$2500 shorthanded day one trip report

i started at table 53. i didn't know anyone, but apparently one of my tablemates is Steve Zoine, one of your B-list circuit pros.
i find him surprisingly loose and passive for a tournament player.

i'm so fried right now i barely remember hands. but i spent the early period figuring out how my table played and then pushing around the weak players.

ok, fun pot #1: open 74ss UTG (obviously) to 3x or whatever, i don't even remember what level this was. aggressive asian kid calls on the button. flop comes down like J85 or something ridiculous, i bet out 250, he makes it 525. he's been making a bunch of small aggressive moves so i decide to see what the turn brings and see if i can't win the pot. turn is a 4. i check and he bets 1100 leaving 2600 or so. i think about it for a minute, think about folding, then realize he could well be making a move, and if he ha a strong hand, i have outs (definitely 4, possibly 10). so after a minute of calculating and studying i push. he folds after about ten seconds.

fun pot #2 vs. steve zoine. right after i showed down some random trash in the first level i open up KK utg to 3x like it's no big. he calls. flop is like JTx two diamonds. i lead 250 and he calls. turn is a low brick, i check, he bets 250 or 350 or something and i make it 1000. he deliberates and calls. river is a 4d. i don't like it but i don't think he has it either and i want to block and/or get value so i fire 1k more. he deliberates and says some bullshit line about me outdrawing him and folds, saying he folded top set, and he's obviously lying because if you fold top set here you can't possibly be a winning tourney circuit player. i'm sure he had AJ/KJ or some nonsense.

get to 7000 by first break.

drop to 4000 early in the third level. first lame hand: open KQ to 275 (50/100), zoine calls from sb. flop is K high two clubs (i have Qc), he leads 300 i call. turn is a club, check/check. river is another club, he bets 1k, i think and call because a bluff is likely, he shows KcKx, and i have like the only hand that matches my bets that can pay him off, the lucky bastard.

i end up getting it back, at 100/200 i open KK to 500 and zoine calls in position, flop is QJ8 two hearts, i lead 800 he calls, turn is an 8, i just stick it in because i have the best hand and i want that pot. he folds.

make some moves here and there: blind battle i have j8 in BB, flop comes T9x, i bet 200, SB c/r to 500 and i push him in, he folds, says he folded a ten. man so many tournament players are pussies.

he busts, new guy comes in and another fun blind battle: he opens to 500, i have T5dd and call, and decide to put on some showmanship and stare him down without looking at the flop. he leads 600 or 625 or something, i glance over and see T54 two hearts and immediately fire 2000. he thinks about 30-45 seconds and folds.

i get to 2nd break with 14k. my table breaks. things get fun.

my new table has a couple of young guys on either side of me and a middle aged kinda aggro dude in the 5 seat (i'm in the 2).

i get up to 17k at 100/200/25 and this pot happens. i open JThh to 625 utg, milagro (middle aged aggro, and yeah taco milagro, whatever, i'm tired) makes it 1500 more, about the 3rd time i've seen him reraise preflop in like 20 minutes. we both have lots of chips and i decide to call. flop is J97, two clubs. i check, he bets 3200. i'm like, hmmm, i don't even have to bother putting him on a hand. if he has AK/AQ/TT he folds, if he has something better he might fold, if he calls i have 9 outs unless he has a set (doubtful, probably not reraising the 99). he goes in the tank, says "i can beat a jack". i shrug. says i have clubs. no response from he. he folds claiming QQ. yeah, you're going to read about lots of hands like this. i have 24k now.

he says to me "it's fine, i'll get your chips later." i mumble under my breath to the guy next to me "yeah but when you do they'll just be yours i'm giving back."

so nature deals him some delicious irony.

he opens to 700 in CO and i call in my BB with QTo. flop is AT7 two diamonds, check/check and i know he doesn't have an ace. so turn is 3d, i check, he bets 1500, i call because i'm definitely ahead. while i'm debating how to play the river, depending on what comes, it hits another ten. i check, he pushes, i call immediately, he mucks. i guess by 'later' he meant "some unspecified future date".

this bumps me to 35k or so. tony le takes his place in the 5 and not long after kevin o'donnell moves into the 4 seat.

i take a huge pot. 150/300/25, i open 76ss in CO to 875 or so, everyone behind me calls (young kid, tony le, and BB in 6 seat-- i don't know where kevin was during this, maybe i was utg+1 and he folded). i have a good feeling about the flop when i see the 4s in the door, and then the dealer spreads the 5, and the 8. checks to me and i bet 1100. button raises 3500 more. blinds fold, i think for 30 seconds, mentally count down his remaining chips, decide i don't want to let him get away from the hand later, and push him in for his last 8-9k or whatever. he says "I have to call" and turns over 54hh. i say "I have the nuts". it holds and i have 50k.

the VERY NEXT HAND i get AA and open to 900. kevin in 4 seat calls on button, or co, or something. behind me. flop is Q95 two spades, i lead 1500, he makes it 3000, and he has a ton of chips so i don't want to get a ton of money in because i'm definitely behind if i do. so i call and plan to lead out any non K/Q/8/spade turn. turn is an 8 and so i check call 3000. river is a king and i check and he bets 10k. there is absolutely no way i am still ahead so it takes me about 10 seconds to muck faceup.

chipped my way back in my usual fashion, which is raising lots of pots, stealing blinds and antes, c-betting a lot if i get called, etc.

karlo lopez moves into the 3 seat. he's a great guy; he and i had a lot of fun.

i can barely remember what happens from here. one pot i fucked up badly where apparently karlo had KK and i had AA and i somehow did not stack him. i am opening lots of pots and lots of weird hands. kevin o'donnell seems to want to play sherriff.

this leads to him frequently reraising me. so i get creative with him.

i open 43hh on the button, he reraises in BB, 2500 more, so we were probably at 300/600/75. i call with plans to reevaluate and to take it away if i sense weakness. flop is T95 or something and he bets 3500. i think a few moments and raise 5500 more. he mucks 88 faceup.

in another pot i open KT and he calls from blind. i c-bet a Q high flop 3500 and he calls. turn is a jack and he leads 4200. i shove and he folds.

he's doing a lot of minreraising me. i open to 2300, he goes to 4600. and we both have lots of chips and i have hands like 87s so it's not unreasonable to take a flop but i keep missing and losing the initiative so i can't pick it up when i don't hit.

another fun one i have with him: open 64cc to like 1700 (still 300/600/75). he calls in position. flop is like Q87 one club and i c-bet 2200 with my gutshot. he calls. turn is 5c. the one perfect card. i check though and he checks. river is a ten. i bet 5000, he thinks, comments "you have jack nine again?" (i limp called a raise from karlo lopez preflop earlier with J9hh and flopped top two). he calls with two pair, ship it.

ok so fun read hand: 400/800/100, shortish stack in BB. i have A3hh in cutoff and open to 2000 so that if i feel he's strong i can fold to a push. he stops, thinks, actually picks up his cards like he plans to muck them, then seems to say "fuck it" and puts in his chips. it's like 6k more. i'm getting not quite 2:1 but he looked very weak to me the whole way, i go through it and decide i likely have the best hand, and call. he has J9ss, i flop an ace and turn another.

i'm having a great time, karlo and i become buddies, i'm telling people my story so i can pitch it as the feel good hit of the summer if i win the main event.

i finally bust o'donnell at 600/1200/200 when i open A5 to 3300 and he makes it 3300 more. i decide "fuck this, i have ace high, this time i'm taking a stand since he has enough chips to fold and i have some good outs." i push him in. he calls immediately with kings. i flop an ace. i knew i would. The Man was right.¹
this is the only time all day i got my money in behind (at least that i got called). i haven't been to too many showdowns, i haven't been all in for all of my chips once.)

aggressive young scandinavian is raising my blinds a bunch. i'm letting him but finally shove back KQ at him and he folds, which sets up our next series of events.

i'm at my peak now, 125k or so.

very next hand he shoves like 12500. i have 55 in SB and seriously think about this since it's 1/10 of my stack. i want to call, i feel like i might have the best hand, but something about it feels off to me and i fold.
very next hand, possibly subconsciously wanting to make up for it, ep opens to 4k and i call on button with KTss. blind moves in 4800 more, EP just calls, and now i call getting huge odds and knowing i'm calling if i hit any piece.
flop is Q T x, he pushes 9500, i call. he shows AK. shorty shows AQ. i lose the side pot to an ace on the river.
postflop was fine, preflop sucked. the only chink in my armor all day.

i finished with 101,800. i'm 3 of 38 going to tomorrow and i think karlo lopez (48,700) is second at the table by a decent margin. the only other person whose name i know is aleksander strandli at 20.8k.
i'll be in the 2 seat at table 119. karlo is the 3 seat, aleks is the 1 seat. come wish me well if you're here. if you're not, just follow me on cardplayer.com. and if you know who the 4 5 and 6 people are, tell me that, too.

1 - "That's what it's all about, isn't it? Making the wrong move at the right time."