I take my seat at the $2+.025 sit and go and try to think of a strategy at the start to see what I can do and who may be the easiest to pick on etc etc. We have played a total of three hands and so far I have had nothing but have noticed a lot of action already. Pre-flop raises, check raising, big bets and wonder what’s the easiest and sneakiest way of avoiding this without getting my fingers stuck in the cookie jar? My answer is probably be aggressive to a certain extent. Not like a turbo where you can sit and wait for hands and hope for the best.
Ok so my first hand I play is Qc5c and I know what your thinking why play this hand? I’m the big blind and nobody has raised preflop so I naturally check and we see a flop. The board is below but you can see what I have when the flop comes down (a gutser straight as well as a flush draw).
Obviously I wouldn’t be staying in the hand if I thought neither were good. I know my flush is good and gambling that if the straight comes I win as well. This is why position at the table is so important! I am first to speak (worst position after the flop) I could easily lead out but there are still 3 other players to the flop and I don’t believe I have the best hand yet and wouldn’t have a clue on what they have. I end up losing most of my stack to jdesq who bets every street and of course nothing of mine came and we are down to a whopping $730!
Lucky not a turbo otherwise it was already time to make a move but with this being a normal sit and go I have all the time in the world to pick my spots and wait for hands. The blinds are slowly going up and only presently at $25-$50, which for me is still nice and cheap. Overall it has been thus far a tight table which is ok to try to pinch pots and steal blinds but its hard as a decent size raise for my chip stack is pretty much committing me to the pot!
A good few hands later I find myself with KhJh in early position. My options are either to raise or call, I can’t see myself folding. I smooth call hoping to see a free flop cheaply. It gets to the button and s/he makes it another $90 to call preflop. 3 other callers so now I have value and call hoping to maybe push on the flop. The flop comes down 9sAh7h. Beautiful, nut flush draw with plenty of promise. I check and so does everyone else till it gets the button who bets the pot which would put me all in. I have 2.5-1 pot odds to call with nothing but a gamble and I make the call. He shows A J, and I’m needing to hit the heart. Turn brings 3d, no luck and the river comes the 4h! BANG ship it too bankroll exp. It was a great example of a gamble paying off. It differs if I’m chip leader and make this play but as I’m the short stack at the time with nothing to lose and everything to gain with great pot odds, I believe it’s a call that should be made. Chip update = 1680 with blinds at $50-$100.
Now 5 handed and again I’m the short stack. Have only played 2 hands the entire tournament with seeing a flop and from memory have pinched 2 blinds. Its becoming a lot more aggressive the more we lose players and it’s now vital which spots to pick, otherwise out the door very quickly!
30 minutes later and major short stack I finally find something, on the button, Ah6h. Not a great hand but folded around to me so I raise knowing full well the table knows how tight I have been playing. The SB folds and the BB re-raises me. I call knowing I need to hit a draw or the ace. Flop comes down with an ace and I have not much behind me, and he shoves! He shoves when I have hit my pair. This guy is the second short stack and he makes a move on me with this. So I instant call and he shows me A 9. I’m out and again nothing but a nice waste of 50 mins to show for it.
Well done chump you win and knock me out. But that’s not what bothers me, it’s the table image I worked on before all this and to see it get used is terrible. I don’t understand how he didn’t put me on a bigger ace pre flop or a pair or anything that would dominate A 9! Whining and kicking a fuss is no good and its not always good to loose your cool over poker but its amazes me how the second short stack would make a move like that, and it also shows that showing a tight image is not always a winning way. Maybe I’m in great need of changing my game or making more moves.
Currently after losing more money to Full Tilt Poker the account balance is:
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