First Big Win!
I've finally notched up a big tournament score. Last night I finished 3rd in The Steps Challenge on Party Poker for a $3600 payout!
This 'shoot-out' style tournament has only recently been introduced by Party and is really a great idea. It is a series of 'Sit-n-Go' tournaments in which the top finishers gain entry to the next level (Click here for a better explaination). You can buy in directly at any of the 5 levels ($12, $55, $215, $535, $1065) or work your way up from the bottom.
I'd been playing them for a week or so and after 5 frustrating attempts at Step 1 I finally made it to Step 2. I ended up having to repeat Step 2 but from then on I moved up each time.
Essentially there is no money paid out before Step 5 and it's not possible have you buy-in to the higher levels refunded if you decide that you dont want to play them. Once I'd got to Step 5, I'd have been very happy to be able to cash out the $1065 entry fee, but I had to play it, and I'm pretty glad about that now! Step 5 pays the top four places $9K, $5K, $3.6K, $2.4K.
The night after qualifying from Step 4, I had a bout a million dreams where I finished in 5th place and got a fat $0 for my effort and I was conscious that I could easily build the whole thing up too much in my head to such an extent that it would afect my game. I therefore decided simply to sit down and play it without worying too much about who else was registerd (a lotof big players buy-in directly into Step 5) or about how much money was at stake (at least in the initial stages of the tournament).
I ended up at a table with two big names that I recongnised from watching prevoious Step 5 events, "Galapagos" and "DrunknMasta". Galapagos was two places from my right and from the start it was clear that my blinds were going to be somewhat under attack.
I played very tight right from the start and just observed everyone else. Our table was generally extreemly tight. It seemed that the other table was a lot looser and they lost a couple of players early on. I kept a float for the first 45 minutes or so and then the blinds began to eat way at my stack - combined witht the fact that I had the two big stacks on either side of me. Fortuantely just before we got down to the last 10 players I doubled up with AQ against KJ.
On the final table, the blinds were again too big to be comfortable and I was soon one of the smaller stacks again, but as luck would have it mt re-raised all-in with AK got called by AQ and doubled me up to take the chip lead.
By the time we were 6 handed I was third in chips and, again, I had the two big stack either side of me (Galapagos immediately to my right) which was not making life easy, but I knew that if I just played sensibly, I had a good chance of making the money from there.
The guys who finished in 5th place - and who garunteed the rest of us a sizable payout - was seriously unlucky. He went all in as the small stack with A9 and Galapagos called and caught a 7 on the river with his A7... ouch! Still that meant a minimum of $2,600 for meeeeeeee!
I made one mistake when we were down to 4 players. The blinds were 200/400 and the button went all-in for a total of 1400. The Small Blind folded and the action was on me with KQo in the Big Blind. I had about 5000 left and had to call 1000 into a 2000 chip pot. Looking back on this, it should have been a call. It didn't represent a huge amount of my stack and I was getting decent odds from the pot. Especially seeing that that a few hands later he went all-in with K5. Galapagos called and busted him with A6.
With 3 of us left I was the smallest with about 5000. The other two had about 7500 each so really it was anyone's game. Two hands later I picked up AJ in the Small Blind. Gapagos raised to 1,100 on the button and I went all-in for 4,500 in total. He called and flipped AK. I was a big underdog, but then a Jack flopped making me a huge favorite to win the hand, BUT... Turn - King; River - King. I was history.
Galapagos went on to win the $9K and the other guy took $5K for second. I really was so close to making a massive score, but I cant be at all unhappy with my third place and $3,600 - not bad for a $60 investment!!
I think I'll put most of it towards the bankroll - I've had a couple of big cashouts recently so my aim for a while has been to rebuild the roll. However, I'm a bit stuck for cash at the moment so some of it may have to go towards rent, bills and christmas prezzies!
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Quick update of everything else:
My work in the lab is finally coming to a close. I've not got any great results but hopefully it should be enough for my project write-up. I've got a big day tomorrow craming in the last few things then friday will be mostly christmas party-style things, which reminds me - I have to go and get a 'Secret Santa' present.
On Saturday my better half and I are heading down to London to stay with her parents for a few days before Christmas as well as dropping off our the cat before heading off to spend Chritsmas with my folks. I'm planning to fit in at least two trips to the Gutshot before Chirstmas (probably Sunday and Tuesday) and with any luck I'll meet up with a few people from ITH.
Well, that about wraps things up for now. Catch you'all later.
This 'shoot-out' style tournament has only recently been introduced by Party and is really a great idea. It is a series of 'Sit-n-Go' tournaments in which the top finishers gain entry to the next level (Click here for a better explaination). You can buy in directly at any of the 5 levels ($12, $55, $215, $535, $1065) or work your way up from the bottom.
I'd been playing them for a week or so and after 5 frustrating attempts at Step 1 I finally made it to Step 2. I ended up having to repeat Step 2 but from then on I moved up each time.
Essentially there is no money paid out before Step 5 and it's not possible have you buy-in to the higher levels refunded if you decide that you dont want to play them. Once I'd got to Step 5, I'd have been very happy to be able to cash out the $1065 entry fee, but I had to play it, and I'm pretty glad about that now! Step 5 pays the top four places $9K, $5K, $3.6K, $2.4K.
The night after qualifying from Step 4, I had a bout a million dreams where I finished in 5th place and got a fat $0 for my effort and I was conscious that I could easily build the whole thing up too much in my head to such an extent that it would afect my game. I therefore decided simply to sit down and play it without worying too much about who else was registerd (a lotof big players buy-in directly into Step 5) or about how much money was at stake (at least in the initial stages of the tournament).
I ended up at a table with two big names that I recongnised from watching prevoious Step 5 events, "Galapagos" and "DrunknMasta". Galapagos was two places from my right and from the start it was clear that my blinds were going to be somewhat under attack.
I played very tight right from the start and just observed everyone else. Our table was generally extreemly tight. It seemed that the other table was a lot looser and they lost a couple of players early on. I kept a float for the first 45 minutes or so and then the blinds began to eat way at my stack - combined witht the fact that I had the two big stacks on either side of me. Fortuantely just before we got down to the last 10 players I doubled up with AQ against KJ.
On the final table, the blinds were again too big to be comfortable and I was soon one of the smaller stacks again, but as luck would have it mt re-raised all-in with AK got called by AQ and doubled me up to take the chip lead.
By the time we were 6 handed I was third in chips and, again, I had the two big stack either side of me (Galapagos immediately to my right) which was not making life easy, but I knew that if I just played sensibly, I had a good chance of making the money from there.
The guys who finished in 5th place - and who garunteed the rest of us a sizable payout - was seriously unlucky. He went all in as the small stack with A9 and Galapagos called and caught a 7 on the river with his A7... ouch! Still that meant a minimum of $2,600 for meeeeeeee!
I made one mistake when we were down to 4 players. The blinds were 200/400 and the button went all-in for a total of 1400. The Small Blind folded and the action was on me with KQo in the Big Blind. I had about 5000 left and had to call 1000 into a 2000 chip pot. Looking back on this, it should have been a call. It didn't represent a huge amount of my stack and I was getting decent odds from the pot. Especially seeing that that a few hands later he went all-in with K5. Galapagos called and busted him with A6.
With 3 of us left I was the smallest with about 5000. The other two had about 7500 each so really it was anyone's game. Two hands later I picked up AJ in the Small Blind. Gapagos raised to 1,100 on the button and I went all-in for 4,500 in total. He called and flipped AK. I was a big underdog, but then a Jack flopped making me a huge favorite to win the hand, BUT... Turn - King; River - King. I was history.
Galapagos went on to win the $9K and the other guy took $5K for second. I really was so close to making a massive score, but I cant be at all unhappy with my third place and $3,600 - not bad for a $60 investment!!
I think I'll put most of it towards the bankroll - I've had a couple of big cashouts recently so my aim for a while has been to rebuild the roll. However, I'm a bit stuck for cash at the moment so some of it may have to go towards rent, bills and christmas prezzies!
--------------------------------------------------
Quick update of everything else:
My work in the lab is finally coming to a close. I've not got any great results but hopefully it should be enough for my project write-up. I've got a big day tomorrow craming in the last few things then friday will be mostly christmas party-style things, which reminds me - I have to go and get a 'Secret Santa' present.
On Saturday my better half and I are heading down to London to stay with her parents for a few days before Christmas as well as dropping off our the cat before heading off to spend Chritsmas with my folks. I'm planning to fit in at least two trips to the Gutshot before Chirstmas (probably Sunday and Tuesday) and with any luck I'll meet up with a few people from ITH.
Well, that about wraps things up for now. Catch you'all later.
posted by Pinky @ 6:00 PM
1 Comments:
At 12:02 AM,
Ignatious said…
congratulations!! now i'm inspired to give those a shot.
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