One tourney, no cashes

I got in pretty early and registered for tomorrow. Since a 1500 hold'em started at noon there were no cash games. When I saw the dregs there I thought I should have done HE in the WSOP but if I did well I couldn't play tomorrow.

I went over to Caesar's and made it with 30 minutes to spare for today's mega stack - 340 for 12500 chips, 50 minute levels, 25/50 starting blinds.

I tried out the new small ball strategy and it was working pretty well. I was value betting in the right spots and bluffing well. I even had a few people raising the same 2-1/2x the BB I was raising. One thing I learned today-small ball depends on remaining fairly successful. Really if you are below 50 BB's you can't use it optimally.

I misplayed 2 AK hands at my first table. The first time I took the passive approach too far, didn't bet the turn when I picked up the nut flush draw with 3 hearts on board, and wound up checking it down to a cut-off raiser who had 2-6 and hit trips on the river (he was chicken shit not value betting that - like I checked a flush twice).

The next time I opened and made a continuation bet which is pretty standard, but I got called in two spots. Board was 45A rainbow. Turns was nine and second diamond, I checked, next guy bet 3k and the old guy behind him moved in for half that. I convinced myself my kicker was better and I called. River was Jd and we checked it down. Old guy hit a flush, other guy had 45 of spades for two pair.

I love him playing that there although he was the first to call my pre-flop raise not last or close to it. Still, a suited 45 is a great deep stack hand and I don't begrudge him. What you don't want to play is AK out of position - when lots of money goes in on the turn it's rarely the best hand. I knew better and dumped chips anyway which was disappointing.

My best hand at that first table was J9 of clubs. I called a small raise in position and the flop was 8 of clubs, 7 of spades, 2x. The initial raiser checked as did the next guy and I thought about betting but checked. Turn was the MOST perfect card - 10 clubs. So now I have the nut straight and open-end straight flush draw. I hoped to go to war. At 50/100 blinds the pot was already about 1400 so I bet 1k. Initial raiser called. River paired the 10 and he checked. There was a time when I might have been spooked by the paired board but I felt pretty sure that he did not have a set and boat up, and my hand was bet. He called a 1200 value bet with AK high!

I had 6400 at the first break, hust about half starting stack, not good. We were an outer table and it broke early in level 3. I was sad I had worked so hard to profile these guys and then I was getting moved, but the next table was pretty fun. It got to the point where they were chearing my name when I was all-in, but more on that later.