Round Three

So i got a wild start again...  sheesh.

I had pocket tens in the small blind and seat six raised me,  so i three bet him and big blind dropped.

He called and the flop came A 9 8 rainbow.  Great,  an ace.  I bet it big anyway,  6,000. He called.  The turn was a 6. So i bet 6,000 again and get another call. 

The river is a stupid king.  A and K on board.  And he didn't fold preflop three bet.  Nor my bet after the flop.  Nor after the turn,  so i check...  and he bets 13,000.

Ugh.  There was over 30,000 in the pot,  i have 33,000 left if i fold (M Ratio of 15), but if i call and lose,  I'm down to 20,000 and a M Ratio of about 10... into the danger zone.  He raised preflop, he called everything all the way,  and is now betting huge with AK on the board.  Ugh. Misery.

Safe play is to fold it...  but i just couldn't.  I couldn't.  I wanted to,  but he had been so loose all day and i just wasn't buying that he had the ace.  So i gambled and called.

He had 67 and had been chasing an open ended straight draw and hit a small pair on the turn.  I win.  Up over 80,000!

Phew... what a call.

And then...

KQ off early...  i raise,  seat one calls,  everyone else folds. Flop comes J 5 4, so i make a continuation bet - he's been folding to them all day.  And he calls.  I checked a 2 on the turn,  he dumped on me,  i folded.

Then queens in the big blind.  I three bet seat 3 to 4,500 and led out 7,500 into a 10,000 chip pot when the flop came J 8 3 with a couple hearts and he folded.  Made the 5,000 back from the KQ hand. 

Then we lost our second player of the day,  seat five..  who was either the number one or number two chip leader coming into the day. 

I was in the small blind with A J off and seat six raised (shocking). So i three bet him because this is what i do to seat six when he raises my blinds with a position raise and i have even a marginal hand.

So the flop comes 10 10 9... so i continuation bet and he called.  The turn was a king we both checked and the river a six we both checked.  He was playing A2 and i had him out-kicked with a pair of tens, AK high...  my Jack played,  which was awesome because i ever so briefly hit 90,000.

So the first hour of round 3 was pretty good...

And then i didn't play a hand for fifty minutes...  just a lot of folding.  But hey,  if you're going to run poorly for an hour,  best to do it when you've just won a bunch of chips.

Anyway,  with about ten minutes to go,  the button raised my small blind,  which was A10 off. 

So i call and the flop comes A 10 4 with a pair of spades and i checked it...  but so did he.  Ugh. 

The turn was a king,  which i wasn't ecstatic about since i no longer had top two pair,  but at least it wasn't a spade,  so i bet 3,500 that he called.  The river was the three of spades and i fearlessly bet into him for another 3,500 that he called.  He mucked when i showed two pair,  so who knows what he had,  but i got the chips,  which is all that matters i suppose.

Shortly thereafter seat nine got knocked out and replaced with a short stack,  which is less than ideal with him on my left.

And finally,  with about three hands left in the round,  i got pocket queens in the big blind and three bet the new guy to my left...  who then folded.

So,  I'm on dinner break now and have 98,200 in chips...  600 off my tournament high...  which is good for a M Ratio of  40.9!

For those not keeping track at home,  there are a total of 6,683 players in the Main Event.  I've played eight levels, or sixteen hours,  and am almost halfway to the money...  i bet another ten rounds or so,  sometime Friday afternoon. 

And so far,  knock on wood,  I'm playing and doing ok,  although that was the story heading into round three yesterday,  so...