On the train on the way home, huge sigh, so thought I'd do a trip report. I decided to fade the "high roller" for a few reasons. I was told yesterday that there was a cap on it of 80, I'd hoped it would get 150-200 so that was pretty disappointing. Most people seemed pretty unsure on how many it would get with some saying it would struggle to get 50 others thinking similar to what I thought. Also I was suprised that Jake, Keys, Flushy, Eames just to name a few where all saying they planned to play it so I don't think there's going to be much value in playing a small field comp without much value. I spoke to both Titbeam and Keys and they both said just do whatever and either was fine so I decided to fade it so if you shipped on Stars I will send back tonight/tmoro or if you sent via bank trfr ship me details and I'll send straight away.
Anyway, on to the tournament.I think as table draws go in a 1000 runner field I got a pretty tough one although tbh I thought it was a pretty good table. I had Luke Fields on my direct left, the guy who came 6th in WPT London two to my right. Also had Eames on my table but he wasn't actually there much as he had a LL with Channing so wasn't planning to play until to 150/300. Also had someone Titbeam said was supposedly pretty good online called Zimmerman but he just seemed pretty nitty. The rest of the table where all pretty tight also.
We get to 100/200 with about starting stack. I open the hijack with 33 to 525, Luke peels playing around 7k, BB peels. Flop comes AsQs3c, BB checks I cbet 2/3 pot, Luke calls, BB folds. Turn is a jack, I check Luke makes it 3k ish with about that behind, I shove and he calls with AQ. River is a Q
So we are now down to around 8k. As I mentioned Eames is on my table and it gets mentioned that he has a pretty big LL with Channing and he just needs to last until 150/300 to chop it so he says he's pretty much not playing a hand until then. At 100/200 he's playing roughly 8k also and opens from mid pos, I look down at Aces, such a heaven spot as he knows I'm 3betting really light. It folds back round to him and he shoves for 40bbs, I obv snap, he has KK for a sick, sick cooler and we hold and are back upto starting stack. Channing runs good.
At 150/300 we've chipped up to just over 20k. UTG+1 makes it 800 at 150/300, he's been opening a few pots but hasn't been at the table too long and hasn't showndown anything. WPT guy peels from hijack with a 25k stack and old guy who's playing really tight is playing about 15k and peels cutoff. I look down at 6h4h and think it's a really good spot to squeeze so make it 2800. UTG+1 folds, WPT guy calls and cutoff folds. Flop is 9c9h9d, he checks so I cbet between 1/3-1/2 pot leaving just over a pot sized bet behind, he calls. I'm now putting him on 77-JJ. The turn is a 4 giving us the house, he checks again, With just over a pot sized bet left I definitely click it back here with AA or KK so I check. The river is a 7 and he checks again, I make it 12k leaving just the junk behind, he tanks for a good while and eventually folds, wiiiiiiiiii.
At 200/400/50 we have around 35k. I open the cutoff to 950 with J10os, Luke peels, rest fold. Flop is Jd8dx I cbet 2/3 pot, Luke calls. Turn is a brick and I c/c a 2/3 pot bet. River is
, I check again, the pot is around 8k, I think he clicks back most Jacks on the turn and never has an 8. He makes it 4400 into just over 8k and I was pretty sure he was on a draw so I call and he has 10h9h.
At 300/600/75 we are upto 50k and going along well and I'm pretty confident where I'm at with everyone on the table. I open to 1400 from mid pos with Q9os, Luke calls who I've been battling with a lot and I felt I was playing well against him considering I'm oop in most pots and he's really aggro. Button peels with 25bbs who is just peeling far too many pots and his stack is quickly dwindling, BB calls. We had this exact same spot on the previous orbit and Luke cbet it and ended up taking it down on the turn vs button. The flop is 5d6c8d, BB checks, I check, Luke bets 3400, button tank folds and BB folds. Luke can definitely have air a lot here so I make it 7600 thinking if I had a set here I would play it the same as I just expect him to bet such a high % of the time. On reflection though I don't really like my line as I'm repping such a small range and have bluffs too often, especially with the dynamic we have going. I'm now pretty much planning to give up on the hand, the turn is a 9. I check and Luke bets like 1/5th pot and I was like WTF ? I can only beat a fd but I'm getting good odds to call but it's probably still a fold, I call
I was hoping to get to showdown and expect he wouldn't fire the river without it so would fold to any river bet. The river is a Q, I check and Luke checks it back. He'd flopped bottom 2 and I run good. I think this was probably the one hand where I made any mistakes.
At 400/800/100 I'm playing about 80k. WPT guy is playing around 18k opens from hijack to 2k, I 3bet A9os to 5400 on the button, Luke then 4bets to 10400 from the sb playing around 80k also. I'm sure his range is pretty wide here as he's squeezed in similar spots like this a couple of times, hijack folds so I 5bet to 15400 to make it look like I'm trying to induce, he peels. The flop is K105 rainbow, he checks so I make 14400. He tank folds and we get it through.
We then spend the next couple of levels fluctuating between 85-100k and come into the last level with 85k and looking to chip up and and take a healthy stack into day 2.
At 800/1600/200 I open utg playing just over 50bbs with Jd10d, UTG+2 who hasn't been at the table long but Sunny has been playing with all day and mentioned to me earlier that he was pretty terrible makes it 7500 playing 45bbs. It folds back round to us and I think with implied odds calling is fine here and I'm confident playing vs him oop. The flop is Kd9d2c, I check and he cbets to 9k, I make it 27k, he thinks for about 30 seconds and ships it in. I call and he has KQos, sigh. We don't get there and are down to dust. I then ship my 7bbs in with AJos after Pizzled opens from mid pos, Luke squeezes and Pizzled folds. Luke has 99, flop is Jxx turn is the 9, gg us.
Really disappointing not to bink with the J10dd, if that gets there where coming back for day2 with 160k+ and hoping for another good run.
Sorry there is no return this time.
I will be putting a thread up for the MC at DTD in April but it will probably be as a package with the Irish Open, I appreciate that's quite a high buy in but speaking to a few people yesterday like Eames and Spinks who both said it's the best value comp of the year, I think I'd be good value in it. Since I didn't play the high roller I will give first refusal to anybody who had a piece of me for this.
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