Event #34: Colossus

 

I'm playing the $500 NLH Colossus today. I’m having some trouble with the blog , so it may be late until I’m able to post. I also lost some posts. But we’ll catch up. 

Levels 2 and 3

I got a bit of a late start this morning, so I didn’t buy in until level 2. I haven’t really played any hands of consequence so far, and I’m still sitting right at a starting stack. 48.2k at the break. 

Level 4

Get away from one. I raise with JTs and get 3! by seat 2. Flop is J83. I check call. Turn is a 4. I check, seat 2 bets big. I fold. He shows a set of 8s. 

On the BB, I play Qd3d to a small raise and a flat. Flop is Q high. I check, and pre flop aggressor c-bets. He has c-bet every time he has raised, so I decide to test him. I CR to 6k. He gripes and folds. 

Pick one up with a c-bet with K-high. 

I raise to 1300 with 7c7h and get 3! by the 1 seat to 3500. I call. The flop is A88. I check in sequence, and he c-bets 2000. I’d kind of expect an A to check there on the paired board, and he shouldn’t have many 8s, so I call. The turn is a 6h. I check. He bets 5000. He just seems uncomfortable, so I decide I’ll see another card. The river is a Jh. I check, and he bets 10k. My gut is that he’s weak, and that’s a really scary board for AK, AQ, KK. My 7h makes him having a flush less likely. I decide I’m good, or I can take it away from him. I rip it all in. He thinks a long time, and finally mucks. 

Blind v blind I get a little value out of a full house. 

I lose about 10k when my AK makes Ks up and loses to 3 tens. 

About 65k

Level 5

Nothing much happening here. 67k at levels end. 

Level 6

Raise to 2k with KcTc from MP. Get 3 callers. Flop is Td9c2c. I bet 3500 but get no callers. 71.4k

Paid blinds twice and I’m at 67.4k. Steal some blinds and I’m at 69.4k. Pay ‘em again, and I’m at 67.4k at the break. 

Level 7

I flat a raise to 2500 with 77. The button 3! to 7500. BB calls. Original raiser shoves. I told. The 3 better calls and the bb folds. Button has AsKs. Other player has AhQh. Flop is all hearts, and 120k chips are now sitting immediately to my right. 

I raise to 2500 UTG with TT and get no action. 

Call a raise to 2200 on the big blind with 33. Flop us all Broadway cards and I fold.

I win blind v blind with Jd4d when I turn a J. Got a little bit of extra value with a bet on the turn. 

Raise from the cut off with 8h6h. Shorty on the small blind shoves for about 3x. I decide to call, figuring I’m drawing live. He shows KsQs. I pair my 6 and turn a flush draw. The river pairs the board, and I scoop up about 10k. 77.1k

Pay the blinds. 74.6k. 

Seat 5 is frustrated and getting spewy. He raises to 3k early. I flat from the cutoff with QsTs, and the button comes along. Flop comes T86dd, and Seat 5 bets 6k. I raise to 15k. The button folds, and seat 5 calls. I figure seat 5 for 2 overs, else he’d have just shoved his last 14k. When the turn is a 2c, he checks and I shove for value. He mucks. 97k. 

Level 8

I call a 3200 raise from the cutoff with JhTh in the small blind. Bb comes along. The flop is T83 two clubs. I had checked dark. The bb checks and the cutoff continues for 5k. I call and bb calls. The turn is a 4 and it checks through. River is a king. It checks to the cutoff who bets 6k. Felt bluffy. I squeeze a call. He shows AJ, and I’m good. I’m at 116.3k. 

Raise to 2700 with 5h5d. Button shoves for 16k. BB hems and haws but folds. I fold. BB says he folded TT. Button showed AQ. 

Call a small raise with Ac6c. Have to fold. 

Pick up bullets on the button and raised. SB shoves like 40k. I call. He shows JcTc. Flop is AKK and he’s out. 146.3k. 

Win another big one. I raise to 3k UTG with AsKs. It folds to the BB, who calls. The flop is KT4cc, and the BB donk bets for 6k. He gets chatty suddenly, and just seems off. I raise to 25k, and he calls. The turn is a blank. He checks, and I shove. He claims he has a combo draw and ultimately folds. I’m at 176.5k. 

Call a 4k bet from the bb with 9c8c. Miss the flop and fold. After paying small blind, and a round of blinds, I’m at 165.1k. 

I raise to 4000 UTG with AK. Middle position calls, and the BB fires in 20k. This guy has been raising a ton, so I shove. MP folds. BB ultimately folds AJ. I’m at 195k at the break. 

Level 10

Pay the blinds. Raise 5k from the cut off with Kh9h. The button and an MP limper call. Flop is QJ6 with 1 heart. I continue for 8k, and everyone folds. 199.5k. 

Paid blinds. 194.5k. 

Cards have cooled off for a minute. Paying blinds sucks. 

Level 11

Starting this level with 189.5k. 

Pick off a short A9>A6. I’m at  213.5. Then pick up the blinds with a button raise. I’m at 219.5. 

Raise to 6k with KQo. Seat 1 3!, and I have to fold. 

Pick up 34 on the BB and call a min raise. Flop is Q56. I check. Raise continues for 4k, and I call. The turn is a 4. We both check. The river is a 7, giving me the ignorant end of the straight. I don’t think he has many 8s here, and I think a bet is going to look bluffy with the 4-liner out there. So I bet 7k. He reluctantly pays me off. I have 227.5k. 

Level 12

Paid the blinds. Starting at 221.5k. 

UTG raises to 7k. Seat 8 calls. I look down at AsJs. Not sure why, but had a bad feeling about the hand. Folded. Flop is AT6. UTG bets. Seat 8 raises. UTG shoves. He has AQ. Dodged one there. 

Call a min raise on the bb with 5d4d. Flop is AJTcc. I fold. Paid blinds. Down to 211k. 

Pay blinds again. 203.5k. Cards have slowed down. 

Level 13

First hand, I wake up with KK UTG. I raise. A max late reg shoves from the button. I call. She shows AJ. An A in the door, and I drop 50k.

Next hand, pick up AT in the bb and call a raise. Flop top top. Donk bet and get called. Bet the turn and get called. River is a J. We go check check and he shows KJ, having called all the way down with KJ high and gotten there. 

Next hand a shorty pushes for 20k. I call with A9 suited. He has A7. I pair my 9c and he’s out. After all of that, I’m at 157k. 

The craziness continues. I pick up AA in the cutoff and raise to 11k. The button makes it 26k to go. I raise to 96k. He shoves and I call. He has QQ and I hold. Up to 274k. 

Pay the blinds, and I’m going to finish the level at 264k. 

Level 14

Call a min raise 3 ways from the bb with JT. Pay the small blind. 246k

Pay blinds. Then call a raise with 55. Down to about 216k. 

Pay blinds. Raise with 88 on the button and the sb makes it 45k to go. I have to fold. 

Level 15

Starting with 191k. 

Raise with AK UTG and pick up the blinds. I’m at 187k. 

Get moved tables 3 times. Pick up AsKs UTG raise. Get 3! and shove over. He has 22, and I lose the race. Down to 86k. 

Paid blinds and then stole some. Still at 86k. 

We’re in the bag with 86k. I’ll need some early run good tomorrow to made the money, but we’re still in it.

Day 2

Here's my office today.

Level 16

I’m in the 8k/8k big blind on the first hand. UTG +2 raises and the HJ shoves. I look down at JJ and ship it. UTG +2 folds. HJ shows A2 and my JJ holds. Instant double. 

Captain ManBun makes an appearance again today. Luckily he isn’t at my table. 

UTG min raises and I look down at KK. I rip it, and the table folds. Pick up another 36k. 

Pick up another one on the big blind. I get to see a free flop with K4 and flop top pair. Up close to 250k now. 

At the end of the level, I have 247k. 1000 players left, and the bubble is 905. 

Level 17

We’re about 75 off the money now, and it seems a couple of players at my table are pretty clearly just trying to fold to the money. One has about 2.5 rotations left, and might get there. The other only has 1.5. I don’t think that’ll be enough. I guess we’ll see. I could fold to the money, but I’m trying to accumulate right now. 

At this point, I think we’ll hit the bubble somewhere in level 18. 

The shortest shorty finally goes all in and wins a flip with 3s. She basically triples. 

Paid the blinds. 222k

Bubble approaching. Not getting anything I can play. Chip leader in seat 7 is putting on a master class on how to play a big stack near the bubble. He’s doing a great job of constantly pressuring thr smaller stacks, and he’s picking up tons of pots in the process. 

Pay two sets of blinds, and get down to 197k. Then, I hit one of those sequences that kind of define a tourney section. I pick up TT on the button, and a mod-stack I cover 3! shoves in front of me. I ultimately decide to fold after anguishing, and he shows KK. Two hands later, I pick up TT and 3! an early position raiser. He ultimately folds AK. 

I’m at 242k, and we’re 10 from the money. 

Going hand for hand. And without playing a hand, we are in the money. 

Level 18

I’m on the SB. Big stack bully raises to 25k. I peel AdJd and 3! to 60k. He folds. I think he’s about to have bullying competition, and a new player just sat with what looks like roughly 1 million in chips. I'm at 271k. 

Since the bubble, we’ve been averaging losing 1 player from the field every 10 seconds. 

Get a walk on the bb. Free rotation. 

With about 10 mins to go in the level, we’re almost halfway to that giant $50 ladder up. No sign of bust outs slowing down. 

After a limp from UTG, I raise in UTG+1 with AQ. It folds to the SB who 3!. It folds back to me. My read on this player is that he’s a bit weak tight, and he views me as tight. I 4! shove. He thinks, shows JJ, and mucks. I’m at 372k. 

Paid the big blind/ante and end the level with 348k

Level 19

I apparently won a chip race during the color up, so I come back to 350k and the 10k small blind. 

Paid the blinds. Down to 300k. 

Laddered up for an extra $50. 

Call an all in with 88. He shows 66. My hand holds. I’m at 505k. 

Pay the blinds. 465k. 

Level 20

The table bully min raises. I 3! to 100k with QsJs. He 4! to 175k. With the blinds the pot is now 325k, and it’s only 75k to call. This isn’t where I wanted to be, but I figure I’ll call getting 13/3 odds. The flop is AsTs8h. I check with the intention to shove any bet, but he checks back. The turn is a red 4. I shove the 290k or so I have left with my combo draw. He snap calls with AA. My combo draw is live, but that's obviously a hand I didn't want to see. The river is an A, giving him quads, and I’m out. 

All in all, a pretty good run. Finally caught some decent run. A few hands break the other way, and i could've been a monster stack at Level 20 and juiced up for a really deep run. Alas! I'll be back in action in a few days blogging the PokerChipper.com Poker Room Takeover at South Point.