Final Table

I made it to the final table in a 45 player $1.25 SNG.  I busted out in 8th place.  I was in the BB with KK.  There was one limper and the SB min raised.  I reraised the min hoping he would thing I was raising weak and move over the top of me.  He just called.  The flop was 665.  He min bet, I raised and he moved all in.  I called and he showed A6 for trips.  I fell short again.  I should have had plenty of chips to make it to the money.  I made several mistakes in this hand:  I should have reraised more, I didn't pay attention to the size of my opponents stack, and falling in love with my hand when I could have been able to fold and wait for a better spot.
After this loss, my bankroll is at $63.15.

Matrix Tournament

I just finished playing a "Matrix" tournament on Full Tilt, to my dissappointment, Keanu Reeves was nowhere to be found.  I wonder if Neo would know what my cards are before I do? Maybe an interesting scene would be a heads up poker match between Neo and Morpheus instead of the kung fu scene.

Anyway, a Matrix Tournament is a very interesting game, although it doesn't seem very profitable.  It is played with 9 players and 4 tables.  You play 4 different single table SNG's at the same time versus your 8 opponents.  You get points for lasting longer than other players and knocking players out.  You win your share of the prize pool by placing in the money at each table and by scoring more points than the other players.  I think it would be good training to learn to multitable, but I just dont't think there is enough money in it to make it worth while.  Also, there arent many players looking for these tournaments, it took quite awhile for a 9 player tournament to fill up.  I may play these from time to time for an interesting challenge, but for the most part I will stick to cash games and multitable tournaments.

I played a $1.25 Matrix.   I placed 1st at 2 of my tables for $1.80 and 2nd in points for another $.54 for a total of $2.34.  A profit of  $1.09.  My new bankroll balance is $83.20. 

Good Read, Unlucky Turn

Tonight I played a 45 Player $1.25 SNG.  I was playing well and was the chip leader when the following 2 hands came up:
I had appx 11000 in chips, blinds were 150/300.  I raised to 1050 from middle position with 66.  The BB moved all in for appx 5000.  My initial instinct was that I had him beat.  His bet told me he didn't want to see a flop, maybe AT to AK?  As I had him covered, I called.  He showed AK and hit a K on the turn to double through me.  Did I make a good call? You be the judge.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this hand.  On one hand, I made a correct read and trusted my judgement.  On the other hand, I placed 1/2 of my stack at risk on what was most likely a coin flip. 

A couple hands later, I had 88 in early position, I had Appx 4500 chips, and limped in.  The button limped, the SB and BB limped and checked, respectively.  The flop was K8T.  I flopped a set, I had appx 4200 left in chips and the pot was already 1200.  SB and BB both check, I check and the button bets the pot (appx 1200), SB and BB both fold, I reraise to 3000 and the button moved all in.  I call and the button shows K9.  I am in great shape to double up!!!  Well, the turn was a 9 and the river was another 9.  Running 9's unbelievable!!.  I bust out in 13th place.  I went from chip leader to busting out within 3 hands. 

I believe that I played the 66 vs AK correctly.  I didn't play it for my tournament life as I had my opponent covered by 2:1 and I would still have enough chips to maneuver with if I lost.  If I had won the hand, I would have been the overwhelming chip leader and would have easily been able to make it to heads up without even playing a hand.  Your thoughts?

2nd Place Finish

I just finished a 45 player $1.25 SNG.  I was 8th in chips when we reached the final table.  I picked up a few big hands and was soon running with the 3 chip leaders.  I made a few big bluffs and a few reraises in position and soon had a healthy chip lead.  When we got to heads up,  I had a 2.5:1 chip lead.  My opponent was playing very aggressively and making big all in bets everytime he had the button.  I picked up KQ suited in the BB.  As expected, my opponent moved all in.  I tanked for quite awhile, I was sure I had the best hand, but didnt want him to double up.  I finally called and he showed 93 of clubs.  The flop was KK2 with one club.  I was patting myself on the back when the turn brought another club.  The river was, you guessed it a 3rd club on the board giving him a flush.  After this hand, I just couldn't get any momentum.  I was picking up some small pots, but couldnt win the big ones.  On the final hand 77 fell to AT and I was eliminated in 2nd place for a cash of just over $11.  My bankroll is now $80.84.  This is the first time it has been over $80. 

Another AQ disaster.

I am in another 45 player 1.25 SNG.  The action has been fast and furious in the first couple rounds.  I pick up AQ in early position.  I raise the pot and get 2 callers.  The flop is TJ2.  I miss, but have 2 overs and a gutshot.  I check and the player in latest position bets 360, the size of the pot.  I call and the player between us folds.  The turn brings an A.  Perfect!!! Or so I think.  I bet the pot and the other player calls.  Turn is a blank.  I move all in.  Other play calls and shows AK.  Once again, I am busted with AQ.  Doyle Brunson once said "Never go broke with a queen in your hand."  I am starting to see the wisdom in that.

First SNG Session After Extended Weekend

I am sitting in my first SNG session after returning from the holiday weekend.   So far,  I am pleases with the results of my bankroll experiement.  I have been steadily increasing it, and haven't suffered any big losses (the beauty of this bankroll system is that if you stick to it, none of your losses will be devastating, as they will be a small percentage of your total bankroll.
I am currently in the early levels of a 45 player $1.25 SNG.  The 5th hand of the tournament, and early position player moved all in for almost 1500.  I was in the small blind and had AA.  Naturally, I called and was able to nearly double up to about 2900.
A few hands later, I am under the gun with AT suited, blinds are at 25/50.  I raised to 175, one player called behind me, and the button made it 600 to go.  Easy decision.  I don't have position, and I don't want to play a big pot with AT.  I fold.
A couple of hands later, blinds still at 25/50, I have 79 offsuit in the BB.  An early position player min raises to 100.  He gets 3 callers, so I decide to call too, since I am getting 8.5:1.  Maybe I can hit a lucky flop and stack someone.  No such luck.  I have a gutshot draw on the flop, but I am bet out of the pot.  I have about 2500 in chips remaining.  I am in the middle of the pack, but there is still a lot of play left.
Blinds are at 30/60.  I have 34 suited in late position.  A middle position player raises to 180.  I call hoping to catch a good flop, but totally miss.  I have about 2200 remaining. 
Blinds are now at 40/80.  I haven't been able to play a hand for the last few rounds. Once blinds reach 50/100, I am going to try to ramp up my aggression for a while and see if I can chip up.
Blinds are still at 40/80, I have JT offsuit in the middle position, I raise the pot to see if I can pick up the blinds.  The SB calls and the BB calls.  The flop is Q99 with a possible flush draw.  I have a straight draw.  Not a great flop, but not a horrible one either.  SB and BB both check.  I check to keep the pot small and to take a free card.  SB and BB both check the turn.  I decide to make a small bet to see if I can take the pot.  The pot is appx 800 and I bet 300. I win the pot and now have appx 2700 in chips.
Blinds are now 50/100.  MirzaK18 has been very aggressive the last few rounds raising more than half of the hands dealt preflop.  I have 22 on the button.  MirzaK18 is in middle position and as expected raises to 300.  I call, planning to move in on him if the flop doenst have an cards over a 10.  The flop hits me better than expected:  52T with 2 clubs.  I have a set of deuces and MirzaK18 bets into me, I move all in. and he calls.  He shows K5 offsuit. and I take down a big pot.  I now have appx 4200 in chips.
Blinds are now at 60/120.  Mirza is still being pretty aggressive, although the table is starting to play back at him.  He raises from UTG to  480.  I reraise to 1500 with AK in middle position.  He moves all in for 425 more.  He shows AT offsuit and I am in great shape to stack him.  The poker gods see it otherwise and the flop comes 22AA7, giving us both the same full house.  We split the pot.
MirzaK18 just got moved to another table, so maybe I will finally be able to start taking the initiative on steamrolling the table. 
Blinds are now at 80/160.  I have KQ offsuit in middle position, I raise the pot and take down the blinds.
Very next hand I have AT in middle position.  I raise the pot again and take down another set of blinds.  I have appx 3900 in chips.  I am in 8th place out of 18 remaining players.
I am at a new table.  Blinds are at 100/200.  This table seems pretty passive, so I raise with 67 suited from middle position and take down another set of blinds. 
I have QJ offsuit in the SB.  There are 4 limpers, so I limp also and the BB checks.  Flop is 69J with 2 diamonds.  I have top pair, but worst position.  There are 3 players to act behind me and the pot is already big, so I just check.  Everyone else checks.  The turn is an offsuit 5.  I bet 2/3 of the pot and take it down.
A couple hands later a middle position player makes a pot sized raise from middle position.  I am on the button with AJ suited.  I call.  The flop misses me completely, but the initial raiser checks.  I make a bet of about 1/2 the pot and he moves all in.  I have to fold and have about 3200 remaining.  I would like to try to steal the blinds, but 3 players to the left of me are all severely short stacked and I am sure they will call with almost anything higher than a J. 
Blinds are now 120/240.  I pick up JJ in early position.  I raise the pot and player 2 to the left of me moves all in for 400 more.  I call and run into AA.  I have appx 1100 remaining.
The next hand I pick up AA UTG.  I just call.  the button and BB are the only players that stay in the pot with me.  The flop is A99.  I flop the nut full house.  The BB and I both check.  The button bets 240.  Button folds and I smooth call.  Turn is a J.  I check again and the button bets.  I move all in, the button calls.  He shows 97 for trips.  The river is a blank and I double up to just over 2200.
The very next hand I am in the BB with AQ.  Late position player  raises the pot.  I call and the flop brings a Q and 2 small cards.  I check, the preflop raiser makes the minimum bet.  I raise to 900 and the preflop raiser calls.  The turn is another small card, I move all in with top pair, top kicker.  Preflop raiser calls and shows KK. I fail to improve and am eliminated in 13 place.  I hate AQ!!!

Back From Long Weekend

I am back from my long weekend and it was a blast!!!  We are back in Vegas now and everyone is taking a nap after a long trip , so  I am able to type up a quick update. We went to the Iron County Fair in my hometown of Parowan.  We took my daughter on lots of rides, visited the grandparents, and I was able to catch up with some old friends. 
I was also able to sneak in a few SNG's in the hotel room after everyone was asleep. I was able to cash in a couple of them, increasing my bankroll to $75.84.  I was experimenting with a very loose aggressive style similar to that of Gus Hansen.  This worked out particularly well in one tournament.  At the final table, I had a 4:1 chip lead on the next closest player.   At the final table a couple of players picked up on my aggressiveness and were making it difficult, so I had to tighten up.  I made it to heads up with a 2.5:1 chip lead, but got unlucky a couple of times and finished second.  That is all for now, I hope to resume my regular posting later tonight or tomorrow night.

Day Off!!!

Its my day off.  Well, not really.  I did have to work for a few hours this morning.  But I am off now.  I spent the first hour off setting up a new wireless printer that we purchased last weekend.  After hooking up the printer, I went to In-n-Out burger for lunch and now I am at Barnes & Noble playing poker online. 

I am on a great winning streak!!  I started out my session with a bankroll of $59.55.  So far, I have increased it by more than $10.  I have been buying into a $5 max buy in .02..05 NL game with $2.  When I double my buy in, I leave the table and move to another one.  Seems to be working pretty well so far.  I am not at a table long enough for my opponents to figure out my style.  My bankroll is over $70 now.  I will play again tonight, but I will be taking a break for a few days for the holiday weekend. 
My wife and I both have a 4 day weekend for Labor Day, so we are taking the little one and heading up to beautiful Utah for the weekend.  We are taking my daughter to see Grandma, Grandpa, and the dogs.  Also, we will be going to the Iron County Fair to play some games, go on rides, and eat junk food.  Should be fun!

I am at home now and am playing .02/.05 NL again.  It isnt going so well this time, I have made some good reads on preflop all ins, and just cant win a race.  I had 77 vs AK, 66 vs AJ, and 99 vs 88.  I lost all three all ins.  I did however take 3rd in a 45 payer SNG for just over $7.  My bankroll balance is now at $66.43.  That is all for the next few days.  I will be in Utah enjoying the nice weather. 

Another 45 Player SNG

Last nights session didn't go so well. My chip stack was up and down with some wild swings, so I am going to tighten up early on and try to pick my spots better.

First hand of the tournament and I pick up KQ clubs in the SB.  A player in early position and the button both limp.  I make a pot sized raise, the BB folds and both limpers call.  The flop is K94 with 2 hearts.  I bet and both players call.  The turn is the J spades.  I check, early position bets and button moves in. AK, KJ, K9, a set or a straight all beat me not to mention there are 2 flush draws on board.  I fold, early position shows straight and the button shows 2 pair.  Good Fold!!  I still have 1290 in chips.

Blinds are at 25/50.  I have K2 spades in BB.  The action is limped around to me and I check.  The flop is KQ7.  The SB bets 40 into a pot of 160.  I raise to 160 to try to figure out where I stand with top pair.  The button calls and the SB reraises.  I figure I have to be beat and I fold.  Both players end up all in.   The small blind shows K8 and the button shows QT for middle pair.  It is interesting that the SB would reraise with K8. I will keep that in mind for future pots.  I have 1040 chips left.  Hopefully I can improve my situation soon. 

The blinds are still 25/50 and I have QT diamonds in the SB.  Action is limped around and I limp, the BB checks.  Flop is 85J with 2 spades.  There is 200 in the pot and the BB bets 50.  One player calls and I call with and inside straight draw.  I hit my 9 on the turn and bet the pot (350).  The BB calls and the river is a low spade making a possible flush.  I check and the BB checks, I have a straight and the BB shows a flopped set.  I guess I missed a bet although im not sure he would have called on the river.  I now have 1690 in chips.  I have finally made a step in the right direction.
I have managed to steal the blinds 2 out the last 3 rounds and now have 1930 in chips.  Blinds are at 40/80.

I have AJ clubs in late position.  A middle position player limps and I raise to 360.  BB calls and middle position moves in for 1055 total.  He is either very weak or very strong, so I have a big decision.  There is 1815 in the pot and it is just under 700 to call.  I am getting better than 2 to 1.  He has recently seen me raising a lot of pots, so he may be making a move.  It is possible, however that he was slow playing a big hand.  Based on the pot odds and my read that he is making a move, I call.  He shows A4 of spades.  I am in great shape to take him out!!  The river had other plans for me though.  He spiked a 4 on the river and took a huge chunk of my stack.  I have 875 left.
The very next hand, the blinds increase to 50/100 and I pick up QJ.  I only have 6 rounds left, so I move in.  The BB calls with AA.   The flop brings a J and the turn brings a Q.  LUCKY!!  I double up.

The blinds are now at 60/120.  I have been blinded down to 1660.  I need to get some chips quickly if I want to make the final table.
Blinds are now at 100/200.  I am down to 1420.  I have had no playable hands at all and have been unable to steal the blinds due to action behind me.  I am going to have to make a move with the first reasonable hand I get.  I am officially the short stack of the entire field and the blinds are about to hit me.
99 in the BB.  Here we go!!  Banzai!!  The button moved in and I insta called.  He shows AT and fails to improve.  I double up, he is crippled and eliminated the next hand.  I have 2750 in chips and finally have a little breathing room.
Blinds are now 120/240 and there are 13 players left, 4 more to the final table!!  Hopefully, I can hold on.  After 2 more players are out, I may get more aggressive on the bubble and see if I can chip up.
Play is now 5 handed at my table and the blinds are coming around fast!!  I am the short stack, so I need to tread carefully to avoid elimination.  I will try to find a spot to make a big play.
So far I have been holding my own at this 5 handed table.  My chip stack is holding steady and I have been able to take down as many blinds as I have had taken from me.  However, I am still the short stack.
One player left to the final table.
Its official, I am the final table BUBBLE BOY!!  I was in SB with AT spades with blinds at 150/300.  I had 2750 left, so I shoved.  BB called me with Q2 and he spiked a 2 on the flop.  I am eliminated in 9th place.
On a more positive note, I was playing .01/.02 NL at the same time as the tournie and was able to make $1.98.  So I am up  $.73 on the day.  My account balance is now $60.36. I am up $10.36 from where I started.  Another day, but not quite another dollar.

Sit N Go

I am about to start a 45 player $1.25 SNG on Full Tilt.

The first hand of the tournament I pick up 77.  I raised the pot but got 3 callers.  All over cards on the flop, so I had to ditch it.
I just picked up AA with 2 limpers in front of me and blinds at 20/40.  I raised the pot and got one caller.  I flopped top set and took down a pot of 500.
Blinds are at 20/40. I have Q9 suited and raise from middle position.  The button reraises to 960 and I have to fold.  My stack is down to 1100.  I am a middle stack at my table, but there is still plenty of play with the blinds at this level.
Blinds are now at 25/50.  I have KJ clubs in SB.  There is one limper.  I raise to 200. The big blind folds and the limper calls.  Flop is Q95.  I flopped open ended.  I bet the pot and my opponent moves all in.  I  figure that I have 11 outs and call. Opponent shows Q8 for top pair, but I hit my straight on the turn.  I double up to just over 2200.
I have 34 clubs in BB.  The cut off raises 3 times big blind and I call.  The flop misses me completely and I have to fold.
I have 8T Spades in middle position.  I raise to 175.  The button and BB both call.  The flop is AJK rainbow.  The BB bets the pot and I fold.
Blinds are now at 30/60.  I have been aggressive but this table seems to be tougher than usual. I think I am going to switch gears and tighte up.
I had Q7 diamonds on the button.  there were 4 limpers, so I called hoping to get lucky.  The flop brought 2 diamonds.  All checked to me.  I bet about 1/2 the pot.  and get one caller.  The turn is a K.  Check, Check. River is a blank.  Opponent checks and I bluff about 1/3 the pot and he folds.  I now have about 2100 in chips. 
The table is very unbalanced at the moment.  Chip leader has 6800 chips, I am 2nd with 2100 and everyone else has under 1000.  Should make for an interesting table dynamic.
The unbalanced table didnt last long.  We just got 2 new players with average stacks.  Blinds are now 40/80.
I havent picked up a playable hand for a few rounds now and my stack has been blinded down to 1900.  I am going to have to chip up soon to avoid getting too short as the blinds are now at 50/100.
I just had 66 on the button with 3 limpers ahead of me.  I limp also and the flop brings no help.  I had to fold.  Maybe I should have raised big and punished the limpers preflop.
One hand later, I pick up 89 suited in the cutoff.  I raise this time and take down the pot.  I now have 2000 in chips, I am holding steady, but need to increase my stack before the blinds get too big.  They are now at 60/120. 
I am in the BB and have QQ.  I decide that if I get raised I am just moving in.  The button raises to 500 (as he has done my last 3 BB's) and I move in.  He shows KQ.  I am in great shape to double up.  He fails to improve and I now have 4000 in chips.
I have AQ and there is one limper (the opponent from  previous hand).  I raise to 720 and he calls.  Flop is 256.  I bet the pot and he calls.  Check, check on the turn.  He moves all in on the river.  I think about calling as I am sure he is steaming from the last hand.  I finally decide to fold as he had me covered and he showed his bluff, K9.  I now have about 2400 in chips.
I just changed tables.  Maybe I will be able to push this table around a little more than the last.  I pick up K9 my first hand at this table in middle position with one limper ahead of me.  I decide to just move in and take down the pot.
Blinds are now at 100/200, so I need to chip up VERY SOON!! I have about 2700 in chips, so only about 9 rounds.  This table loves to limp, so maybe I can make some big raises in position.
I am in the cutoff with A5 suited.  one limper ahead of me.  I raise to 700 and take it down.  I am now at 3000 in chips.
I just made a move with A8 suited and was called by the BB with QQ.  He doubled up and I now have 1300 in chips.  I am in big trouble.  Blinds are at 120/240. 
Any A or any 2 face cards and I am moving in.
The last 3 hands were 25, 26, 28.  Things areen't looking too good.  I have been blinded down to 1000.
I moved in on the button with T5 and took it down.  Next hand I picked up 44.  I moved in and was called by KJ.  44 held up and I now have a little breathing room with 3100 in chips. 
Blinds are now 150/300 and players are dropping fast.   
I was in BB with T7 spades.  Button limped, SB folded.  Flop was J6K with 2 spades.  I moved in for 2700.  Button tanked and finally called with J9 for a pair of J's. I failed to improve and busted out in 15th place.  I think it was the right move to put the decision on him, it just didn't work out this time.
My account balance is now $59.63.  I am up $9.63 from my starting balance.

$1.25 SNG 45 Players

I am about to start a $1.25 SNG at Full Tilt. I will update my notes here as the action happens. Wish me luck!!



The table is fairly tight so far. The blinds are at 15/30. I made pot sized raises preflop with K9 and KT and been able to pick up the blinds. In the big blind I had 93 suited. The pot was limped around, I checked and I flopped bottom 2 pair with 2 spades on board. I made pot sized bets all the way and was able to pick up a nice pot.



With blinds at 20/40, I picked up JJ on the button, no callers in front of me. I made a pot sized raise and took down the blinds. I thought about slow playing it, but thought better of it. I hate JJ.

Blinds are still at 20/40 and I have 66 in middle position. No callers in front of me, so I made pot sized raise. SB and BB both called. Of course the flop brought three over cards. SB bet, BB called, and I folded.

Blinds are at 25/50 and I have been successful in taking down several small pots that nobody else seemed interested in. Hopefully the table will keep allowing me to do this. I am chip leader at the table and would like to stay that way. At the break, I have 3320 in chips. Next closest at my table has 2930.

The tables were just balanced and I had to move. I was hoping to stay at that table, but so be it. I will have to feel the new one out. Hopefully it is as weak as the last. At least I am still table chip leader, so at the moment I am comfortable.

So far, I am not dissappointed with my new table. I have managed to take down a couple of healthy pots with complete air. I think I will tighten up a bit for a couple of rounds so that they dont catch on.

The player to my immediat left just took down a huge pot and is now ahead of me in chips, appx. 4800 to 4300. I will have to be careful of her as she has position on me.

Nevermind, she just donked off her chips to another player. He has a huge chip lead on the table. I will not get involved in any big pots with him.

Blinds are 40/80. I am in the cutoff and raise with JT. The BB goes all in, I am getting 2:1, so I call. BB shows 22, the board comes 449KK. I take down the pot and eliminate a player.

I have the table pretty much under control. Everyone seems to fear when I am in a pot. I hope this continues.

Blinds just moved up to 50/100. I expect to see some desparation plays from some of the mid and low stacks.

My prediction has come true. A couple of the small stacks have doubled up with inferior hands that got lucky. It may be a lucky break for me though, as I think I can steal a lot of their new found chips when they are in the blinds.

Blinds are now at 60/120 and the table chip leader has been doing a lot of preflop min raising. I am going to try to slow him down with the first reasonable hand I get.

I just lost a sizable pot. I raised to 420 with 88 from the cutoff. The button called. Flop came K42 with 2 clubs. I moved in and the button called with AJ clubs. He hit a J on the turn and doubled up. I still have appx 3700 in chip, but I am not as comfortable as I was a few minutes ago. Most of the players at the table are close in chips except for the chip leader who is up 2:1 on everybody.

Player to my left has moved all in last 3 hands in a row for bets of 20X the BB or more. I hope to pick up a hand and take him out.

With blinds at 100/200, I just took down 2 monter pots. I had 2 full houses in a row and managed to get the money in with both of them. I eliminated a player and we are now at the final table. I am 3rd in chips with appx 13000.

Small stacks at the final table are playing scared. I am still able to steal their blinds. I think they are waiting for the 3 big stacks to hurt each other. I plan to stay out of the way of the other 2 chip leaders unless I have the nuts.

Blinds are now 150/300 and I am 2nd in chips. Play is still 9 handed.

Chip leader just gave away a bunch of chips, making me the new leader.

I am now massive chip leader. I flopped a set and got AA to move in on me. I have over 23000and next closest is 15500. Play is now 7 handed. 6 places pay, so we are on the bubble.

3 of the players have over 10000, so I will try to keep the pots small against them.

We are in the money now. Blinds are 200/400 so I think the rest of the tourney will be quick. The small stacks seem content to be blinded to death.

Play is now 4 handed and the remaining players are all tough. I may have to wait for a good hand as they are quite capable of pushing back.

All of the 4 remaining are like cockroaches. None of us will go out. We just keep swapping chips back and forth.

We have finally reached 3 handed play. It took JJ vs QQ to get here. Blinds are 400/800. We are all close in chips, so it should be interesting.

We are finally heads up. I am outchipped by 2.5:1. My opponent doesnt seem to want to play small pots, so I am going to have to take the lead in the aggression. He is moving all in about half of his buttons. Any A and I am going to call him.

Blinds are now 500/1000 and he has slowed down for the moment. I have been able to get almost even in chips with him. I picked up AK against his A7 and he shoved on me. I now have 10:1 chip lead. He shoved on me from the button. I had K9 and called. He showes K6 and doesnt improve. I win the tournament!! My account balance is now $64.12. I am up $14.12 from my starting deposit. Not bad for the 2nd day of this experiment.

27 Player SNG $1.25

I just finished 7th in a 27 player SNG at Full Tilt. Payouts started at 5th place. I played very aggressive picking up a lot of orphan pots. I should have tightened up near the end though, as I believe most of the players had picked up on my aggressiveness. My account balance is now $49.20 down 80 cents from my original deposit.

45 Player SNG at Full Tilt

I am currently sitting at a 45 player $1.25 SNG at Full Tilt. I have managed to take down more than my fair share of pots. I am sitting 2 to the left of Hesler. He is wild and has been pushing in with weak hands and getting lucky. He is currently the tournament chip leader. I am currently in 5th place. I do have position on him, but he likes to make very big preflop raises. Hopefully, I can pick up a hand and take advantage of his large raises.

I just make my first donkey move in this experiment. The blinds are 40/80. Player in middle position has appx 1100 in chips and raises to 280. I am on button with 57 suited and I think I may be able to steal the pot. I reraise to 960, MP player moves all in for the rest of his chips. I am pot committed and call. MP player shows KK and I don't improve. I lose appx 1/3 of my chips. A few hands later I am in SB with 93offsuit and blinds of 50/100. A couple of players limp, and I limp. I flop 2 pair, but there are 2 clubs on board. I am in early position and check waiting to see what develops. Player in last position bets 200 into pot of 500. I raise all in to appx 1900 and other player calls. other player has nut flush draw and hits flush on turn, but I fill up on river. After this hand, I have 4200 in chips and blinds are 50/100. Blinds are now at 80/160. I have 99 in the SB. My arch nemesis Huselr raises to 640. I have not played many pots with Huselr, but I believe they perceive me as pretty tight as I have not made any moves without a hand from out of position. I reraise to 2200 and I am able to pick up the blinds, one limp and the raise from Huselr. This hand puts me in the top 5 chip stacks.

I am now at the final table of this 45 player $1.25 SNG. I am 5th in chips with 8150. Blinds are 150/300. Huselr is still chip leader with appx 15,000. So far, I have managed to get my money in good against him, I will continue to pick my spots against him. I will try not get involved in large pots with him as he is easily able to knock me out if he gets lucky. Blinds are now at 200/400 and I was able to eliminate a player. I now have 11000 in chips and am 3rd in chips out of 7. We are now on the bubble.

We are now in the money. I have appx 9400 and blinds are 250/500, so I expect the rest of the tournament to go quickly.

I am 5th in chips out of 6. The chip leaders seem to want to play big pots with each other, so I will try to either wait them out and hope they hurt each other, or hopefully pick up a big hand against one of them and double up.

My wish just came true (almost)!! I picked up QQ against Huselr and got all the money in. He had K8 and spiked a K on the flop. I am eliminated and win $2.70. Not a big win, but it's not bad for my first night at this wonderful experiment.

After this tourney my account balance is $50.45. I am up 45 cents from when I began.