Aspers Summary

I lost.

Thanks for reading 

The first few levels nothing special happened, I built up to 250k and cant really think of any special hands on the way there.

I flopped a couple of straights and just bet 3/4 pot on turn and river and got calls on both all the way to showdown are two that I remember but they werent massive pots.

It was just a slow gradual climb.

There was one big jump when I picked up QQ, there was a 4x or 5x raise before me which I called. Flop came JJx, villian bets big, I call. The bet seemed too big for him having the J.

He fired again on the turn, which was another card under the J. I called again

A blank came on the river, villain fires hist last 20/30k in to the pot, I call again, no way I could put my hand down now there was too much in the middle and if I had misread that he had the Jack then so be it.

Villian showd 55, I show my QQ and happily scopp the 200k+ from the middle.

Then I picked up AA, raised to 3x, got 2 callers,flop T9x 2 of one suit, first to act I bet 13k,call, then a push all in.

I tanked here for what seemed to be hours,I was putting vilian on JJ+, possible flush draw but I was blocking the nut flush with one of my Aces, possible straight draw had he had been known to call raise with semi connected,suited cards. I gave a set less value because I wouldnt normally expect a shove with a set.

Also the player to act after me was aggro and would play ATC even to big raises, so I thought it possible the bet was possibly to protect a top pair/over pair.

I eventually called and villain turned TT for top set. bye bye 140k.(should have realised that he would have shoved the set to protect from the aggro player) 

Few hands later I pick up 66 in the big blind, two limpers. So I shove I get one caller. AQ vs 66.

The villian hits his A on the turn, I shake his hand thinking he has me covered but I had 13.5k left.

The next hand I pick up 95s, there are 2 or 3 limpers, so going purely for value. I push my last few k into the middle. Everyone calls.

Flop 678 at this stage I jump on the table and do a little jig.(well in my head anyway) My 95s holds up and I get a nice quadruple up.

Next bit of luck I have is the next orbit on my BB, I look down at A3s I decide there and then that its going in when its me to act, 

It folds round to the button(which is Lee) he limps and the SB pushes, I am putting him on any broadway,Kx even Qx obviously Ax, I make the call he turns A7.

First card on the flop is my 3 which holds to the river and doubles me up.(fely a bit guilty about this one but I did feel I was ahead to a lot of his range)

Next hand which I feel is a really big hand and would have made a lot of difference.

There is one caller, the gentleman who I just sucked out on pushes, I look down on AK and partly because of the agro player to my direct right who is still to act and  partly to give the guy I sucked out on a bit more of a chance, I push all in.

The player who called tanks for maybe 10 minutes,maybe longer eventually he decides to fold.

We all turn over, cant remember what the guy who is all in had, but the guy who folded shows QQ.

The flop comes QTx which would have gave hime the set, turn brings a J giving me the straight.

A call there would have put me at 300k or maybe if I played it too agressively, I dont know but I know I was avoiding getting in pots with the agro player, I had seen hi lm take down some big pots with total bluffs or flopping weird 2 pairs etc.

At this stage we are at level 11 its been a long day.

Again my BB  Lee raises to 8K SB calls, I call with Kxs,

flop comes Qxx with 2 of my suit, Gets to the SB and he shoves all in.

and this is where I decide to gamble and make the call(I had maybe 150k and if I was going to come back for day 2, I felt I needed at least have 300k to be in with a chance to rech the cash), I think the guy is pushing with a one pair hand or is holding 2 low hearts.

Lee folds and shows his J9of Hearts, SB shows Ax of Hearts, Feeling a bit sick now.

I watch the cards come and hope for anything to pair my hand, it doesnt and I head home :)

In retrospect I should of waited for a better spot but sometimes moments of madness pay and most of the time they dont.

I had a great day out, enjoyed my game and played good enough in the first half of the tournament, The AA I should have folded and I think after that hand it had an effect on play.

Thanks RKH for the oppurtunity to play, this was 20x my normall buy in for live poker MTTs

and it was nice to meet a fellow RKHer while there.

Obviously I will be going to extreme efforts in competitions involving live MTTs so I can relive the experience and maybe be a bit better prepared next time.

One thing I did notice which suprised me was that I was expecting all the players too be all semi-pro at the least but I could picture some people from the pub game I normally play at, in  some of the other players at the table.

i.e. I will keep betting till they fold guy with ATC, No way I am folding any Ace preflop regardless of the raise amount guy etc.

If this a similar field everytime, I think any player with at least ABC knowledge of poker could reach the cash, so I would recomend the Aspers 88 to any RKHer and would say the 88k starting stack gives you a lot of play.

#Aspers88