for it light in this tournament, which is something I know I have to work on. At the same time, I think my style works for me. I very frequently run deep into a tournament into the general vicinity of the approaching money bubble. Plus, more often than not I do so on a single bullet. So yes, as Leon recently pointed out my game needs to look for more spots to be aggressive/less cautious. But I think I should tweak my game. I don’t think a wholesale makeover of my game will serve me well. In fact, a wholesale makeover would probably bring me disastrous results. I don’t believe for a second that I can successfully play a relentlessly aggressive style of poker and have it work out. I really respect players who can pull that off, but I don’t think I have anywhere close to the necessary experience to play winning poker utilizing that approach to the game.

I am comfortable playing my game. I think my style is very different than the aggression that is the in vogue approach. Now, you may say my style is not in vogue because it flies in the face of modern GTO poker, and you would probably be right. That said, my days covering the National Football League taught me that when you do something different than what everyone else is doing it can work out very well. For example, when Jimmy Johnson was running the Dallas Cowboys, he flew in the face of convention and looked for undersized linebackers that could run like the wind. As a result, it was easy for him to draft the players he wanted because no one else in the league valued them. When the Houston Oilers run-and-shoot offense briefly took the NFL by storm, they looked for the types of undersized, quick, speedy receivers that were not what the rest of the league wanted. I think that if I try to play the aggressive, memorization heavy, GTO style of today, I will fail because I cannot possibly put in the hours and the volume necessary to play that style well. I’d rather play a style most everyone else shuns because 1) it works for me, and 2) I’m not doing what everyone else is doing so maybe that makes my style somewhat unpredictable. My style is not for everyone or maybe even for hardly anyone, but it works for me as much as is possible for an amateur who simply plays for love of the game.

Again, I will keep trying to tweak my play. But I’m not going to overhaul my game in an attempt to out aggressive the aggressive wizards.

Nice cash! I feel the same about chops. I'll go with the flow of the table. I'd rather play but at a certain point it really is bingo.

Depends how good you are at bingo!

Congratulations on the cash, thank you for the great write-up.

Congratulations, great run!

I firmly believe the only way to improve your thought processes and decision-making late in tourneys is to make as many deep runs in tourneys as you can.

Whether it’s for micro stakes online, or in live events. There’s no substitute for being there.

+1 I really suck at "late" game, And I think a lot of that is due to lack of reps 😀 Every time I do make it to the final few I seem to learn something. But end game still seems very crapshootist to me.

Nice run! Sounds like you played well.

Spiritually, I don't like chops either. Sometimes tournaments reach a point where chopping is practical because there's no play left in the stacks.

Single day events often reach that point before a true winner can be crowned.

Paradoxically, the other time when chopping makes a lot of sense is in huge tournaments where the prize money is life-changing. For example, Merson and Sylvia chopped much of the prize money in 2012 in a handshake deal under the table, which is a piece of poker history that the WSOP won't be eager to publicize. Can't exactly blame the players when the pay jumps are in the millions at that point.

On the KQ hand with 690k at 60k BB level, I think we either 2x here or just rip ourselves. The 2x gives us some extra wiggle room compared to the 3x to have some bet-folds with certain hands. KQ is probably strong enough to just rip. Bad luck to be up against AK exactly.

As for the AK hand, my first instinct was that I don't like the fold. With 20 minute levels and ~15BB, I don't think we have the luxury of folding AK pre-flop. I guess the main counterpoint would be ICM, and whether there are some super shorties who figure to bust soon. In theory, medium stacks (middle of the pack) are the most handcuffed at a final table because they are most incentivized to survive for the pay jumps. Shorties need to gamble whereas big stacks can afford to play aggressively and keep building. If you were in the middle of the pack and you thought you had some easy ladder ups, maybe the fold was right from that perspective. However, my hunch is that it would be considered sub optimal to fold there on these stack sizes, because AK is a monster and ultimately 555,000 is actually not deep when the BB is 40,000. For something like 40 or 50BB, we can find more hero folds.

I've been in spots where I felt like I had a lot of chips because I had just won a big pot and/or had a lot of chips compared to earlier in the day, but it's still all relative to the blinds. Anything sub <20BB is relatively short and means we don't have a great deal of playability. It's harder to justify hero folds when we get short, though we also don't want to be taking every spot or gambling recklessly. The concept of passing the thin spots to survive is valid and certainly Hellmuth-approved. AK sub 15BB is probably just too big to fold for that price though.

These HHs look solid overall and it seems like you were in tune with board textures and player tendencies.

As for the play style, I think you have the right idea of not deviating too much from your comfort zone. The idea that all crushers are just taking every spot and relentlessly running over the table may be a bit mythical too. From what I've seen, that's not necessarily what helps the great players win. They may not do anything too noticeably different on the surface. They just do everything a little bit better than everybody else (value betting, bluffing, calling, folding). It seems less about having a drastically different approach and more about fine-tuning all the little things. In other words, sticking with your core game and tweaking the finer points seems much wiser than trying to play a whole different style.

+1 I think your playstyle seems solid. Plus it is important to be comfortable with it. Actually I have very similar playstyle. I fold a lot of stuff others wouldn't. I also shove or raise a lot of spots others wouldn't (based on reads). The fold on AK I fully understand. Not sure I coulda/woulda done it myself but based on knowledge/read of villian makes 100% sense. Could be one of my leaks but at that point in a tourney all my chips go in with AK unless ... unless you have a feel/read that villian wouldn't do it without AA KK which seems to be your situation here. But typically Asian granny is shoving light 😀

if you don't chop in those situations when a chop is available, then you are effectively signing up to play a short handed 1 table sit n go for thousands of dollars. which is absolutely fine and it within the goals and bankroll of some people....particularly pros. but that's what the decision is

and as someone who has played many thousands of 3 handed spin n gos, my POV is that....while some of us may think we have an edge and maybe we do...you can lose 55:45s and 60:40s all ****ing week sometimes.

I think the decision is different at 20bb and certainly very different at 30bb but at 10bb and below it really is a lottery

congratulations on the deep run