Between the deep stacks and the very short-handed tables, I was really looking forward to this event. I’ve actually missed both Sundays of the SCOOP, but I made sure I was around for this one.
Needless to say, it was a tough field. My first few tables actually weren’t bad, but they were breaking quickly, and eventually I ended up at a 
table with three guys who all play higher stakes cash games than I do. Granted, one of them seemed to be a net loser, and one of them was David Benyamine, but still.
I ended up losing my stack in two big pots with Justin “Boosted J” Smith. This first one is going to look bad, but I’m actually OK with it. I may not always 4-bet my biggest pairs, but I’m pretty sure 99 is at least near the top of his perceived range for me, so I don’t mind playing it strongly.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 3150 Tournament, 15/30 Blinds (4 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
BB (t2955)
UTG (t9559)
Hero (Button) (t4237)
SB (t4885)
Hero’s M: 94.16
Preflop: Hero is Button with 9
, 9
1 fold, Hero bets t60, 1 fold, BB raises to t270, Hero calls t210
Flop: (t555) 4
, 6
, 6 (2 players)
BB bets t380, Hero raises to t777, BB raises to t2685 (All-In), Hero calls t1908
Turn: (t5925) 2 (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: (t5925) 6 (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: t5925
Results:
Hero had 9, 9 (full house, sixes over nines).
BB had 10, 10 (full house, sixes over tens).
Outcome: BB won t5925
This next one… not so much. Boosted is famous for calling 3-bets really light, so it can’t be that bad, but it’s just lazy poker:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 3150 Tournament, 15/30 Blinds (4 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Button (t7323)
SB (t7936)
Hero (BB) (t1762)
UTG (t4910)
Hero’s M: 39.16
Preflop: Hero is BB with A, K
1 fold, Button bets t90, 1 fold, Hero raises to t300, Button calls t210
Flop: (t615) 4, 8, 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t270, Hero raises to t1462 (All-In), Button calls t1192
Turn: (t3539) 4 (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: (t3539) 2 (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: t3539
Results:
Button had J, 8 (two pair, eights and fours).
Hero had A, K (one pair, fours).
Outcome: Button won t3539
The good news is I’m still in the $300, 31 left but I’ve got barely half the average.
Hey Andrew,
This is jeeehaa from the chatbox earlier. Great tourney man, very fun to watch all that short-handed action. I thought there where some great hands.
Did the trash talk affect your decision on that last call?
Anyways, congrats on that sick run you’re having.
Thanks for the sweat, it was cool having you follow along. Roxie had been blabbering pretty much nonstop, so no, it didn’t. I was just tired and my time bank was virtually depleted. Give me a clearer head or another 30 seconds to think about the hand and I guarantee you I fold.
Andrew, can you pls elaborate on what you mean by ‘lazy poker’ regarding 2nd hand? This is a sort of play i can sometimes try to pull at 50 or 100NL table and get totally peeved when i get called by J8o… I *must* have AA to do this, right? LOL Would very much appreciate a chance to learn from you about a hand like this.
It’s lazy because I’d prefer to get my money in pre-flop with AK, and failing that, all I’m doing here is just check-shoving the flop and hoping for the best. It looks a lot like AK (or worse), and I don’t expect him to fold a pair ever. At best I induce a small bluff on the flop, usually he calls and I have 24% equity, and at worst I’m drawing to 3 outs or fewer. It’s not a terribly losing play, but it probably is a loser, and it’s transparent, and it’s sloppy. I like playing AA this way precisely because no one ever gives you credit for it.