Heading into Form ?

My constant refrain concerning tournament poker is how one is never happy. I can bring you yet another tale of woe, although this one has an element of success to it !

It is the $25 rebuy on gutshot.com (microgaming). This tourney is on every day at 7:30pm (except Sunday, anyway. Not sure about Saturday). I play it fairly often as it's such a great tournament. It has a good number of runners - somewhere between 300 and 500. This is enough to ensure good prize pools (actually, the prize pool is guaranteed at $30k minimum anyway) and not so many as to consign one to a 12hour marathon.

The general standard of play is just desperate. Of course, there are good players in it as well and after playing it many times I can spot some of them. But many are just hopeless.

The rebuy period itself is generally a bit of an adventure. One credible strategy is simply not to play at all during this phase, and rebuy and add-on at the end. In this tournament, with an inexplicable 20 - 25% dropping out before the freezeout, this tends to result in a stack about 80% of average which is very playable.

The other strategy I like is to play premium hands only - say 99+ and AJs+ but push them hard. For example, I might open-push with Aces. Such is the nature of the game that these moves will often get multiple callers and so whilst the risk of needing rebuys is high, there is a good chance of ending with a pile of chips also.

In any event, I often do reasonably well in this tournament. My previous best is 5th for $2k approx. In that case, I lost the winnings fairly quickly playing $2/4 NLH cash I remember !

In any event, on Friday, I was playing OK and moving towards the money but not galloping. With a low-end-of-range field of 300, the payout ladder was compressed to 27 places (compared to, often, up to 45 places).

As we neared the bubble, my stack started to fall below average and then towards the bottom of the field. I was 28th with 30 left. I determined that I would play to reach the money ($210) even though this is not long-term optimal. I was feeling a lack of recent results so wanted to cash.

Fellow gutshot forum league player dinzarelli started to rail me (on MSN). We exchanged messages - and I explained I was playing simply to limp into the money. Then, pocket Aces ! One limper. I push and get called by the limper with AQ. Now I am fairly safe, but still in the bottom 1/3rd.

The bubble approaches slowly. It is clear the players are aware of it and many are keen not to miss out. Ideal stealing territory, but I am not in the mood to risk my tournament life.

Now, pocket 9s in the big blind. A chunk of my chips are in already, when it is folded to the button who raises. He has me covered. If I continue in the hand, I will be committed.

On the bubble, I guess I should fold but now I change my mind and think that I want to have a chance to cash properly. I am in no doubt that I am MILES ahead of his range in this position.

I push. He calls with JTo. The flop brings a Ten ! It also beings a nine, and I double up plus the antes and blinds, and am now in the top half of the chips.

The bubble soon bursts of course.

My good run gathers pace and in due course, we make the final table, fourth in chips. Fourth pays $2,400 and I feel I would settle for that.

However, one monster pot where I took out 2 players catapulted me into the lead and I started to think I could take it down !

Several other gutshotters joined in on the rail - it's a bit more pressure in one way but it's actually nice to have that support.

I rejected a deal at the 4-handed stage when I had 35% of the chips that would have guaranteed me the "win" and a bit more than 2nd place money. I wanted to see if I could play to victory.

It wasn't quite to be - I started HU play at a small chip deficit and although I levelled it at one stage, I think I bottled it a bit and made half-moves that did not come off.

So, 2nd it was - $5,250. One of my biggest ever online wins. I think overall I have to be happy with the way I played.

The slight disappointments were (i) that I did not evaluate the deal on offer properly and (ii) my heads-up play. I doubt I would have taken the deal unless (v.unlikely) it was enormous value, but not taking the time to check it out was a mistake.

Likewise, heads-up it will probably be a bit of a crapshoot - we had about 25BB each I think - but I felt I was a bit weak in some of my plays and my opponent took advantage.

Am I really disappointed to finish 2nd ? Well, genuinely I am a little bit. Of course it is a good result and I did play well I feel. So I am pleased for all of that. The good news, I suppose, is that I left myself something to strive for next time !