Well three for three during this series of tournaments at Commerce Casino. I was going to play in the NL$545 Wednesday night but they only had 75 players and I was not sure I was going to be able to play in Thursday’s NL335. 545 is getting steep, but with only 75 participants it was easy not to play….wasn’t enough ‘juice’ in the pot.
So played in Thursdays NL$335 and cashed again. As I wrote in my last poker post, I’d been getting tired (although in a good way) of not advancing farther than I have been (just getting into the money) and it was a little based on me being a little too risk averse. “Gotta get in there and gamble” as Doyle Brunson would say. And it’s worked. I’ve made my first final table of 2007 after having made two final tables in 2006.
Of 219 entrants, there are nine of us left. Overall prize pool is $63,000 and they paid/are paying the top 18, so still a little stingy 8% of the field. They take so much off the top ($44 for dealer gratuities and service fee – 13% overall), so Commerce makes $7,665 good enough for third place, lol. Anyway, we played down to nine then called it a night last night; final table is tonight at 9pm PST.
I’m in pretty decent shape having 32,500 chips so pretty much at the chip average (1500 starting chips so 328,500 in play) and probably am right at 5th/6th in chips. I think there are two short stacks below 10k right now. We’re in the 800-1600 (200) round so I have some wiggle room to work with.
Couple big wins were my AJ suited vs. QQ where I called a nice raise pre-flop in position, and it came 8,8,2 with two spades (my suit). QQ bet post flop about 40% of the pot, and I shoved. But no way he’s laying that down and I hit a spade on the turn and get very very healthy. But the blinds ate me up for the next hour and after we made it into the money, that’s when I went on a nice run with KQs, A10s, both stealing blinds and knocking out two players with my 99 vs 88 and calling a guy who was majorly short stacked with just Q3s, and he had J10. He hits J on turn and me a Q on river.
Payouts are as follows for the top nine spots:
9th – $1275 – 8th – $1593 – 7th – $1912 – 6th – $2231 – 5th – $2549 – 4th – $3824 – 3rd – $5991 – 2nd – $12,109 and 1st is $24,214.
Will post tomorrow how I do tonight.
