Tournament Success

I know I have gone on about the Titan $2k guaranteed touranment before but it is honestly the best value tournament ever! I have been playing it for about 3 months and currently average about $80 a time, and it's only a $5 buy-in! The only tough part is making it to bubble-time with a stack that isn't much lower than the starting stack. Once you've sussed that, it couldn't be easier! I would say about 90-95% on the entrants are just trying to cash for $20 and are desperate to hang on for the top 30. I don't now why I am advertising this tournament - there are usually about 60-70 runners and that's plenty as far as I'm concerned!

Anyway I started very quietly, barely playing a pot for the first half an hour. I hit a set of 7s but the flush was out and I only won a tiny pot. Then an interesting hand came up. I had about 1700 (starting stack was 1500) and blinds were 25-50. UTG raised to 150 and got 4 callers. I called on the button with 99. The SB then went all-in for 1,000 total. I knew he was one of only a few people in this tournament capable of making a play, and so didn't put him on any particular strength. I decided that if it folded to me then I would call, as I would probably be a 50-50 and had great pot odds. It folded to the person before me, who called with his last 400. I thought for a while but decided I might be up against 4 overcards and thought I could find a better spot, and folded. The SB showed 88 and the caller showed JQs. The board was all rags and I would've been up to about 3,500. Oh well.

Anyway I then barely played a hand for nearly an hour. By then there were 37 people left (30 places being paid), blinds were 100-200 and I had about 1800. It was the time to start making moves. However, first I caught a nice hand. I was in the BB and got 5s2s. I wrote in the chat box "Try and steal my blinds, I have 52s!" thinking it might confuse people. Anyway it folded to the SB who just called. The flop came Js-8s-4s. SB bet 200 and I raised to 600. He called. The turn was Qc and he again bet 200. I went all-in for 1,000 and he called with 88. The board didn't pair and I was up to 3,600.

I then just stole stole stole stole stole. I very much doubt anyone on my table had ever heard of Harrington or 'M's'. I got up to about 12,000 without showing down a hand, and got to the final table in about 3rd position. With about 7 people left, the blinds were 1000-2000 and I had about 12,000, amazingly enough to be about an average stack. It then folded to the SB on my BB and he just called. I had K10o and decided to raise to 6,000. In hindsight I should've just gone all-in, but I thought there was no way he would call and so it wouldn't matter. Anway he called and the flop came 10-9-5. He checked and I went all-in. He called with 55 and I was down to 1BB!

Frustratingly it was then break time, and I assumed I had to wait 5 mins just to be blinded out on the first hand. Anyway, first hand in I get J9o and with half my stack in the SB, I'm obviously calling anything. The button also called and the BB checked. The flop came A-J-5, the BB checked and the button bet. The BB folded and the button shows 88. I triple up to 6,000!

I push all-in for about 3 hands and amazingly everyone folds (with someone even claiming they folded AQo! In this tournament I believe anything!). I got back to about 15,000 with blinds 2000-4000 and pushed on the button with 53s. The BB called with A6 but luckily I caught a 5 and was back in 2nd place. When it got to 3 left, the others finally started to get aggressive and I got completely card-dead. I ended up pushing for 20k on the button with 10d6d. The BB called with KJo. I flopped a 4-flush but didn't hit, and I was out in 3rd.

Session balance = $194.50

Cash Hours = 105.25
Cash Profit = $498.58 ($4.74 p/h)

Tournament Hours = 60.5
Tournament Profit = $1379.79 ($22.81 p/h)

Total bankroll = $1928.37 (next target reached)

July 1st - $1600
August 1st - $2200
September 1st - $3000