2 Days Later - 2nd $20k win of the year

I have always been a firm believer that Poker is a game of confidence and when you have been successful, it makes your game so much better.

2 days after my first $20k win of the year came my second.

It started fairly usual, moving between 2500-3500 in chips in the first 4 levels. However just before the end of the first hour, I pick up 9s8c in the Big Blind.

The only action comes from the button who limps.
Flop [JsTc6s] and I have an open ended straight draw, I get to see the turn for just 200, so that is fine. The turn brings a perfect 7, although it is a 3rd spade. I decide to check to then raise when he bets and take the pot. I check, he bets 400, I raise to 1100 and interestingly he calls.

The river is a harmless 2d. I put 900 more into 2850 pot and get called. He turns over AcAs and gives me abuse for being in the pot with 98. The fact I was in the big blind and saw it for free was lost on him. Oh well I am now double my starting stack.

I move between 6&8k in chips for the next few levels. I then move tables (6360 now) and I am dealt TT in the big blind, first hand on the table. It folds to the Small blind who raises to 850 (150/300 blinds). I decide not to mess around and move all in. He has slightly more chips than 7000, but instant calls. How much trouble am I in? Not that much! He turns over AT and the board does not help him and I am up to 13k.

I make little progress between levels 7 and 11, when disaster strikes. I have 11995 in chips and am dealt JJ in mid position. I raise 3xbb to 2400 and the button reraises to 4800 (he had 10529 at the start of the hand), my warning bells are going off, min raise for half his stack. He has a big hand. That said I am such confident mood, that I convince myself my Jacks are good and move all in. He quickly calls with AA, I lose and I am left completly crippled with just 1466 chips and blinds 400/800 Antes 100. It was a disappointing end to a promising position.

I have 466 chips left after posting my big blind and have Jd 2s. There is an early raiser (2xbb) and the small blind calls, so what the hell, I move my chips in.

Flop (6d,7c,Jh). Do I have hope here? Check, Check.
Turn (6h) I might have a chance. Check, Check.
River (As) Oh god thats me out. Check, Check. Raiser has 2c2h, small blind Qc,8c. My J2 is good, Im still in, I am up to 4798 in chips.
I cant play for the next 3 hands and am already down to 4098.

I get T2 in the first unopened pot, I have to gamble, No callers, I move forward again. Phew.
I do the same with J9 with the same result. I have to keep busy. I get J9 again in the small blind. One limper, so I join in. Flop is Jack high and I move in and keep my chip count going back in the right direction.

My cards are so bad, blinds are up to 600/1200 and I am hanging on with just 6600 chips. I get 7c6c and decide that has options and its time to go for it, there is 3300 in the middle, which would add 50% to my stack.
CHWIN has other ideas thought and isolates moving all in with AcQs, it could be worse though.

Flop is Js,8h,Kd. Thats not good, Turn is 6d and all of a sudden I am survining, the river is a 9d and my chip stack has gone from 466 to 16296. This is some recovery.

However the blinds are so high, I can't slow down. I steal the blinds whereever I can.
The blinds move to 1200/2400 antes 300 as we reach the money and the final 2 tables.

I have just 11646 chips thats just 1.5 rounds, so in 5th position it is folded to me and I move with Tc8h. CHWIN who now has just less chips now makes the call. This time he turns over Ad,4h. I am very happy to see that as he is only a small favourite.

----- FLOP ----- [3d 4c 7d] Thats not good
----- TURN ----- [3d 4c 7d][8c] BINGO!
----- RIVER ----- [3d 4c 7d 8c][8d] WOW! I have had to play this way and won twice when a slight to moderate underdog. Time to use this fortune. I feel I am on a bit of a freeroll, as I already considered myself out. Now I have 26k in chips. However at this stage of the game it is still not a great stack.

We are down to just 11 players. I get Ad,Qs in the big blind. Dastinek who is the short stack on the table with 16722, raises to 9000, in other words committed. I decide though this is my best hand of the night, I am moving in. He thinks for a while and then 11th is eliminated. Now he has guaranteed final table and a bigger pay, he must call. Incredibly he folds and I have 45k.

Here is the final table.

Seat 1: Strom00 (62065 in chips)
Seat 2: __07__ (51513 in chips)
Seat 3: Jon18024 (51876 in chips)
Seat 4: Dastinek (7322 in chips)
Seat 5: kelle (47216 in chips)
Seat 6: Ultgamb (24456 in chips)
Seat 7: lemur (44064 in chips)
Seat 8: Silent33 (119824 in chips)
Seat 9: ClintonO (45532 in chips)
Seat 10: razynut (110132 in chips)

Both __07__ and Ultgamb join me again on the final table.
I am sitting in 7th place, but only two players have double my stack.

Its a fairly agressive table, razymut loses half his stack to lemur AQ to AK.
razy who is now clearly on tilt takes out the first player.

razynut: raises to 6000
Strom00: calls
6000__07__: folds
Jon18024: raises to 43076 and is all-in
Dastinek: folds
kelle: folds
Ultgamb: folds
razynut: is all-in 35968

A min raise from razy, then a call and and all in, razy must have a big hand here as he calls for all but 1108 of his stack.

Jon turns over JJ and incredibly razy has KsQs.
The flop is 2s3dJs, making it interesting for both. The river is a spade and Jons set is no good.
Ult is out in 9th when his AT loses to Lemurs TT.

I am going nowhere fast and get very short (Blinds 2000/4000 antes 500), I have enough for just 3 rounds, 30k.
On the button I get Kc7c and decide the 10000 in the middle is too tempting and push. Razy has no issues getting involved, unsuprisingly with AK. I am in all sorts of trouble here.

The board is Q37QQ, incredibly I have doubled up to 69k. I have got incredibly lucky here and know at this point I am going to win this tournament.

Strom gets very short and pushes with AT with just 7k, Lemur has 73 but with just 3k more to call, its an auto call. 2 more sevens mean Stom is out in 7th.

Lemur continues his run, when he knocks out Dastinek with KK against AQ.
I make some steady progress before 07 (Mick) doubles through Silent. Both their pairs improved to make sets on the flop and carnage obviously ensued. Mick taking a 170k pot 888 vs 444.

Silent then makes a move reraising with 22, but Kelle makes the call with AT and an Ace leaves us with 5 players.

Blinds are at 3000/6000 Antes 750
I sit in last place, but there is not too much in it and I just have this feeling its my night.

Seat 2: __07__ (156576 in chips)
Seat 5: kelle (115027 in chips)
Seat 7: lemur (141979 in chips)
Seat 9: ClintonO (74514 in chips)
Seat 10: razynut (75904 in chips)

At this point where there is actually a little room for play, see razys go all in for the 8th time in 12 hands.
He moves all in again under the gun, I turn over AK in the bigblind, thats good enough for me.
He turns over A5 and my AK holds up. I then take his remaining 11k next hand.

I am now chip leader and play very aggressively from here on in.
I move from 150k to 250k through raising and reraising without a showdown. There are big steps in the prize money and therefore I want to put them under pressure as much as possible.

Kelle takes out 07 in 4th place calling a 53k all in bet with A8, Mich has Q2.

With 3 left, I have 244k, Lemur 181k and Kelle 138k.
I make a good move on Kelle and take 50k from him.
Next hand with 300k I raise with AcJc. Lemur moves over the top for 55k more. I have to call, he turns over 88 and the first card out is an Ace.

Heads Up it is 378k to 186k in my favour.

Hand 1 (6h,8s) I see the flop. ATQ, not much good for me!
Hand 2 (Qs,7s) I check his limp. Flop is Jd,Ad,6d. I decide to bet, he calls. Turn is 2h, I decide to fire another bet, he folds.
Hand 3 (Th,5d) I fold to a raise.
Hand 4 (8h,4h) I fold to a raise.
Hand 5 (Kh,3d) I fold to a raise.
Hand 6 (Ks,9h) I call his raise. Board comes 34J6T. As he has not bet since preflop, I fire a bet and he folds.
Hand 7 (Jc,8d) I raise, he folds.
Hand 8 (6c,8d) He folds
Hand 9 (Ad,7h) I raise, he folds.
Hand 10 (Qh, 2d) He raises, I fold.
Hand 11 (6c,6s) I raise, he moves all in. I think for a what seems an age. If I call and lose I will be 363k to 201k behind. It feels like a race and the way my luck is in tonight, I don't think I can lose. I call.

Flop (Jh,Qh,3c) He has 4 more outs with any ten.
Turn 2d
River 4s. My 2nd win in a couple of nights.

In this game, I certainly got very lucky once with K7 beating AK.
On two other occasions I was behind but hit.
However when you are down to 466 chips, you are going to need a lot of fortune.

I was really pleased with the way I battled back and obviously happy with a second $6k in a few days.

ClintonO