Lima Poker Championship - a donkey's recap

[charlton49]

First, as others have mentioned so far, thanks to John and all the guys at the Lima Poker Championship and Lima Warriors for running such a great event. As Eli pointed out, this is only the second time this tournament has run; it’s safe to say these guys did a fantastic job and only look to improve in the future. While I have very few complaints for such a massive tournament that went so well, I will point out that I think running two decks would definitely improve this game. John actually addresses this on his local forum: Lima Poker Championship / Freeze-Out - Thoughts on the championship so maybe we can see this next year! Not that I don't enjoy being awake for 27 hours straight:giddy:

You may also note that someone in the LPC thread suggests not running antes. To me, this would be a big misstep. Antes and dealers have virtually nothing to do with each other (save for organization and consistency) and if anything, the antes actually help the action to move if dealers aren’t there to ensure fast gameplay.

Second, I want to apologize to my midget friend, as I could not aptly keep her (and everyone else) updated during the tournament pretty much from the second break on, as my phone connection was shoddy at best.

[charlton49]

Like Scott, I loaded for the entire amount that could be bought. $100 for the buy-in at T10,000, $50 for the rebuy at T10,000, $50 for the add-on at T15,000, $0 for a survey bonus of T1,000 and $10.00 for a tee shirt bonus of T2,500. At my table, I was one of only 3 or 4 that took the full bonus right off the bat, another being billbellbillbell (yeah, out of 595 players, Bill Bell and I sat at the same table. D’oh! But so did Ben and Scott, how crazy is that?)

Anyway, in the first blind level I played three hands. The first was my BB after a UTG limper, mp limper, and the SB completing. I check w Ax. Flop is A high, it checks around. I fire the turn and it folds. Woohoo for winning 2 bets. The next two hands that I play end up costing me. First, I get dealt QQ and after a UTG limp and a MP limp, I x4 from CO-1. UTG (seems to be tight, passive) and one other calls. Flop comes J high/flush draw, and it checks to me. I bet 2/3 the pot and get called by UTG. Turn puts a gut shot straight on the board, it checks to me, and I bet 2/3 again, and once again, get a call. The river pairs the J and puts the flush up on the board. To be honest, by now I can’t even remember if it was checked to me and I was dumb enough to bet, or if he instantly led into the pot, but the story ends with me folding down T10k pretty sure I lost it on the river. Ok, I’m still sitting on T28k, and am nowhere near panic mode, though irritation is starting to rear its ugly head.

So I feel pretty good when I wake up in the next hand with AKo and make another pf x4. It feels extra special considering the guy in the BB just picked me off for T10k and he called my bet! Flop comes AJ9 rainbow, and he instantly leads for T2k. I think it’s possible he’s sitting on AJ, but smooth call, planning to make a play on the turn. The turn brings another 9 and he checks to me. I lead for T7k and he instantly pushes all-in. Did he call with a AJ? Is he overplaying AQ or Ax thinking the 9 would give him a chop? Or is he sitting on something like 9T and I missed my opportunity to raise him out on the turn. Ultimately, I decide that he’s not the type to masterfully trap another player, and that he’s more apt to overplay a big hand. I lay down, visibly irritated. He later confesses to having, count ‘em, four nines!

Now I’m down to about T22k and I feel like the end is near…

[charlton49]

That’s when I remember that I started off with 700BB. So I begin taking trips away from the table to calm my nerves. After the break (which was 2 hours into the tourney) I had started to regain my cool and began making my move. Made a squeeze play to nearly double up and won a few more big pots, including a three-way allin (when I was the middle of the three) holding JJ vs Ax vs 33… I end up flopping quadders and improve to just under 100k.

Then I bounced around to a few tables, and around level 14, I doubled through a big stack when I woke up with KK after he made a pretty crazy x30BB pf when isolating the bb short stack with AJo. This is where I finally broke the 200k mark (blinds at 1500/3000). From here, I mostly never looked back. My stack bounced around a bit, but I was still pretty healthy when I was moved for the 4th time, my stack now around 300k.

Either the first or second hand that I get moved, I’m holding TT and win an allin vs the short stack to put me over 500k. I win a couple more pots and get up to around 550k.

Then came this monster:

9 handed, I’m MP and UTG+1 moves in with about 10BB, I think blinds were 10,000/20,000. I decide to push over the top and isolate with . However, the BB starts thinking, and eventually calls my stack with about 200k less than me. BB turns over , UTG+1 turns up . The button says that he folded an A. CardPlayer tells me I’m a 52% favorite. So what comes on the flop?



Sweet, a one outer A and a flush draw. There’s nothing like drawing to a one-outter when one has JUST hit.

Turn: and CardPlayer says I’m a whopping 2.5% to make my hand on the river.

River:

And the crowd erupts! With only 4 tables left, I finally break 1mil!

[charlton49]

ok, there's more to write, but i only snuck in 4 hours of sleep and need to get into the office early tomorrow. I'll try and finish off my details tomorrow.

Oh, and for those of you who didn't know, Matt and I ended up leaving the tournament at about 8am, though they still may have been playing HU for the table and bracelet at that time.

Alright, gnight all!

[SNutizzle]

I want to apologize to my midget friend, as I could not aptly keep her (and everyone else) updated during the tournament pretty much from the second break on, as my phone connection was shoddy at best.

Apology accepted.

I will just have a lot of reading to do today instead, on a day I should be working. But that's cool. Someone with ADD as bad as mine needs little spurts of random activity to interlace with mundane school duties in order to keep the day rolling along.....did any of that make sense? And that is a rhetorical question....

[Chipless Wonder]

Very impressive performance Charlton!

Maybe you really ARE better than Matt Folk. We'll never know though, since he refuses to discuss hand plays.

[otbdave]

Chipless,

How did you end up finishing? I think you are the one that cracked my Kk with your 44 by flopping a set (i knew it), and then referred me to the site.

[Chipless Wonder]

Hi Dave. Glad to see you joined up.

I think you are the one that cracked my Kk with your 44 by flopping a set (i knew it), and then referred me to the site.

I was impressed with your play, except of course for the one hand we tangled in. See my signature for advice on what to do with pocket kings.

Here's a link to my recap story. Sorry, but I'm a little anal, and keep track of every hand I play.

Scott's Lima Recap

[charlton49]

Very impressive performance Charlton!

Maybe you really ARE better than Matt Folk. We'll never know though, since he refuses to discuss hand plays.

No, no, Mattimus has proved time and again that he owns me...

[charlton49]

Well, there really isn't much more exciting to post about the tourney for me. I made some plays and stole some pots, but also had some blinds snap back at me all-in to pf raises where I couldn't justify any calls. There were two big hands for me before the final table. One in which I induced a call from a weak second pair, getting them to think I was bluffing with tp/tk; that added about 30% to my stack. Another was when I won a pf allin blind war in the bb, getting my k high to hold up vs the sb. That hand was probably an additional 30% to my stack as well.

In the final table, I got snapped back again by some more all-ins, and laid down some blinds to George. There was actually one hand where I had the opportunity to KO ol' George pretty sure I was the favorite, but I let it go, if for no other reason to see two Bad Beats players make it a little further. And we both did! As one other player went out, everyone went from a guaranteed 1500 for 8th, to an 8 way chop worth about 400% more!



Thanks again to the guys at the Lima Poker Championship, and to the words of encouragement from Mattimus, Scott, Frenchy, Eli, Kim and anyone else I forgot.

Oh, and Chad sucks balls.