How I Won a 180 Person NLHE $22 SNG, Part V

By: The Monster Stack (Guest Blogger)

Hello,

I ended Part IV of this series just before the final table began. I will, of course, begin this, the final part of the series, with a recap of the final table. As mentioned in the Part IV, the final table began with the chip stacks being relatively even with nobody having a super chip lead. It was anyone's game. As soon as the final table began everyone started shouting "chop!" Well, not while I am at the table. I don't chop. Period! Perhaps in a live satellite I would consider it if four places got a prize and fifth got nothing and we were down to five players. But even then. It's bad karma for me. I simply don't do it. Every once in awhile someone would ask for a chop. I flat out state in no uncertain terms that there will be no chopping while I am at the table. I won't even chop if I am a short stack. One or two hands could easily change that. Final tables usually (but not always) don't leave enough room for real play and often require some lucky breaks, or, at the very least, no bad beats.

Ad-Td (early position): Hand #201. I raised it up to 3,600 and got called by the button, the very aggressive player who had once had a huge stack but now held fewer chips than me. Both blinds folded and the button and I took a flop of Jc-As-8h. I led out for 4,800 and the button called. The turn was the Js and I again attacked the pot, this time betting 6,000. This was a small bet as I wanted to know if he had absolutely nothing or had just outdrawn me on the turn. The truth is I don't think I would have folded to a re-raise. I had seen this act by him before. He called the 6,000. The turn brought a third jack making the board Jc-As-8h-Js-Jd. If he had quads I was going to go broke. If he had has an ace for the same hand then we were chopping the pot. If he had an 8 or a pair in the hole I could possible get the rest of his chips. With the pot standing at almost 32,000 I pushed all-in for my last 16,000 and change. To my surprise, he folded. I have no idea with what hand he could have called pre-flop, on the flop, on the turn and then fold on the river with nearly 50,000 in the pot leaving himself short stacked. Either way I was happy. I was now the chip leader with just under 48,000 chips.

Ks-9s (big blind): Hand #204. It was folded around to the small blind who raised it to 3,600. I called and we took a flop of 4d-8s-Jc. He checked and I checked behind him. The turn was the 6d and he checked again and I checked behind him. What am I doing? It would be easier to just give him my chips. The river was the Jh and he checked and for some reason I completely lost my mind and checked again. He showed As-7d and took down the pot with ace high. First of all, when it's checked to me on the river I almost always bet. It is a sign of weakness and you will take down enough pots this way, especially if it was checked to me three times. This guy was practically telling me he had nothing by checking it to me three times. I actually said out loud "what the hell am I doing?" And what the hell was I doing?

Blind increase: 800/1600 ante 150

Ad-Kc (early position): Hand #210. I raised it up and took the blinds and antes.

Ad-Tc (early position): Hand #211. I raised it up to 4,800 and someone pushed all-in for about another 22,000. I folded.

There was an all-in on Hand #215 and a short stack doubled up with the Kd-Qc against 8s-8c when he spiked two queens on the flop and they held. I picked up the Ad-9s on Hand #218 after not after anything since Hand #211. I ended up getting all-in on a flop of Ac-4d-9c and chopping the pot with the very aggressive former chip leader when he showed the Ah-9h. A short stacked player was eliminated on Hand #220 when his Kd-Ks fell to his opponent's Ac-Kh on a Ad-Jh-Qs-7h-4h board. I was dealt the following hands and folded them all: 6c-4h, 6d-4h, Jc-9c, 7c-6s, 7s-3h, Kc-3c and Tc-5c. I might have played the Jc-9c but that was on Hand #220

Ah-5h (early position): Hand #226. I raised it up and took down the blinds and antes. I have a little more than 39,000 in chips which is the second largest stack at the table and is above average. The chip leader has 52,000 and the short stack has 13,000.

Ah-9d (big blind): Hand #229. The short stack, who now had over 16,000 after stealing the blinds in Hand #227 raised it up from early position to 4,800. I called out of the big blind and check-folded to an all-in bet on a 2d-6d-6s flop. I think he had something like K-Q or K-J and I probably should have pushed in on the flop. Calling out of position is generally a weak play and I should have either raised or folded pre-flop (I should probably have pushed in). In two hands the short stack nearly has an average stack.

Jc-9d (small blind): Hand #230. It was folded around to me and I limped in the small blind. The flop was 4d-9h-Kd and I bet and took down the pot.

Blind increase: 1000/2000 ante 200

9c-6h (UTG): Hand #236. I folded the following hands in order before this hand: 5d-2c, Qs-4h, 8h-6d, Jh-5d and Kc-5s. I got bored folding every hand and the blinds and antes were so high that I needed to start picking up some chips. I raised to 6,000 UTG hoping that between the fact that I was UTG and that I hadn't played a pot in a few hands I would easily take down the pot. Alas, it was not to be. The big blind got stubborn and called and we took a flop of 2h-5d-Qd. He checked and I bet 5,000 and took down the pot. Phew. If he had called I probably would have either bluffed off all my chips or tried to force him to fold by betting the next two streets. I more than likely would have bet the turn and river. I have no problem firing three bullets with air. Perhaps too much. I have busted out of many a tournament that way. But I have also moved up in pay doing that. The jury is still out on that one. I am now just about even with the chip leader with more than 44,000.

8c-4h (big blind): Hand #237. High from the last hand I got a little carried away on the next. The small blind limped after everyone folded and I min-raised it and the small blind called. The flop came down Td-2s-5h and it was checked to me. I bet 2,000, the small blind made it 6,000 and I folded. I should have made a bigger raised pre-flop. He probably has J-10 type of hand.

Kc-Js (cutoff): Hand #240. A lot of chips changed hands since Hand #237. The former tournament chip leader (I should have named him about three articles ago) was once again in the chip lead with over 61,000. I was third in chips with almost 40,000. A player who got beat up in the last hand had just 525 in chips. I limped in the cutoff and the short stack called all-in for 325. The small blind raised it to 4,000, the big blind called and I called as well. The flop was Kd-8c-Ts and it was checked over to me. I bet out 8,000 and everyone folded. Normally I would check it down except the side pot was big enough to try and take. I was actually hoping for a call. Anyway, I ended up making a straight and taking down the pot of almost 14,000, eliminating a player in the process.

Ad-Ac (early position): Hand #243. I decided to play it like a steal and made a huge over bet. In fact, I pushed all-in. To my surprise I got insta-called by the player to my left and the big blind called as well. I had them both covered. The player to my left showed the Jh-Js and the big blind showed Ah-Kh. The flop came Qd-Jd-4d. I was out flopped but still had outs. The turn was the 8s and the river was the beautiful 5d giving me the flush and eliminating two players simultaneously. We are down to five players and I have over 100,000 in chips. My closet opponent has 50,000. The other three range from 30,000 to 45,000. A player commented that he held the Jc which meant that I had initially been one outed on the flop.

The very next hand saw another elimination when a player bluffed all-in, perhaps trying to mimic my play and make others think he had a big hand. Well, the small blind called with Ad-Ks and the other player showed Kh-4d. The A-K held up and he eliminated the player with ace high. He now has over 80,000 in chips and we are playing four-handed.

Ad-4c (big blind): Hand #250. After trading blinds and antes for a few hands the button limped in as did the small blind and I made it made it 10,000 to go. The button pushed all-in for about 35,000 total. The small blind called and I called. I thought I was getting good odds to call this one but the action should have told me to fold. However, I had put 10,000 into the pot and I didn't want to let it go. I normally don't do that but I saw all those chips and wanted them. The flop was Kd-3c-Ah and it was checked to me. I pushed all-in and the small blind called. Uh oh. He showed Ac-Qd and I was sick. But, the turn was the 3s and the river was the 6c and we chopped up the button's chips when he showed the 5s-5h. We are three-handed and I have almost 130,000 in chips. The player with whom I had just chopped the pot held over 90,000 and the short stack had about 50,000.

Blind increase: 1500/3000 ante 300

Jc-Tc (button): Hand #255. I raised it on the button to 9,000. The small blind, who had less than 50,000, pushed all-in. The big blind called and my cards caught fire. The small blind showed the 6d-6h and the big blind showed As-Ks. The big blind flopped and ace and it held. We were now heads up.

I began heads-up play with 115,000 in chips while my opponent held 155,000 in chips. He was somewhat aggressive and not too afraid to call, but he also liked to be holding something. However, this could all change during heads-up play. It is a different animal and I had not played much with him. In fact, all I know of him was from the final table. The good news: heads-up play lasted two hands. I am a good heads up player if the stacks are deep. They weren't terribly short as I had 38 big blinds and an M of 22.5 for you Harrington fans. However, this is not so great as heads-up play, particularly online, goes rather quickly.

Ac-Th (big blind): Hand #256. The button raised it to 9,000 and I called. Normally I would raise but it was the first hand and I wanted to feel him out (I think this was a bad move as I should have tried to find out then and there how aggressive my opponent had planned on playing. Besides, I more than likely had the best hand). The flop came down 5d-Tc-4c. I checked hoping to trap but he checked right behind me. The turn was the Kh and I bet 10,000. He called. The turn was the Td and I bet 15,000. He called and showed the Ks-Jc. He hit the turn and slow-played it. Huh? Terrible play. My guess is that he called the flop to bluff the turn but hit his card and tried to trap. He actually saved some money since I would have called an all-in on the turn thinking he was trying to steal.

5d-4d (button/small blind): Hand #257. The stacks are about 150,000 to 120,000 in my favor. I raised it up on the button to 9,000 and the big blind min-raised to 18,000. I called. The flop came down Ad-9c-6d. He bet 20,000 on the flop and I moved all-in. He called and showed the Ah-Jh. The turn was the 7s and the river was 3h. I rivered the straight and took down the tournament. I like the semi-bluff, particularly in heads-up play. More often than not your opponent will fold without a big hand. And even if you get a call you are rarely drawing dead, unless your opponent calls with a larger flush draw, which is unlikely.

Thank you for playing along with me. I hope you enjoyed reading about the tournament as much as I did winning it. Well, I guess that's a bit much to ask but you get the idea. I look forward to reading any comments or questions that you might have.

Please bear in mind that there were a lot of hands to recount and even with the hand history in front of me, chip counts, position and other items of importance might have been off here and there. This is not intentional as I have tried my best to faithfully record the hands as they were played. I am pretty sure that I did not get any of the cards wrong but again, this is remotely possible.

See you on the felt,
The Monster Stack