Off to a good start!

Yes. Well *ahem*. My second tourney of the new year. Game in question: $20+5 rebuy tournament. The $5 fee is a fuckin' ripoff if you ask me, but I have nothing better to do on Tuesday nights, so whatever. The rebuys are $25, but this extra $5 goes into the purse. Same with the addon. There were 28 players.

I really felt like I was playing my A game last night. I tried to play as consistently as possible, thinking and re-thinking decisions before just blindly pushing, or folding on a whim. In the first 2 levels, I managed to double up on two separate occassions. In the first of the two, I flopped a set holding KK and induced an all-in bluff from an early position big stack holding 55. Couple hands later, I found AK suited, raised from early position and saw a 5 handed flop of KK3. I checked, EP+1 bet out, CO folds, button pushes, I call and EP+1 folds. Button flips QQ.

Into the second half of the tournament, I played very few hands until we reached the final table. My plan was to loosen up just a little and try to start stealing some blinds. I never had the opportunity... in the first four hands at the final table, 3 people busted out after having their all-ins called preflop by the big stack, who busted ALL FOUR.

5 handed, in the BB. Raised with JJ, everyone calls. Flop is rainbow rag board, no connectors. I push for about the size of the pot, big stack calls me. He doesn't catch his ace and I'm the second largest stack at the table.

(2 people go out on complete bluff all-ins. Big stack takes them out too.)

3 handed. A3s on the button. I raise, SB pushes, BB folds. SB doesn't have a large stack, it's only 2x the BB to call, so I do. He flips K8o. Catches a K on the flop and I double him up.

Few hands later, same guy raises from the blinds, but this time, gets put all in by the big stack. Raiser flips 99, Big stack flips TT. Neither of them hit anything, and we're 2 handed.

First hand heads up, I double up with 24 when I flop a straight.

A few hands later, the deciding moment...... Here's a hand history I made:

Seat 1: Chris (T18,500 in chips)
Seat 2: Solid Opponent (T21,500 in chips)
Chris: posts small blind T1000
Solid Opponent: posts big blind T2000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Chris [Qc Jc]
Chris: calls T1000 to T2000
Solid Opponent: raises T2000
Chris: raises T4000 to T18,500 (all in)
Solid Opponent: calls T12,500
Solid Opponent: shows [Qh 9s]

*** FLOP *** [3c 5d 6c]
*** TURN *** [3c 5d 6c] [9d]
*** RIVER *** [3c 5d 6c 9d] [As]

*** SHOW DOWN ***
Solid Opponent: [Qh 9s] (a pair of nines)
Chris: [Qc Jc] (Ace Queen high)
Solid Opponent collected T37,000 from pot

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Out in 2nd ($360). I deserved 1st ($730).

I'm happy with this tournament. I think I played well, and If I can hold my play together like I did last night, this will be the first of MANY similar posts.

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• Tournaments