I heard it was some Pro's favorite hand

So I played it, and went bust. No really, I think the move was appropriate, and the villian's call was suspect at best, horrible at worst.

Time: 3rd Hour in Sunday's $200 NLHE on Stars.
Blinds: 300-600 50 ante. 550 left (started with 3400). 324 get paid.
Location: SB with 4200 (short, average around 15,000)
Setting: MP player (11,500 in clips) limps, Button (chip leader at table with 30,000) limps.

My move: Instantly move all in with 10Js.

BB folds. MP instacalls, button folds.

MP called me with 22. I really think that is a bad move for 40% of his chips. Even if I where making a move with any two cards, it would be better than his hand. In fact, with the hand I move in with, I am a favorite, one of the few times two over cards are actually favored over a pair, 54% v. 46%. Coin flip at worst here, or completely dominating. I cannot understand why anyone, even someone that you are putting a move on, would make a stand in a full ring table with 22, especially with the chip leader lurking behind you, as he was here. Anyway, he called an off to the races we go.

Flop: AQ5 rainbow. Not my flop at all, but not death. Now the 22 is a favorite, 57.9% v. 42.1%.

Turn: 5. Again not very helpful, but does give me six more outs as the board could pair twice and conterfeit his hand. Now an Ace, King (straight), Queen, Jack, or Ten would give me the win and 10,500 in chips and almost a guaranteed cash. The 22 is now a 70.5% v. 29.5% favorite.

River: 4. Sigh, another race lost. And yes, i lectured him on that move that he vehimately defended. I should have let him be, but the move was not good on his part. I particularly love my move, biased or not.

Straight from poker moves 101. If:

1. you have a decent stack, enough to make in incorrect to call with any two random calls,
2. you have any two or more players that limp into the pot, who have decents stacks behind (no short stacks), and
3. you do not have a recekless image at the table, then

Moving in once in a while will pick you up a nice pot (here, if the 22 would not have called, I would have picked up 2250 in chips ALMOST risk free). In this instance, I did not calculate that a limper would decide to put me to the test with 22. Silly, silly man. Of course he went to 20,000 in chips and cashed deep. So, what do I know? Anyway, try it sometime. NLHE tournaments require some nerve from time to time, and this was an excellent opportunity to pick up some dead chips, which are needed in tournaments. Until next time,

Good Luck and See You at the Felt......................

Sleepy, I am so.......

Oh forget it. I can make it on 45 minutes sleep once in a while. Especially, when its because,

I made a final table last night.

$10 rebuy. I am in for $21 total (I won't share the disaster on Saturday night - lets just say my $30 hard budget was ignored and I go out with AA v. AKo all in preflop. Kinda sick). I have 25,000 at the first break and do not add on. 20% rule was in effect for me. Okay, the deal is if the add on adds less than 20% to your stack, then it is not good equity for the addon. As 2000 would just add 8%, no go and I am in for $21.

Cruise to 170 players left (1370 started), and get into an interesting battle with a rookie sitting directly to my left. When it starts I have around 100,000 and he has 40,000. 135 get paid, so in all honestly, he should leave me alone without a hand. My first battle against him, i can't call his river all in with my AK and with another guy chipping in some, he has over 100,000 and I am down to 65,000. I know that he will never believe me in the future, so I put a mental note in that the next hand I play against him, I will have a solid hand, and I know that he will pay it off. It worked about 20 hands later when I pick up 88 in MP. He calls my open raise and when it comes 9 high throughout the board, He doubles me up with A10o. Sometimes things work great.

I play bully on the bubble and head to the final 100 players with a stack equal to 20th in chips. I grind it out with the stated goal of getting to the final two tables. The second table pays around $450, that is a nice payoff for the event, and I can get to bed around 2:00. Get four hours sleep and be good as gold today. Well when we get to the final two tables, I am 11th in chips.then I am 9/15, 10/14, and then decide I really would like a final table. The weasel is on IM badgering me, but I gather the mental stability to ignore him and drive hard at the final table.

We are down to 12 players and a very solid player opens for a raise on the button. I have AA in the SB. I move in, he calls with 10s. I flop a set and turn a boat. Nice when you have them drawing thin, then dead. I am now 4/12. Next thing I know, we are at the final table baby.

Started 5/9. Now I will admit that I have not been to many decent sized final tables on line, but this lineup was tough. No wimps to be found. The chip leader when we started was directly to my left, and he had 2.5x my stack, so I just enjoyed the game and did not get out of line. In fact I was the most solid player there. I stole every two rounds against the same BB. 4/5 in those attempts. I played pps appropriately and pushed against the LAG across the table every third time he raised my BB.

I finished 6th with this hand. UTG opens for 3x raise. I have AKs (hearts - but doesnt matter). I have folded AK once at the final table with a raise and reraise preflop. I was right as the reraiser had AA and I would have been cripled. Anyway, I cannot see any other way to play this as I am 6th in chips. I push for 500,000 more. He would have 100,000 left if he called. Folds around to him and he thinks for a second and calls. He has JJ. Flop comes with a J high and I am out 6th for $2500. Winner got $13,000.

But hey, now I have 40% ($4000) of my wsop needs, but Mrs. Grip has some needs, so I am probably going to pull $1500 out for Christmas. Until next time (and a very interesting hand in the $200 NL yesterday),

Good Luck and See You at the Felt..............................