PokerStars World Blogger Championship-My Report (long)

[grandgnu]

Play in the pokerstars world blogger championship today at 4pm with 2,247 entrants. Early on I see my starting 2K dip to below 1K as I have half or more of the table sitting out, an uber calling station to my left and a hyper-aggressive asian at the other end of the table.

I raise Q/Q and catch an Ace-high flop and get played at and have to dump.

I raise 10/10 UTG and the calling station calls and the hyper-aggressive asian raises it to 400. Which would pretty much pot commit me if I call the raise from my 80.

At that time in the game, I didn’t know he was a hyper-aggressive asian donkey. I finally find out when he raises K/8 in LP after some limpers and then pushes all-in after a significant bet and a call on a 2/3/5 board with two clubs.

After that, I know he’s going to double me up. I catch A/A in the BB, hyper-aggressive raises to 120, LP just calls, I’m down to about 800-900 and push all-in and the asian repushes with Q/J sooted! Flop of K/9/6 gives him a 10 as an out (and some [censored] observer keeps typing “10, 10, 10, 10”) but my hand holds up and I double up.

And captain over-aggressive is out shortly thereafter. Donkey calling station to my left calls my raise from 30 to 100 in LP when I have A/10. Flop of A/10/5 rainbow and I lead out and he calls. Turn is another 5 and I lead out again and he folds unfortunately.

Unfortunately he goes out shortly afterwards when he raises 9/9, gets re-raised by J/J and calls. Flop is Q/5/7 and the Jacks bet 1K and he min-raises to 2K leaving himself a few hundred left and the Jacks min re-raise to 3K and all the money goes in and the Jacks hold up.

Up to 2500 after having been down to 800, feels pretty good. Only five players at my table actively playing, everyone else is sitting out.

EP raises, large stack min re-raises with Q/Q and the blind with A/A min re-raises. The original EP raiser folds, the Queens push and the Aces double up and take the chip lead at my table.

Unfortunately for me, many of the other players have one or two sitting out on their left. Both of the players on my left are in, so I can’t always steal the blinds for free. That will become a significant problem once the blinds are significant.

K/Q and A/Q see a flop of 10/J/7. The turn is an 8, the river a Queen and the A/Q pushes for the pot size (1200 chips) and the K/Q thinks for awhile and calls (he’s no longer chip leader at our table.

Donkey raises A/4 offsuit UTG. Another donkey in the SB calls with 6/6 and leads out on an A/2/Q board, gets RAISED and calls with his 6’s! He keeps calling all the way to the 4/10 conclusion, where he’s busted. What a [censored].

UTG raises from 50 to 150 with K/Q offsuit. I’m in MP with A/A and make it 400 to go. He calls out of position. Flop is Q/7/2 with two clubs (I have the Ace of clubs, he doesn’t have a club). He bets 400, I push for a little over 2K, he calls, leaving himself with 80 chips (i.e. he can bust me if he sucks out). Turn a 2, river a 4 and I double up and short-stack him.

Up over 5K in chips now (avg is 2600). I’ve just checked and all the bounty players that PokerStars has in the game are still in it. Some doing well, some doing ok, and poor Wil Wheaton is down to 1500 (but not out)

Active larger stack at my table has been stealing for the past 4-5 hands now, chat box filling up with “xxx has won”. So he raises again, short stack pushes A/Q and the large stack has 10’s. The flop is Q/4/5 and the A/Q is way ahead. Turn a 2. River, the good ol’ two-outer, a 10 and the large stack busts the short guy.

Jagoff at my table is starting to try and play pots with me. I’ve been pretty active with pre-flop raising, so he’s been calling and taking the pots away from me.

I’ve had enough. I raise A/10 of hearts (third or fourth hand I’ve raised in a row). He calls. Flop is 6/9/J and I lead out and he folds.

Very next hand I’m dealt A/K offsuit and I raise from 100 to 300, he calls (natch). Flop is 3/Q/K and I lead out 350 again. He raises to 1100 and I push my whole stack in. He folds.

I raise 2/2 UTG, he calls AGAIN! Flop is 2/6/10 rainbow. I make my standard continuation bet. He calls. Turn is a 10. I check, he checks. River a 6, which I don’t like if he’s possibly got the 10. I lead for 500, he calls and mucks, I scoop with my full house.

Wow, we hit the break and the largest stack is 27,000 chips! I’m only at 7K myself, and avg is about 3K.

Finally, the four guys to my left are sitting out, blinds 75/150, time to steal, everyone keeps folding to me since I’m the largest stack, sweet!

Ugh, I raise A/Q UTG and dork in the BB min re-raises (I’ve seen him do this with AA before. I call, flop is Q/4/4 and he bets, I call, he checks the 3 turn. Nice, he’s got A/K of hearts (spades on the board) and my hand holds up, phew!

Up over 9K now. Back down to 7500 when my 9/9 and 10/10 encounter significant playback from other large stacks.

Only three of us active at the table now, everyone else sitting out (folded to me in the BB with J/J, doh!)

Ugh, that blows. Moved to a new table. I have 8600, large stack to my LEFT (of course) has over 16K, wonderful.

First hand I let it be known I’m not to be pushed around and raise my K/Q of clubs and encounter no resistance.

Back to 10K and a new table. Blinds 100/200 with a 25 ante. Almost down to below 600 players, although only the top 50-60 get prizes from what I recall. And there’s only one 10K seat up for grabs, plus a bunch of $1,500 buy-ins as well.

Raise UTG with A/J of spades from 200 to 600. Large stack in the BB with 16K in chips is the only caller. Flop is 3/4/J rainbow. He checks, I lead 1K into the 1500 pot and he folds.

Donkey raises K/J sooted UTG, shorter stack pushes with Q/Q and the K/J isn’t getting odds but calls and spikes the King on the flop. At least theres still donkeys to give me their chips (or suck out on me)

Nice, more dorks. Short-stack raises half his chips with K/K and dork in the SB with 4/4 re-raises to get him all-in. They both flop sets but the Kings double up.

How dumb do you have to be to not realize that the short stack has a monster when he’s raised half his stack? He isn’t folding to your 4’s, and at best you’re coin-flipping with him.

Dork in the BB calls my MP raise from 200 to 600. He’s got 16K, so he has me covered. I raised with Q/10 of clubs. Flop is 8/9/Q rainbow and he leads out for 600. I raise him to 1500 and he folds, owned!

My honey just doubled up. She was down to about 2K and in the SB with A/Q. Dork with 13K min-raised UTG, dork with 25K called in LP, she pushed. The UTG folded, the 25K guy called with A/J offsuit and she snagged a flop of 5/9/Q and he didn’t runner-runner her, so she’s back up to over 4K now, hope she can double or triple up again and get back in it!

Nice, large stack raises A/A in EP, short-stacked dork calls with Q/J offsuit. Flop is 3/8/Q all clubs (the large stack has the Ace of clubs). Large stack checks, dork with Q/J offsuit pushes. Turn an Ace, river a Queen and the Aces full don’t get run down!

Two LP limpers, I make it 1K to go (from 200) with Q/Q on the button. Wow, the BB calls and so does a limper. Flop is J/J/J and I can’t let them hit overcards. They check to me, I lead for 2K into the 3500 pot and they both fold.

Pocket Kings very next hand, wow! One limper for 400, I make it 1500 to go. Shorty on the button pushes and I call. He’s got 9’s, good. My Kings hold up and I’m up to over 20K.

What blows fat-chick chunks is that the avg stack is 10K and there are [censored] SEVEN players at my table with more than an average stack. I’m 35th out of about 450 players remaining.

Jenn pushed UTG with K/J and a large-stacked donkey in the SB calls the raise (from 200 to 4K) with A/8 sooted! Unfortunately the flop was 5/A/A and she was sent packing, sorry hun!

At my table donkey short-stacked is limping MP with 9/10. Flop is 6/10/10 but the blind has pocket 6’s and the trips are sent packing against the full house.

Raise A/3 offsuit one-off from the CO from 400 to 1200. Larget stacked CO re-raises to 4K and I have to dump it. Darn.

Donkey who just re-raised me min-raises the very next hand with 6/10 of hearts. Next to act player with J/J re-raises and the 6/10 sooted dork, out of position, calls. Then he leads for 5K (his opponent has about 10K left) into a 10-high flop, gets pushed against, calls and doesn’t suck out.

Dealt A/K of spades in the SB. One limper, one guy raises from 400 to 1500, another calls. I re-raise to 5K. They all fold, schweet! Up to 22K now. 350 players remain with an average stack at close to 13K. I’m 43rd overall at the moment.

Donkey min-raises A/A, everyone folds and he’s stupid enough to show. I get A/A UTG and raise from 600 to 1800 and get one caller on the button who’s got Dr. Phil as his avatar. I push the 4/J/K flop (since any bet he calls or raises would pot commit him and I don’t mind just taking the chips down and avoiding any potential outdraws. He folds)

He typed “7/7, take it brutha” after he folded. You know if he did hit his out I would’ve paid it off, although I might’ve gotten him to bluff at the pot, but doubtful given the King and Jack on the flop.

Closing in on 300 players left, avg getting to be about 15K, I have close to 25K. By my estimates I’ll need around 90K to have an average stack when we reach the prizes. So if I can get to at least 50-60K, I should, theoretically, be able to make the prizes.

Ideally, I want to go further than that, but I’m trying to stay grounded and focused.

Raise from 600 to 2K in MP (there’s 450 in antes on top of the 900 in blinds out there). Large stack with 35K just calls next to act, I don’t like that!

Flop is A/5/3 offsuit. I lead for 3K and he folds. Phew, no set to worry about (and figured if he had an Ace, I had him outkicked). Up to 27K now.

Nice, SB limps in for 600 total. I have 2/6 of clubs and raise to 2K and he calls me out of position. Flop is K/Q/3 and he checks, I bet another 2K and he folds, POWAH POKAH BITCHES! Up to 29K.

Donkey limps A/3 offsuit in EP, I limp A/10. Flop is 4/K/Q and the two blinds check, limper checks, I check. Turn a King, checked again. River a 3, checked around and the A/3 scoops 2800 chips, I should’ve bet.

I raise A/J of hearts UTG from 600 to 2K. The A/3 dork in the BB re-raises to 5600 and I decide to get out, since he’s left himself 9K and will be pot committed more than likely.

Still around 27K, 250 players left, avg 18K. I’m about 55th overall at the moment.

EP player raises from 800 to 2400 and I fold my A/Q in LP. There is now 1,650 chips in the pot pre-flop up for grabs. Of course, the only two players that can bust me are both on my immediate left, with 37-40K in chips. Ughers.

Donkey with A/K shorter-stacked should be pushing, just makes a standard raise. Another donkey with K/10 sooted calls it. Flop is 3/5/7 and there were actually three callers to the flop. The A/K donkey min-bets 800 into the 7K or so pot. Then min-bets the 6 turn and the 10 river. My 10/4 would’ve made a straight from the blind to crush them both, doh!

Donkey limps 4/4 in LP (same donkey who played the A/3 offsuit in EP), I raise with A/Q of spades and he calls out of position. Flop is unfortunately 4/6/J with one of my suit. He checks, I half-pot it, he calls. Turn sucks, it’s my [censored] Queen. He checks, I check. River a 2, he leads out for 6400 and I call and he scoops. That blows chunks. [censored] [censored] calling out of position with 4/4 and hitting his set and then I catch my magical Queen on the turn, just [censored] perfect. Down to 14K. [censored]!

Raise A/J offsuit and bust a short-stack next hand, up to 17K now. More dorkness. Large stack limps UTG, smaller stack raises from 800 to 2700 with A/K offsuit. Large stack calls out of position. Flop of 6/7/J with two clubs and the large stack check-folds to a 3K bet by the A/K guy (who is then dumb enough to SHOW his hand)

Avg stack about 22K with 200 left, I’m in the top 100 barely with a little over 18K in chips. Blinds 400/800 with an ante, so could use another 7-10K to make me feel a bit more comfortable.

Ugh, blinds hit 600/1200 with a 75 ante. Now it’s time to get lucky (and/or outplay and/or outsteal the opposition)

Yoikes, the A/3 and 4/4 donkey just called a raise with position with 6/6 (EP raiser is short-stacked and has A/Q of hearts). Flop is A/5/6 with two hearts and all the money goes in and the A/3 dork is now up to 64K. I really don’t want to see this donkey win it. Hopefully he’ll [censored] himself later with his constant calling-station-ness and uber-perfect flops.

I fire up “Chop Suey” by System of a Down, to fire myself up. New donkey with 64K arrives at my table and promptly raises UTG from 1200 to 6 [censored] THOUSAND. Ok buddy, I see how it’s going to be then.

There’s 2,475 in the pot pre-flop now, getting oppressive. OMG, the 71K A/3 offsuit donkey in the SB gives me a walk and folds to my BB. I had 5/6 offsuit, so no complaints there. I’ll probably [censored] up that later somehow.

Blinds hit 800/1600 now and there’s a lot of chips up for grabs. I’ve been dealt A/7, A/3 and A/2 in EP the past few hands and didn’t feel comfortable playing them. Of course, those blinds just went up around the time they hit me, which blows chunks. Down to all-in or fold with 13K in chips left as I snag the button.

That [censored] donkey just limped A/3 offsuit in MP and won the pot with Ace-high (I folded my own A/3 that hand, grrrrr)

A/10 offsuit UTG and push. Donkey in LP with A/10 sooted decides to call for 1/3rd his stack. Flop has two of my clubs, but we chop. Dealt K/Q of spades in the SB, donkey min-raises from LP and I push (same donkey that called me with the A/10 sooted). His raise was to 3200, I pushed for 12,300 and he folded, up to almost 18K again.

That’s interesting. Limper UTG, large stack makes it 8K to go. I have A/Q and 17K in chips. If I push, I’m getting called. He’s the same donkey who raised 1600 to 6K UTG, but I haven’t seen him show down a hand. I figure I can wait for a better spot, although I don’t like laying this down.

The limper calls out of position and the flop is 2/9/A and he folds to a big bet. Darn, might’ve been my shot there. But didn’t like not having fold equity.

Whew. Donkey limper in EP, I have 4/4 in the SB and push. Larger stack in the BB calls with A/J of diamonds. Flop is awesome, 4/7/9 with only one diamond. So I’m chanting “please no diamonds, please no diamonds!” and a King of diamonds hits the turn. 10 of hearts on the river doesn’t help him and I double up to over 33K, phew!

Darn, UTG raises from 2K to 7K, leaving 18K behind and I have to lay down the 7/7 I was going to play in LP.

Much to my dismay, it’s Q/Q vs. A/A and the flop is 5/K/7 and I would’ve tripled up! Or so I think. An Ace hits the river, and my outdraw would’ve been outdrawn, so I guess it was fortunate I got out.

Damn. 8/8 in LP, EP raises from 2K to 8K, MP player smooth-calls. I consider a push but opt to wait for a better spot.

It’s A/Q vs. 10/10 and the board reads 7/J/J/8/A and once again I would’ve sucked out with my set. Ah well, made the right lay down. At best coin-flipping, and it turned out I was way behind the 10’s.

Dodging some bullets here. Still need to get lucky.

Dr. Phil donkey min-raises from the SB into my BB and I fold. He shows A/A.

Next hand he raises the button from 2K to 5K and I push 10/10 from the SB. He folds and types K/J. Up to 37K now.

Raise K/K in EP from 2K to 6K, no takers. Top 54 win something. We’re down to 84, almost there!

Blinds hit 1500/3K with a 150 ante, yowza! That puts almost 6K in the pot pre-flop!

Donkey dr. phil guy is short stacked in the BB, two EP limpers and he pushes with J/8 offsuit thinking he can take it down. The limpers have A/K and 9/9 and he’s busted.

Raise from 3K to 8K with 5/5. Large stack in the BB with 150 [censored] grand calls. Checks a J/Q/K flop, I check. Turn a 3 of clubs. I now have the 5-high flush draw. He leads for 6K into the 20+K pot. I have 26K behind. I consider pushing (and kick myself for not c-betting the flop) and opt to fold and keep my 26K and hope for another spot. I [censored] hate chip leaders. Especially this close to the prizes.

Pocket 2’s and I push in MP. Phew, they all fold and I add a few grand to my stack. 65 players left, 11 spots from making the prizes, and I was in 62nd place (now in 58th, still not very good) It doesn’t help that there’s a number of 100K or higher stacks to my left (three of them, to be exact)

Push 6/6 UTG. Next to act repushes. I pray he’s on A/K. He’s not, he’s got A/A. Flop is 7/9/J. Turn an 8 giving me some hope. River…….an 8. I take 65th place. Spent like 4 [censored] hours to finish 11 spots from the money. What a [censored] [censored] day.

[KneeCo]

You're still too quick to assume your opponent is a donkey, I've mentioned before that you should really consider changing this behavious, IMO it would seriously hold one back.

[stevepa]

I couldn't even get through this...try not to be so bitter/angry.

Steve

[Ansky]

Did you lock your wife up and take away her money while this was happening as well?

[The X-Factor]

I lost set over set I had 77 and called a 2x BB raise flop is K73 we get all in on the turn and he has KK...Atleast you didnt go out this way...

[andre006]

i hope you didn't have to drive after writing this

[Vee Quiva]

Tough break there. I played as well and busted out after an hour.

The most entertaining part of the tournament was the strategy of trying to steal the absent players blinds without getting caught. I even reraised a couple of hands where it was apparent that was what was going on.

I much prefer Party's software in that instance where you cannot tell if the player is sitting in or not.

[locutus2002]

An interesting read. You need to work on your self-image, it's probably affecting your game. If you had any idea how absurd, angry, and hateful you come accross you wouldn't post this. I seriously doubt that you mean the things you are saying.

[deankeaton7]

act like youve been there before. I barely got halfway through.

[grandgnu]

Nope, I'm as grumpy, spiteful and hateful as I appear. I REALLY wanted that Stars Letterman Jacket! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]