Pushing With The Ferguson...

Pushing With The Ferguson...

10/09/08

Played in a couple tournaments yesterday. One at the
Orleans and one online with Spade Club.

I played at the Orleans 12 pm NLHE tourny for $80.00.
I've cashed at their Sunday tournament, which is basically
the sameformat each day and time (except for Sunday the
buy in is bumped up to $100.00). The format is pretty
good, where youstart off with $4,000.00 in chips, blind
levels for the firsthour are set at 20 minutes each, then
30 minutes thereafter. 45 players total, signed up to
play for this tournament. The players who play in this
game are pretty solid, so most of the time, you don't get
any type of gambo' gambo' shit..

The first couple of levels, I was able to gain about a
50 to60 percent increase in my starting stack. I had
gotten AK diamonds, pocket Aces and pocket Kings in the
first hour,as was paid off preflop and on the flop. I
usually get busted on pocket Aces, so I was happy to take
down a pot with them, lol.

The next couple of levels, were pretty slow. I was
making some "bump" raises from mid to late position with
some marginal hands (Ace/Ten OS a couple of times, suited
King/Jack - cards like that). I got to take the blinds
each time without any confrontations. The table I was at
had pretty solid players, but I kept a watch out for any
funny plays out there. We actually had one weak player,
who eventually busted out when she was at her last blind.
I think that is one of my pet peeves, when someone plays
to their last bet. I mean, it doesn't allow them to give
themselves any fold equity. If they do win a hand, they
need to double up consistently to give them any chance to
win. But what am I to complain, let them do it, it
usually gives me a better chance to move up as well.

Anyway, I got to the final 9 players with about $11,000.00
in chips. Blinds were $500/1000 with a $100 ante. There
was $2,400.00 in the pot before any betting. That's a
good 20% of my own stack preflop. If I was going to
play a pot at this point, I would be for all of it. I
think theonly time I would put in a standard raise would
be when I would have pocket Aces or Kings. But even most
of the time I would have those two hands, I would push all
in at ten bets. You may get a caller and if your big pocket
pair holds up, you have just doubled up to twenty bets (for
a little more breathing room). I would say most of the
time when I have gone that deep in a tourny, the play
usually works.

This time I came upon Ace/Nine Spades, right about in mid
position. I made a decision to push all in. I got folds
behind me. The small blind had looked at his stack and
said all in too. I'm behind, I know it. The big blind
folded. I flip up my cards and the small blind flips up
2 black Queens. Great...need to get lucky. The board
and turn blanked out. I got an unneeded Nine on the river.
Jeez, I'm out. I think it's a decent play, knowing that
my hand should be better than any random hand on the blind
spots. I can also make a case for just calling or
minraising in that spot. If I get raised off my
original bet, I still have an option of folding
preflop.

What do you think?

On a better note, I played online with Spade Club in a
$500.00 pot freeroll. Again, played my usual style and
ended up in 4th place out of 623. I like playing these,
it gives you practice in a fast, large pool tourny
enviroment.

Ooh, I won $50.00 too. How you like that for a $1.00
first time monthly membership investment, lol...

The site is not too bad, the regular membership fee is
$19.99 monthly. It gives you access to qualify in cash
tournaments of $100,000.00 monthly. Have a $5,000.00
freeroll this Sunday, wish me luck....