First Round, First Day

So my plan lasted all of one hand before i got pocket fours in a late position with only seven people at the table.

After raising with them, i got three bet by the small blind and folded them pre flop...  but it was a nice reminder to fold my 3's on subsequent hands. 

The first twenty minutes is so hard because you're so excited and want to both play every hand and try to remember it's a marathon.

I actually thought of Simpson and how hard doing an Iron Man must be in the beginning...  you're totally jacked up,  but have twelve hours of swimming,  biking,  and running in front of you - not burning that excited energy early has got to be hard.

But enough about non poker things...

During the first hour,  i continued to lose,  but not too bad.

I played Q3 from the small blind and folded after the flop.  I raised with KJ suited from a late position but folded to a three bet from the big blind.

I had 5 7 suited in the big blind and called a small raise with four other callers and flopped 3c 4s 6s... that's a flopped straight with a gut shot straight flush draw.  I checked it but couldn't get anyone else to bet it.  After a 7 on the turn,  i bet it and all four of them folded...  pity.

Our ninth player finally showed up with about forty five minutes left in the round.  I've got a very aggressive raiser on my right,  he plays about every hand.  The guy to my left doesn't speak English,  but evidently raises with K10 off,  so there's that.

A little over halfway through the round,  I played my pocket eights to a raise from the guy on my right and flopped a set!  He checked,  i bet,  he called...  great.  I turned a boat,  he checked,  i bet,  he called...  even better.  He checked the river,  i bet it,  he folded. 

Then a couple hands later,  i played A5 suited from second to act...  i limped after under the gun limped and was hoping for a cheap flop...  which i got!  2c 2d 3c... a gut shot straight flush draw with a nut flush draw! Except he made me pay for chasing it and after the river i didn't have an Ace,  a four,  or another club.  He did have pocket sevens though and i gave back everything i made after flopping the set of eights...  easy come,  easy go i guess.

I limped with 9 5 off from the small blind and hit a five on the flop that i bet after the turn for a min win.

I had 5 6 suited in the big blind so i called a raise to protect my blind and while i got four clubs on the flop,  i had to fold instead of chasing.

I had K J in a late position that i played to a raise,  but folded after an ace on the flop and two other cards i missed.

At one point in time i folded K 8 in the big blind to a raise with a call and the flop came A K 8, which probably would have paid me off.  But if you let what would have happened if you had only played that bad hand affect you,  you'll drive yourself crazy...  i call it the Greg Rydz syndrome.

The guy to my right has lost over 13,000 of his initial 30,000 in the first hour and a half...  and continues to play every hand.  

He raised me in a late position when i found A 10 off so i called and hit an ace on the flop. He checked,  i bet,  he called.  There was a third heart on the turn so i checked his check and we both checked the board pairing on the river.  I actually thought it was going to be a split pot because there was a king and a pair on board,  but i won a little pot being conservative. Maybe i could have squeezed an extra 500 out of him with a bet on the turn,  but I'm trying to stay conservative on day one...  checking let me see what he would do on the river.  Probably should have value bet the river though. 

And that was round one...  i have 30,275 chips,  i increased my chip count by almost a full one percent!  But hey,  at least I'm not the hyper aggressive guy next to me...  at the end of the first round of the eight day tournament,  he has just over 12,000 in chips.  Of course,  this tournament goes so slow that he would actually be ok as long as he doesn't go on tilt,  continue playing every hand,  and donk off the rest of his chips.  I actually see the later scenario as most likely,  so hopefully i get some of those chips before they're gone!

Anyway,  with blinds moving to 100/200, i have a M Ratio of about 100 heading into round two.  Not too bad for not seeing any premium hands in the first two hours...