SE Double Chance - €75 22/03/2006

Another week, another visit to the Sporting Emporium for their €75 Double Chance. A similar sized field to last week's, there were 30 players listed on the clock screen, though I think a few more played and were unaccounted for. Anyhow, four tables started off, 2k to begin with, with an additional 2k available anytime after the 1st hand and before the break.

Most players on my table were experienced, and there was a lot of action during the first few levels. One chap got a fantastic run of cards and had more than doubled up by the end of the first level, and proceeded to bully the table for a while. The only hand of note I had during the first two levels went as follows: Blinds were 50/100, I was in MP, UTG made it 325, I called with AJd, both blinds called. Flop was J rag rag, both rags were diamonds. It was checked around to me, I decided to check instead of bet, thinking I was ahead and wanting to build a pot. The turn was a non-diamond rag, checked around again and I bet it this time, 500. The blinds folded and UTG called. River was a non-diamond 8, UTG bets 500, which surprised me. I decided to flat call, turned over my TPTK, he turned over 88 for a house. My own fault for not betting the flop, though knowing the player it probably would have cost me more! I was down to 750, and decided to forego the topup and try to double up instead - the table was quite loose and I knew 750 would be called.

I doubled through during level three (75/150) when my Ax when up against another Ax, my kicker was higher. Table four was broken up and I was moved to table three, got my chips just before the break and had about 3500 for the FO period. Didn't play a hand after the break on table three, and was moved to table one mid-way through level four (100/200). With the big jump up in blinds at level five (200/400), it was time to make a move. I doubled through when my A7s outdrew AK, a K on the flop but I runner runnered a flush. I then took more of the same players chips when my 10 10 beat his unimproved AQo. I was up to a health stack with 2 tables remaining.

A few levels later, I donked off more than 70% of my stack in a battle of the blinds, when my top pair was beaten by his trips. By the time the final table was formed, I only had about 7.5k, with blinds 300/600 and soon going to 400/800. Only 6 were being paid, with 6th and 5th getting less than double the buy-in back, so again, it was time to make some moves. Most players were experienced and playing quite cagey poker to begin with, so I pushed with Ax and Kx in position a few times to steal the blinds. It took an hour before the first player was eliminated, with most of the players having average stacks, no massive chip leader. I doubled up with QQ vs AK and was in great shape. We slowly worked our way down to 5 players, I was playing tight agressive, pushing people off pots when I thought I could or when I was ahead - with the blinds at 500/1000, the pots were worth taking.

The next key hand occured when I was UTG. I was chip leader by this stage and really starting to exert pressure on the rest. I found AA for the only time that night, and raised to 5000. All folded to the BB, who was a very good and agressive young player, an expert at using position and pushing when he sensed weakness. However, he picked the wrong time to push with A7o, and I now had a dominant stack four-handed. I now raised big when I had strong and semi-strong hole cards, and as the rest were worried about going out in 4th (payouts was 960, 540, 345 and 240), they allowed me to bully unmercilessly. It was great :) I knocked 4th out, and we did a mini-deal to make the payouts (900, 540 and 405). 3rd was gone a few minutes later (an older guy who plays in the SE a lot, agressive but easy to figure out I think) when he played back at me at the wrong time. Heads-up I had a 3:1 chip lead, he suggested a 50:50 deal which I obviously refused. First hand of heads-up he folded to my BB, second hand he completed from the SB, I raised to 10k, he pushed his 25k or so, I called in an instant with KQo, his K4s was dominated and I won the tournament for the 2nd week running :)