Round Two

We started by honoring a bracelet winner by playing the Ukrainian national anthem,  which was interesting.  Fear not patriots, the American flag was still up in stage,  although well hidden behind the giant "Vaping Zone" advertisement for e cigarettes.  Chuck Tabaka would be so proud.

So i got started pretty early in round two with pocket tens in a middle position.  I raised and got big blind to call.  Flop comes A J 7... two overs,  ugh.

He checks,  i check.  Turn is a nine,  i picked up a gut shot straight draw and bet it...  he calls.  The river is an eight,  which gives me a straight,  but puts three clubs on the board.  And after two straight checks,  he bets...  600. Which is nothing,  there's 2,500 in the pot. Why so little? 

I want to raise,  but if i raise and he comes back over the top,  i don't know what i will do,  so i called.  When in doubt,  best not to raise I've found.

The eight on the river gave him a set and me a straight...  so i won,  but a very small pot considering i had a straight and he a set,  but I'm playing cautiously on day one and trying not to walk into any traps. 

Shortly thereafter,  the guy on my right won a huge pot when he sucked out on the river hitting a straight for the 8 9 off hand he played...  now he's got well over 20k.

So he and i get into it...  it's my big blind and i limp in with just the two of us with J 2 off.  i hit my two on the flop and he bets.  I called because i had a pair,  but folded after the turn because he kept betting and my hand didn't improve.  Maybe it was a bluff, but I'm not in day one to try and find bluffs to call,  just to play conservatively. 

Or at least that was the plan... 

I've got AQ off in a middle position with a raise and a call in front of me and several players with better position and the blinds behind me.  So i reraise from 600 to 1600 because i didn't want to call and price anyone else in.  The initial raiser and the guy to my right call. 

Flop comes Q55, with a couple hearts.  They check to me and i bet 3,200 on a 5,100 pot...  i didn't want anyone chasing without paying for it.  The initial raiser then raised to 7,200 and the guy to my right folds.

Ugh,  i did not want to play a big hand with this...  but i call.  Turn is a queen,  my boat! And he leads out with an 8k bet...  what does he have?! So it's decision time - 18k in the pot, plus his 8k makes it 26k in the pot...  I've got about 21k left. 

So i shoved.  I mean,  no matter what the river was,  i wasn't getting away from this hand and since mine wasn't going to improve,  i was going to find out real quick if he was playing a pair of 5's. Guess not because he mucked.  Maybe i should have just called and try to get him to bet the river for more,  but with the possibility of winning 20k this early,  i didn't want him drawing to anything for free. 

Then like four hands later, i had 56 suited in the big blind and everyone except the small blind folded (hyper aggressive guy to my right). So he raises and i call to defend my big blind.  Flop comes A 5 something.  He bets,  i call...  i mean,  i had a pair and figured him for nothing.  Turn is a six,  my two pair. So he bets 1,000 on a 2,400 pot and i raise to 3,000. He calls. Ugh, lots of middle cards for sets,  better two pairs,  or a straight.  On the river,  he bets 5,000!

I figured i just won the other hand,  so why not donate...  but he was bluffing after missing his straight draw and i took down another nice pot.

I had 8's in a middle position and raised,  but folded when i was three bet by the small blind. 

I had K4 suited in the small blind and limped,  but i wouldn't call a raise after the flop, even when i hit my four.

Then i got queens!  But everyone folded to my raise..  booo...

So a pretty active first hour... and the guy to my right is now fully on tilt - he thought me calling his bet after the flop with just a five was somehow a bit of a donkey move.

Speaking of donkey moves,  however,  that guy is now officially knocked out of the ten day tournament 3 hours into day one. 

Wow. Actually just short of three hours,  he only made it 59 minutes into the second round.

I got stuck with K5 suited in the big blind,  but everyone limped,  so i got a free flop and hit my five!  But it was a scary flop with 2 3 5 on board and none of my clubs.  The new guy replacing the guy who got knocked out bet as first to act,  i called,  and two people folded.  The turn was a four and when he bet again,  i folded to an ugly board for me. 

Shortly after that,  i had AJ off in a late position and called a raise.  It was a scary flop with J 5 2 clubs,  but he folded after i bet when he checked...  phew,  my ace was not a club,  but i couldn't check mid hand,  i just knew it was black.

The new guy to my right is short stacked with about 10,000... and is...  you guessed it...  super aggressive.  At least these guys are on my right...

I got A10 off in an early position and raised,  but got 3 bet by a guy with better position so i tossed it.  Perhaps too conservative?  Or just smart poker?

The guy to my right raises,  shocking,  and I've got KQ off and I'm one off the button,  so i call 500. So does the button.  Then the small blind raises to 5,200. Yes,  two and a half times the entire pot and over 25 times the big blind.  A massive, massive over bet.  Naturally we all fold and she shows aces. Duh. She's down to about 15,000 and will not be going far in this tournament...  but at least she's easy to read!

The last guy to show up just went all in and won a monster from the guy in seat one,  who also was not going far in this tournament... even before he lost that monster.  Anyway his straight was to the 5 the last to show up had a straight to the 6. Which he got playing 4 6 suited under the gun... which is just a little more aggressive than I've been.  Wow.  This guy belongs at a Rydz family poker game...

With about five minutes left in the round,  the table next to us started screaming and with us mid shuffle,  a couple of us went over to see what the fuss was about.  All in kings versus aces...  with a king on the turn...  and an ace on the river.  Anyway,  the lady from seat two was in the big blind and too slow to get back after the cards were dealt,  so the dealer folded her.  I was one off the button and with a dead big blind,  i raised and stole 300 chips that the small blind wasn't about to defend.  Heads up play me :)

So,  round two is done and I'm at 56,100... which is a little under my peak of 57,800.

Heading into round three, blinds of 150/300 give me a M Ratio of about 120, which is simply glorious.  But it's early, and far too early to get chip drunk...  gotta play my day one game.