Well I think that days poker could best be described as YoYo"esk.
I had a good starting table, with Kinfishi sat in the Cut off to my BB, the table was tight and over a dozen players had left the event before we lost our first tablemate.
I lost 1k chips v eary when i raised with QK, flop came Q3x, SB who had been busy (even that early) raised 1k i INSTACALLED, turn x he bet 2k and i folded. He had Q3 (or so he said).
I played one interesting hand early on - I limped with
and then called a small reaise (I think) flop came down
:
: MB1 raised 400 (blinds 50-100) and i reraised to 2000 (call), turn was a td, I then raised 2k as i did not like this card but hoped he liked it less. MB1 folded saying something about the flush draw. Really not sure what he had, overpair i guess as i cant think why he would call my reaise on the flop wthout it.
I got to the lunch break with 15k just below average. The lack of a 150/300 level was a shame as it seamed to put everyone into lemming mode and a number of players on other tables left the event.
Shortly after dinner i got moved tables. I was UTG+1 when i looked down and saw ad ah, I had 15kish with blinds of 600-1200 i was trying to work out whether i should push, limp or just raise to get a double up, when the poor Norwegian to my right (UTG) decided to stick a raise to 7k in I INSTASHOVED got a reluctant call from qs ks and doubled up.
As the blinds then got higher and higher the yoyoing began. I called a shorties all in with A8 v his AQ (oops) down went a third of my chips. This got me down to 20k and with blinds at 800/1600 and 1k/2k play was easy all in or fold. I upset MB2 when i shoved with ks
and got the raiser to fold. he had previouly folded AK as he did not want to race for half his chips, so i thought i would have fold equity. I had QK on a raised preflop board of Q77 and got MB2 to fold AK i think (he was not too happy at this point). I did though fold 44 to another of his raises when i was in the SB and he had 99.
By now the priorty was not to have to drive al the way back to Luton wth less than 10BB"s as a 120 mile 2 hour drive to only have no chips did not sound like fun, especially as only 30 of the 40 comeing back would make the money. I shoved any time i got an ace and stole some blinds. I managed to play 3 pots against Lazaroonie my KT lost to his AI with A9, we split a pot when i was all in with AK - as did he, and then I think i won his final allin when he had QK to my AK although the first card on the board was a Q to make things interesting. The Ace though saved me on the second card out. At some point in the middle of all this i played two pots involving MickyP he shoved with 3BB"s from UTG, and i called with A6 on the BB and lost a race to a floped J that hit his KJ. Then almost straight after when i was down to 12kish with blinds 1.5k/3k I was in the small blind with AJ. the button raised I went all in, MickyP went all in as well with QQ and the button called with KJ, I hit my ace, button hit his K and MickyP was no more which was unlucky as he had had no cards for ages then found some but lost. (he had found the odd Budwiser or 2 though).
I got a table move with 57k and 21 players left, there were 2 simultaneous all ins, the microshortie doubled up on my new table but another player was lost from my previous table.
So i have 57k, avg 75k. Blinds were 2k/4k when i left (although only 6 mins left on day 1a). Not sure what will happen tomorrow - whether they will play down to 20 as well or whether they will play exactly the same amount of time. I think they will stop when they get down to 20.
I am currenlty about 13th of the 20 left. Not sure what the blinds will then be when we get back, if they are rolled back for the whole level at 2k/4k then average will be 19BB"s and i will have 14BB"s and i will be comfortable. If we move onto 3k/6k then average will be 12BB"s I will have 9 and if i hit the BB straight away i could be down to 7.5BB"s in 2 hands and shoving from the button if it folded to me, could mean i manage a 4 hour round trip for 3 hands. However the key is to be positive so i will read the updates today with interest, and go back on Monday and reach the final and see what happens from there.