It all started with a WCOOP ticket... (tl;dr included)

_Anonymous_ · 2013-09-15T19:54:01Z

Hi all! I am (or perhaps was) a casual, micro 90/180 SnG player. I've been playing a while, transitioning through various game types, and I eventually decided that 90s/180s/MTTs were the games I was best at. So, with my $150 BR, I was playing $1 90s and working up a steady profit, despite my terrible volume, and trying to keep a blog about it :P During August, I managed to snatch two VIP Giveaway Tickets via the trivia freerolls, so I entered one cash and one WCOOP giveaway. I bricked the cash one, and the ratio of entries to prizes for the ticket giveaway was huge (roughly 4% of the field 'paid'), so I didn't even realise I'd won a $109 ticket until two days later! I had the option between Events 1 and 19, and I was intending to play Event 1, but I ended up not doing so in order to go out with my family. What a twist of fate that turned out to be... So, I fired up Stars yesterday to play Event 19, with the intention of just playing my best and hopefully scoring a nice mincash for a ticket that cost me nothing :) I made a good start, stacking two people in the early stages, both times when they stacked off with TPTK vs my overpairs. However, my early momentum faded and I ended up losing chips to blinds and a couple of frustrating river cards, until finally, still 1000 runners from the money, I got it in with the worst of it: 88 vs QQ. I thought my shot at a one time was over, but I binked an 8 on the flop for the suckout. I was extremely lucky to survive, and I wanted to make sure that I made the most out of this good fortune. Happily for me, this is exactly what happened, as I managed to substantially chip up without being all in again until there were around 500 runners left (1260 paid). Then I had one of those critical flips when you're fairly far ITM with an average stack - win it and you're set up to make a deep run, lose it and you'll have to be satisfied with your 2-3 buyins: SpoilerPoker Stars, $100 Buy-in (1,250/2,500 blinds, 325 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 9 Players Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. UTG+1: 84,831 (33.9 bb) Hero (UTG+2): 58,928 (23.6 bb) MP1: 91,716 (36.7 bb) MP2: 35,026 (14 bb) MP3: 43,811 (17.5 bb) CO: 144,821 (57.9 bb) BTN: 38,008 (15.2 bb) SB: 81,490 (32.6 bb) BB: 83,638 (33.5 bb) Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with A Q UTG+1 folds, Hero raises to 5,000, 6 folds, BB calls 2,500 Flop: (14,175) 7 A K (2 players) BB checks, Hero bets 53,603 and is all-in, BB calls 53,603 Turn: (121,381) 9 (2 players, 1 is all-in) River: (121,381) 8 (2 players, 1 is all-in) Results: 121,381 pot Final Board: 7 A K 9 8 Hero showed A Q and won 121,381 (62,453 net) BB showed T Q and lost (-58,928 net) Things kept falling into place for me from there on: won a flip for 2/5 of my stack AK vs 66, stacked a guy for 32bb after flopping bottom set vs TPWK. Four hands after I scooped that pot, this happened: SpoilerPoker Stars, $100 Buy-in (2,500/5,000 blinds, 625 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 9 Players Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. UTG+1: 67,356 (13.5 bb) Hero (UTG+2): 306,882 (61.4 bb) MP1: 57,608 (11.5 bb) MP2: 183,268 (36.7 bb) MP3: 97,703 (19.5 bb) CO: 152,279 (30.5 bb) BTN: 72,744 (14.5 bb) SB: 174,689 (34.9 bb) BB: 227,562 (45.5 bb) Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with J J UTG+1 folds, Hero raises to 10,000, 3 folds, CO raises to 24,975, 3 folds, Hero calls 14,975 Flop: (63,075) 3 3 4 (2 players) Hero checks, CO bets 19,383, Hero calls 19,383 Turn: (101,841) 3 (2 players) Hero checks, CO checks River: (101,841) 7 (2 players) Hero checks, CO bets 107,296 and is all-in, Hero tanks off half his timebank and calls 107,296 Results: 316,433 pot Final Board: 3 3 4 3 7 Hero showed J J and won 316,433 (164,154 net) CO showed K T and lost (-152,279 net) I tanked the river for a solid 40 seconds. The guy had a 3bet of ~10% so he didn't really seem out of line. He'll bet the flop with lower PPs and AK/AQ that miss, and when he checked back the turn my intention was to x/c his half pot or similar river value bet, see AK/TT and smile, but then he jammed and it was pretty gross since he could potentinally check back the turn with QQ+ since the turn card basically gives him the nuts, and he still has potsize behind to jam the river. In the end I think it was the turn check back that made me call because it makes more sense to bet the turn with monsters since it gives your opponent more compelling odds to hero call the river. To some this might be a trivial snap call, I'm really not sure, maybe I was feeling more pressure due to being way out of my stakes :P Either way, took it down, and suddenly I was 8/260. I was shaking by this point: I'd entered this thing with the intention of maybe making a small $200ish score, now I was one of the big stacks with $400 already locked up, now looking at a potential four-figure score, maybe even more. I'm not loaded by any means...

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tonduluboy

Joined: 02.09.2008

Posts: 91

01.10.2013, 13:24 0

I am reading your Success Story since im looking for a motivation to play poker again. I am a micro tournament player. On other account, i have over 3000 micro tournaments.

More than a year ago i almost win a freeroll package worth USD$5000. i came 2nd losing on the river :(, thousand registered for 3 phase tournament.
And ONLY 1 winner. Since then i lost motivation to play!

Cant believe my FT bad luck, i was a chip leader since 40 players left till FT then i started losing bad with premium hand.

I remembered i did play WCOOP 2 yrs ago $109 tournament ( i got the ticket from freeroll just like you). Lose my JJ vs 88 allin preflop and won around $260.

Your story inspired me to play poker actively.TQVM.

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