Not having anything better to do and being too tired and hungry to play, I decided to recap a whole damn tournament. This is far from a perfectly played tourney, in fact I made quite a few mistakes, some small and some bigger. Still, I figured that if someone managed to read through all of it (extremely unlikely) they might learn something, or teach me something. This is a one table $10 SnG at party poker.


Stacks at 2000, blinds at 20/40, blinds increase every 10 mins.

I start as the BB with Q9o and fold to a LP raise. Then fold T5s in the SB to a raise and the hand after limp in with with J9o otb after two limpers and fold on an AAx flop. Fold J8s, K5o, Q2o, 54o, J5o, Q8o and finally KTs UTG.

Get a free look in the blind with 45o, flop comes J97 and is checked around. Turn is a 6, I check someone minibets, there is a raise so I fold my sucker draw.

45o again and I complete in the SB. Flop JQ2 is checked, turn is the 5, I check, BB bets and UTG miniraises. I fold, BB calls with 52 and loses to QJ.

AQs otb. Blinds now 30/60. Two limpers, I raise to 280 and everyone folds.

I fold K5, J3, 82 and 74s unprovoked (flop comes 356 and people duke it out with A5 vs 46, duh!). K6 goes into the muck with K5 and K2s closely followed by J4.

I steal the blinds with QJs and a 220 raise in LP then fold J4 and K4. Q9s and K8s goes into the muck from EP, then I get K9o in the BB. 3 people have busted already.

Flop comes AT2, I bet 200 into the 300 pot and both fold. Since the SB checked and the LP had limped preflop I figure nobody has an Ace, I'm right. 2360 chips.

82 and 73s is folded and then I pick up 88 in LP. Blinds are at 50/100 now. EP limps and I raise it to 300. EP limper calls (he has just under 2k). Flop comes 79T rainbow, he leads for 400 and I put him all-in. Muppet calls with K9o and I suck out with a J on the turn. Chips at 4400 and 6 players left.

A9o in MP, I open raise to 275 and shortstack pushes for another 1k. He seems tight so I fold it not getting enough odds to chase him down.

Dealt A3o utg and fold but pick up AQ next hand in the BB. Button with 1.7k open raises to 300, I put him all-in and he folds(!). I dump 62o in the SB to an open limp from the button.

AQ again, otb this time and I steal the blinds with a 3bb raise followed up by a tight fold of 85s in the CO. Didn't feel like stealing with junk since I've not shown any big hands lately and have been raising a bit, I also fold A7o to an open limp in MP. Gap concept you know...

KJs utg and I make a somewhat loose raise 6 handed to 275. Everyone folds. Next hand I get AKs in the BB and decide to slowplay it and only check when the SB completes. I miss completely and check behind on the flop. I stupidly decide to call his minibet on the turn and river hoping to catch a bluff, he was slowplaying T7 after flopping a straight. At least I didn't raise.

I consider raising 55 in the SB into two limpers but decide to go for the set. I miss and check/fold the flop. K7s OTB and I open raise to 275. Shorty pushes for 1100. Pot size 1600 and 900 for me to call. I figure my cards are live and I have the odds + stack size to call. He has A9 and I hit trips to take it down. Good for my image, people will be less likely to bluff me after seeing that call.

Fold 94, J6 and T4. Then I get a freebie with 32o as the SB completes. Flop comes 994 and he check/folds to my bet.I'm at 5.6k and the chipleader. One at 5k, one at 4.5 and the other two around 2. Blinds go up to 100/200.

Folded to my SB and I complete with Q6s. BB checks and then folds to my bet on the K98 flop. The hand after I limp behind an EP limper with A6s. Limper goes all-in on the K94 flop and I fold.

J5o is dumped and another player busts out with his TT on a monoflop against the loose 2:nd chip guy who called with Q6s and flopped a flush, he's the new chip leader with 8.1k, I have 5.6, next are 4.5 and 1.6.

An utg raise with A8o steals the blinds and then I surrender my SB unprovoked with my 74 and fold 93s the hand after.

Here comes AQs. I raise to 475 and the 4.3k stack calls me. Flop comes Q82 with two spades and one of my clubs. He bets 600 and I flat call. Turn is the , he checks and I take it down with a smallish bet of 825 obviously not wishing to give a free card.

I fold Q4, shorty goes all-in and doubles up agains the leader when TT rivers a straight against KQ's two pair. Whining ensues. I dump 53 to a raise and get no callers when I raise JJ otb.

I let go of 97 utg and K9 in the BB after shorty with 1.6k goes all-in. It's 1400 to call and I don't want to double him up to protect my 200 blind. Instead I steal the BB with 44 followed by a tight fold otb with K7, but BB has a huge stack, is loose and could be tilting. Not a good spot.

Dump T7 utg but get a free look with 78o when the SB completes. Flop is 234 and is checked, turn is another 3 and is checked, river is a T and since I can't win a showdown I bet 3/4 pot when he checks, I win and my stack is healthy at 7.1k. The other stacks have evened out a bit at 6, 4 and 2k respectively.

I fold 63s in the SB and decline to steal with 52 otb as well as Q5 utg. I fold K6 to a raise from the big stack and dump another 52.

KT is good enough to raise OTG and I pick up the 300 blinds with a 525 raise. Hand after is another K6 which is folded to a raise from the active big stack who is almost even with me with 6.9 vs my 7.1k.

Q6 goes into the muck but I pick up 99 the next hand otb. Shorty limps and I raise it to 625, he folds so I pick up another 500. Then I fold the Doyle (T2).

I put the same limper all-in with my AJ the next hand but he folds again. Fine with me. 83 and 62 hit the muck as does 34, 94 and T7.

Blinds go up to 200/400 and I steal otb with 53o. Got to loosen up a bit with the blinds this high. Next hand I get K9o and raise to 1100. Shorty with 3.7k goes all-in and I make a pretty bad call. He shows AT and takes it down. I'm down to 4k and he's the new chippo with 8k.

Fold T3 but steal with T6s and T9o (hey, they can make lots of straights!). Get KJs and raise it to 1100. Big stack puts me all-in and I have to make a decision. I figure since this is the third hand in a row I have raised he must be getting sick of me. I have the odds to call against an Ace and I have almost 30% of my stack in the pot. I call and manage a heroic river suckout against AK. I'm back in the lead with 9.1k and decide to shape up.

83s has to be folded to a raise under my new "shape up" strategy, as does T3o. QJ is good fora button steal but 93 isn't. It's folded to me in teh BB with AT, I would definetely have called with that. Next hand is A9s and I put a huge raise in UTG, everyone folds. Next hand I push with A7s and is called by the shortstack who has KQ (same guy who was the chippe after beating me earlier). This time he loses and we're down to 3 with me sitting comfortably behind a 12k stack against 5.1 and 2.5 respectively.

I fold T9 otb hoping that the blinds will go to war, no such luck. 98s is folded to an all-in.

I get A7o in the SB and just complete to disguise my Ace. Flop comes T7k monotone. I bet my bottom pair pot size for value. Loose player calls. Turn is a brick and I bet 2/3 pot, he calls. River makes it 4 to a flush and I check fold to his all-in. He plays his flush draws passively unlike most players in SnG's. 10k vs 5k/ 5k now.

Dump 63 and 92, then steal with ATs. 52 is dumped but I raise AJo out of the BB against the SB who just completed. Flop brings KT5 rainbow and he folds to my CB and is down to 2.8k now. I get rid of 53 but raise QTo to 1100 otb. BB goes all-in for 4.7k and I fold. I'm still above 10k.

Q3 is mucked but I put the shorty all-in with my J3s. He doesn't have any problems finding the call button with QQ and flops a set just to rub it in. My defense: "They were soooted!". Seeing how my credibility is shot I fold J7o preflop the next hand.

Mr Passive gives me a free look in the BB with 52. I flop nothing but can't keep myself from stealing on the river when it is checked all the way. Nice aggression from him...

KT is good enough to raise and wins the blinds, 63 isn't so I fold it. The muppets aren't showing much aggression and tend to check it down when they limp into eachothers blinds.

I try to steal from the SB with K6 but he calls. Flop is 557 and is checked, turn is an Ace and I take it down with a probe bet of half the pot. Blinds are now 300/600.

I raise to 1500 with KQo and the SB goes all-in for 5.2k. Tough choice. He hasn't made a move like this in a long time and had a guy behind him left to act so I have to give him some credit. Odds aren't gig enough to chase down an Ace so I decide to fold this rather big hand 3 way.

A6o in the BB facing a miniraise, I call. Flop, turn and river are all blanks and it is checked down. We split since he has another A56. I probably should have taken a shot at it but figured Ace high was good. I get rid of K4.

I look down to find AA next hand. I make a miniraise itb looking for action, SB calls and BB goes all-in for 4250. After some consideration I just flat call hoping to trap the SB. He calls too with 1.7k lefy. Flop comes 762 rainbow and I put him in, he calls with A5s and doesn't hit a runner-runner miracle, neither does shorty with 88. Hero wins.

GF out of town?

She won't be back until friday.