My First Live Tourney

I typed this out after my first ever live tournament, which also happened to be my first time at a casino. It happened sometime in 2007, and it's fun to look back at it now. There is some pretty nutty logic in there from me :)

So first, a little background about me. I am studying in Copenhagen for one semester and am leaving on Thursday back home. I finished my last exam today and had registered a couple of weeks earlier for a 30 man SNG in Casino Copenhagen. The buyin is 1000 kroner (~$200). The top 3 get paid - 50%, 30%, 20%. My online bankroll is around $5000, so this was just a one-off shot to have fun and see how live poker is.

The first casino I stepped foot in

I get there 30 minutes early, and just take in all the gambling. When i get into my seat, nobody is really talking much. We get 2000 starting chips. The blinds are 25/25 and go up every 20 minutes, which is pretty fast for live. I get NO cards during the first hour and don't win a single pot. I limp occasionally after a few limpers with 87o and the like, and miss every flop. My best hand was 55 in 3rd position after an UTG raise when the blinds were 50/100, so I couldn't really play it. The guy to my left was a maniac - he went to 5000 and busted before I even won a pot. I end the first hour and head into the break with around 1600.

After the break, I finally pick up AKo on the button. An elderly guy to my right raises to 500. The blinds are now 75/150. I move allin for 1600 and he tanks. I try to look calm, but my heart is really pounding. I have never felt that online! I want him to call. He finally mucks and tells me he had ATs. I tell him he made a good fold. This takes me up over my starting stack of 2000.

This was probably how I looked after shoving AK

I then continue to get trash. I didn't even get KQ or ace rag. I got 55 once more, but again the tight guy raised before me so I had to muck.

Our table then gets broken since we are down to 20 players. I fold for an orbit or two with utter junk again. I'm back down to 1800, and the blinds are 75/150. On the button, I tell myself that I am raising ATC because of my tight image. I get 75o, pop it to 450, and win my 2nd live pot. I go back above 2000 again.

People are busting fast now, and we are 7 handed. The blinds are 100/200. I am the big blind and have T6o. There are 2 limpers and the SB completes. The flop is A97. It checks around. The turn is a 10. This might be the one mistake I made all day. I fire 300. The limpers fold and the small blind calls. As soon as he calls, I realize that the 10 was a spade and it put 3 spades on the board. Had I seen this, I would never have taken a stab since it has little chance of succeeding. I was confident nobody had an ace since the limpers would have raised with an ace in late position. Anyway, the river is another spade. The small blind instapushes, I instamuck.

This takes me down to around 1600. I am in middle position. The blinds are 150/300. There are 2 limpers. I get T9s and go allin. A couple of people behind tank and fold. The last limper (who was the villan in the previous hand) thinks for a long time, talks some danish which I don't understand, and folds. I show my cards, which was stupid since I couldn't use that move again. This takes me upto 2500 and we break again.

We are down to 12 now and the blinds are 200/400. I have blinded down to 1800. I am the small blind. The big blind is allin for 400, since he had just lost a big hand where he stupidly pushed KQo UTG with a large stack. Anyway, there are 2 limpers. I find QJs in the SB. I know a push is going to get called, so i see the cheap flop for 200 more leaving me 1400 behind. The flop is AA7 with 2 spades. I have QJ of spades. I tank and i know someone has an ace. But if he pushes, I am going to have to call because of all the chips in the middle, and the top heavy payout structure. So I push it in. A9 calls. I miss my spades. I say good luck to everybody and leave.

I take a nice 20 minute walk home instead of the bus. And here I am.

I hope you enjoyed it.

PS: oh I finished 11th/30. FT bubble boy :(