Bubbly all round
Oct. 2nd, 2005 02:18 pmI seem to have entered a kind of bubble mania in tournaments -- another reason never to play them for high stakes. Well, not real bubbles, but near as damnits. 9th out of 40 yesterday and 7th out of 40 today -- five places paid, of course. Financially, this is not very relevant (although a lack of cash in tournies does have an impact when it happens month after month), but the time taken is infuriating.
Worse, the Betfair players seem to have got better. Used to be you were in the cash after 90 minutes (level 9). Today we got to near the end of level 11 and there were still seven players left. I'd never managed to get above about 4,000 chips, had survived two called all-ins (with 64o and K8s, obviously), and hadn't seen a whisper of anything since level one, when the gods gave me quad eights and I milked my opponent for half his stack (rather well, I thought :-) ) In the end I got AQs in the small blind with 4900 chips and blinds of 400/800 with 100 antes. Limp from UTG and raise to 2400 from MP2. I bashed it all in and MP2 called. 11,000 pot and my AQs never had a chance against 55. Funny thing is, whenever I call with 55, I come up against 77.
I do better in the massive tournaments where I can focus and allocate the time. I'm sure that in 500-runner plus tournies I have a much better in the money-record than I do in these poxy five places paid games. The trouble is, the money added with 40 runners just about makes it worthwhile playing, at least if it's a matter of keeping your hand in.
+++++++++
Worse, the Betfair players seem to have got better. Used to be you were in the cash after 90 minutes (level 9). Today we got to near the end of level 11 and there were still seven players left. I'd never managed to get above about 4,000 chips, had survived two called all-ins (with 64o and K8s, obviously), and hadn't seen a whisper of anything since level one, when the gods gave me quad eights and I milked my opponent for half his stack (rather well, I thought :-) ) In the end I got AQs in the small blind with 4900 chips and blinds of 400/800 with 100 antes. Limp from UTG and raise to 2400 from MP2. I bashed it all in and MP2 called. 11,000 pot and my AQs never had a chance against 55. Funny thing is, whenever I call with 55, I come up against 77.
I do better in the massive tournaments where I can focus and allocate the time. I'm sure that in 500-runner plus tournies I have a much better in the money-record than I do in these poxy five places paid games. The trouble is, the money added with 40 runners just about makes it worthwhile playing, at least if it's a matter of keeping your hand in.
+++++++++