Melb Champs review

[Garth Kay]

Hi Guys,

As some of you would know I took last week off to play some poker. It was good to hit the live scene once more and start playing some live poker.

The weekend kicked off with Event 1 a $175 buy in event. It turned out to be a crapshoot of a turbo structure with the average stack at 18,000 with blinds at 1000/2000. I think I went out in 60th spot or something.

I also played all the midday series (4 x $100 buy in events). I shipped the first one for just over $1,000 and a very helpful six point. The midday series is a kind of like a satellite series; $15 from every buy in goes towards a finals a prize pool and you receive points if you make any of the final tables. I made two final tables and shipped a place in the finals.

The structure for these tournaments is very rapid with a 2K start stack and 15 minute blinds. So by the third blind level you're just playing push/fold poker.

In the series final I was soon behind the 8 ball when my KK was cracked by AK (Ace on the turn) and I am down to 800 with blinds at 100/200. I shove a few hands and pick up the blinds and before I know it I am back with a start stack. Over the next hour I continue to knock out everyone but one person and ship myself a $1100 Main Event ticket (which will be played this Saturday).

I also played the bounty event and collected half a bounty when two of us were holding AK against bounty's AT. This tournament I played my best poker by extracting max value for all of my made hands and bluffing at the right times. Unfortunately the steep structure also got hold of me and I lost one coin flip to set me back and then I shoved with 33 from the button into two rock like blinds, and of course the BB wakes up with JJ. Most of the time these two will fold out all hands below JJ and any hands AJ or less for their tournament life.

By Thursday I had developed a bit of a cold and the Thursday night day 1 of the 100K was proving to be a nightmare. I had to lay down QQ to a rag flushing board when my opponent shoved over my flop bet, I read him for a set and laid it down Sure enough he had 99 for top set. I also had K,6 in the big blind when the flop fell K, 6 , T. An EP player led at the flop after my check and I smoothed. I reraised the 2 on the turn but villain came straight over the top and put me all in. I had a strong read on this player and as soon as he laid back and relaxed I knew it was lay down. Villain rolls KT for a bigger two pair.

After that I was short and cannot remember my bust out hand, but it would have been a marginal coin flip.

So Saturday rolls around for my last chance in the 100K event. I have never been so card dead in my life. Here are the entire range of playable hands I had all day. TT, 99, 2 x 77, 66, 44, 33, 2 x QJS, 2 x AT, 2 x AJ and that is it.

Again the turbo structure hurts but I had my tournament life on the line and both times I was a monster an underdog and hit a miracle river.

99 vs JJ, rivered the nine
JTs vs TT, rivered the Queen for the gutshot straight

I came back on the Sunday with just slightly above average (53K)and made a few plays early on to be around 70K before too long. I was moved to my table and had some tight old guys to my left and Nick Kaselias to my right. Most of the action was blind on blind action between Nick and myself with some heavy 3 bet/4 bet action going on.

I raised the guy to my left once in BvB situation and he shoved on me and I folded he showed A8suited. He didn't play many other hands but was reshipping or open shoving with those that he did.

Again it folds to me in the SB and I look down at KJ suited in the spades. I raised (blinds are 1500/3000 with a 300 ante, average stack is 60,000) to 8,500. Villain calls.

So as soon as he just calls I can eliminate all of the following from his range 66+ and A8+ as he was re shipping these hands. So I am thinking low pockets at best, at worst a real shoddy ace and possibly suited connectors and King high hands.

The flop falls a rather barren 2,3,9 rainbow. I figure he has missed this flop around 75% of the time and it is worthwhile to put a 2/3 pot bet out and let him know that I am committed to this hand and will call any of his all in moves (I figure he has missed this board a substantial amount of time, does not have a set or pockets that he must call with and might have top pair in his calling rang). If he has hit the nine then I still have six outs.

Unfortunately villain shoves and it is 12K to call into a 54K pot and I am not laying down for those odds and that big a pot.

He rolls A2 for bottom pair, I am slightly shocked and the turn and the river brick for me.

I am left with 13K and ship it in the very next hand to double up with K6 against A9. I am then UTG with A5 suited and ship it in again but get called by TT and am out.

Thus I eliminated once again deep in a tournament but not deep enough. It was good to be paying live again and I was reading players and situations well. I guess the only positive I can take from it, is that players like Peter Aristodou and other Crown Regs, still recognise me and PNW still thinks I am a notable player from the efforts of one August in 2008. I can't remember the amount of people that said Hi Garth, and I have no idea who they were.

LOL - I still have the ME this weekend and this structure will definitely suit my live play a lot more than any of the other tournaments thus far.

I must also add that I have only ever played now about 20 live tournaments in a casino setting, I am strongly considering returning to playing all of the live tournaments offered by Crown on a much more regular basis as I strongly believe the majority of the fields are +EV for me.

[Des]

Good read... hope you run like god in the ME.

[Larx36]

Good stuff Garth.

Better luck at running deeper this w/e mate.

[bennymacca]

great report garth

good luck this weekend

[AceLosesKing]

great report garth

good luck this weekend

this.

[wabbit999]

Excellent write up Garth, Now get back to work. Jk played against u few times and it always fun.
Hope u do it more

[Garth Kay]

Bust out hand.

I'm in the SB with 18K. 150/300 40 antes, 10 handed.

Folds to button who raises to 1K.
I look down at Kd Td

Now BB has been at my table since start of day, his stats would almost be 80/5. He plays just about every hand but raises very little. So I am predicting a call from BB and decide I am getting good enough odds for my hand that I will just smooth.

BB suprises me by three betting to 2,800. His 3 bet range in my mind is pretty tight and he is only doing this with TT+, AQs+ I have seen him flat with AJs before. Dealer button calls without a moments hesitation and I am now getting 3.5 to 1 pre and I am sure button is very marginal (small pockets, suited connectors, weaker Aces).

I decide to call, and the flop falls Qx, 9x, 6x.

Now I should mention I have a very strong read on BB. When he is confident about his hand he rests his hands on the table with his hands clasped and thumbs elevated (high confidence tell), when he is unsure or not strong he rests his chin in his hands with thumbs pointing down (low confidence tell).

I check and BB has his head in his hands and he fires out 2,800 (into a 12,000) pot and I immediately read him now as TT, JJ and AK type hands. As in he hasn't hit the board and wants to take it down with a value bet. Dealer button folds straight away and here is where I make my mistake.

I have 15K left and instead of just three bet shoving I re raise to 8,600. At the time I figured a three bet that leaves me committed would look stronger than just over shoving. I put too much thought into the meta game instead of using FE. So now I have left BB with odds of 5,800 to win 23,400. Stupid bet sizing and I should have thought longer about it instead of just thinking three bet and he folds.

Instead BB comes over the top after tanking for 30 seconds and he shows AK. I don't blame him for stacking off with Ace high, although I was pissed when he rolled it.

The turn brings a King and I need a Jack or Ten to win and the river bricks a 3.

He then has a go at me for playing King ten OOP after winning a hand. Then I got really pissed off. And left quite quickly.

I was pissed at myself for not thinking it through thoroughly and I knew he would lay it down but I just num num num num num up my actions.

The good news is that I feel I am reading really well and just need to work more on thinking hands through more in the moment and looking for the best avenues to extract maximum value and to work on bet sizing and thoughts on further streets.

[666HARPS666]

Bad luck Garth but well done Sir .

i am getting sooo over poker nothing i do works lately

[bennymacca]

just read the report on the main event, says that Amanda De Cesare final tabled again.

for those that dont know, she was the winner of the "poker star" reality tv show which was hosted by joe hachem.

the week after the show, she goes and ships the JHDS main event, and now she has just finished 5th in the melbourne champs main event.

the show was pretty horrible (except for watching that tool shane) but you gotta admit they did find a pretty decent poker player in the bunch

[sunbury2]

To be fair though she was a pretty good player before the show, cashed previous in team events with Peter Aristidou (major player at crown). He saw how good she was prior to the show and taught her a bit.