News / Imper1um / 04 November 2008 / Leave a comment

After ending Day 1 with just 9,100 chips, I had a lot of work to do. With the blinds being 400/800 with antes, realistically, I have low expectations, but it is a fun stack to play, and I never give up! I was at a great table, with the only recognizable player being Joe Sebok who I had on my right.

I got off to a great start when I shoved in position and in a few limped pots and immediately increased my stack to 12,000. Sebok gave me a courtesy double up after I shoved my A7 vs his 77 to his late position raise with two weak players on the blinds and the board paired with QQ and 88 making my ace high play. After that, I was up to 22,000 and unstoppable.

I stole blinds up to about 35,000 and then double up in a semi-amusing hand. Four people limp in at 400/800 and I make it 5,200 from the SB with 99. The second limper flat calls and everyone else folds. Flop comes 833. I bet 7,200 and he puts me all in for 28,000 more?! I don't get it? I stare him down for a while asking him what he is trying to represent and telling him that I really feel that he's not giving me credit for a hand etc. After about 3-4 minutes, I finally call and he shows the T9o. Miraculously I hold, and now with 75,000 I'm a huge contender to make a deep run in this tournament.

I made one really good re-steal with T9 after an active older guy who had been reraising a lot , reraised me with to 6,000 after I made it 2,200 and I shoved all in for 30,000 more. He ended up folding 99 face up. After that, I got up to about 120,000 playing no showdown poker and get moved to a table that appeared to be MUCH tougher. Lots of good younger internet players with a LOT of chips, including Kingdan who I reunite with after playing him on Day 1. I decide to keep steamrolling until they give me a reason not to, and at one point raise five hands in a row and win uncontested.

At 800/1,600 I make it 4,400 from MP with Ah6h. Flop comes 589 with two clubs. He checks, I fire 6,200 and he calls. The turn is an ace of diamonds and we both check. The river is a 7x. He checks and I INSTA fire 20,000. How can he put me on a straight here? He ends up calling, with what he later admits to be King high, and I rake in the pot.

Next orbit I get KK in mid position after UTG, who's got about 100,000, raises to 5,500 at 1,000/2,000. I decided to flat call, hoping that Kingdan or another one of the shortstacks squeezes. They don't and the flop comes down J86 with two hearts. He checks, I make it 7,700 to which he replies with a 22,000 raise in my face. I think about it for a minute and shove all in for 60k more. He calls with KK as well and I have the heart freeroll, but the turn is a blank and we chop the pot.

A couple orbits later, after stealing a few pots preflop, I raise with AKo from MP and get called from the BB who is the same guy I had a straight on with Ah6h earlier. The flop comes down A82 with two diamonds. I bet 6,800 and he raises to 20,000 with 40,000 behind and folds to my shove.

I end the day with a stack of 220,000, putting me in the top ten chip counts.

Niagara Intro - Cutting down on mistakes
Day 1 Niagara - Should have shoved on the flop
Day 3 Niagara - Ups and downs and pleased with a cash.