Playing the Sunday million

At the start of the Sunday million tournament I pick up 2-2.
I have decided to be aggressive today, and try to build a big stack early in the tournament so I have something to work with.
Blinds are 25-50 and early position raises to 150. I call it in middle position and button raises to 650.
The original raiser now folds, and I call. I think he’s on a big pair, and if I flop a set then there is a good chance that I can bust him.
Flop doesn’t hit me and he bets almost the pot, and I’m out.

Starting stack is 10.000, and now I have 9000 left.

The 2nd hand is played 30 min into the tournament when I pick up “the speed limit” 5-5
Blinds are 200-100 and I limb in, but get a raise to 600. I call the 400 more. The flop doesn’t improve my hand, so I’m out when he bets on the flop.

The hand after I look at A-K in early position, and I raise it to 600. Middle position comes with a reraise and makes it 2250. There are situations where I would throw this hand away now, but with the tactic I use today, I move all in after thinking for a bit. I’m ok with a coin flip, and he could also hold A-K. Off course there is always the chance of bring up against A-A or K-K, but paranoia wont get you a tournament victory.
He doesn’t think long, and mucks his hand. Not a play that I had expected, and I’m now up to 10.500

Hitting 20.000

In the next hand I play, I make a risky play. I pick up A-K in early position and smooth call it, hoping for a reraise. Everybody folds to BB who raises it up. I move all in, and it doesn’t take long before he calls and shows 10-10. I got myself a race, and with a beautiful ace on the flop, I take the lead and win the pot.
I have now doubled up to 20.000, and nothing more happens before we go on break.

Blinds start at 200-400 and the first hand I play is 8-8 in early position. I raise the pot to 1200 and get one caller.
Flop comes 5-6-j and I bet half the pot 1500, and get a quick call.
The pot is now 6000 and the opponent has 5800 left, so I shoot 6000 and take down the pot there.

The stack is now 22.100 and not much happens the next 20 min. I get 6-6 that I raise with and win the blinds. Two hands later I get K-K and raise it up, but only win the blinds.

Hitting 30.000

It’s not until just before the next break that anything comes up.
Small pots have been stolen, but I have dropped to 14.600
I look at the beautiful aces, and then see the player under the gun move all in right away, with a little more chips than I have. I call (of course) and he shows the queens. Aces are good, and I now have 30.000

The hand right after this I get pocket nines in the big blind. It comes down to small blind, who calls and I raise the pot to 3000. I regret this decision right away, because of the player I’m up against. He has been playing pretty aggressive, and called a lot of reraises preflop. Knowing that he will probably call, I would have checked it instead. He’s a tough player to bluff, and also a player capable of making a move on me with nothing, so if I don’t hit a set the hand could get nasty.
It’s too late though, and he calls my raise.
Flop comes 6-7-A and I bet 3000 thinking he would have raised me preflop with any ace, and he folds.

The laydown

After the break the blinds are now 1000-500, and
the first hand I play is 10-10.
A player under the gun raises to 3000 and I call it on the button, and we go heads up to the flop.
Flop comes 4-4-8, a good flop for my hand at first sight and I bet 3000.
He now raises to 9000 and I think there is a pretty good chance that I’m up against an over pair here. If he was making a move with A-K I think he would have pushed the whole stack. I surrender, and fold the hand.

First beating

I now have 29.000 left and not long after i get A-K.
A player that has been pretty tight moves all in with 17.000 chips.
It’s 17 times the big blind, and I really don’t think he’s making this move with AA or KK.
I think about this or a long time, and end up calling.
There is a big chance that I’m up against a medium pair, and a small chance that I have his ace dominated if he has a smaller kicker.
I have him covered, and if I loose I will still have 13.000.
To my surprise he turns over q-9 and an evil nine hit the flop and I don’t improve.

This is what can happen sometimes. A player who has build up a tight image and starts to steal in the later rounds. I didn’t put him on that hand though.

The second and last beating

I’m now back to square one after posting the blinds, I only got 10.000 left on the button. I look at q-10 and with 2700 in the pot and everybody folding, I push the rest of my chips.
I think it’s better to go all in with q-10 than with a-6.
There is a bigger chance that if you do get called you will be up against ace with a bigger kicker, if I get a call there is a good chance for 6 live cards.
It’s a dream scenario though when big blind calls the all in and shows q-6.
The flop is blank, but the evil poker gods pull a 6 on the turn and I’m out.

By reaching the 2000$ mark, im am now abel to start playing at the 0,5-1$ tables, so now things should speed up a bit.

The last few days i have been busy with my sites and have had a cashgame table running in the background which has resulted in the bankroll increasing from 1300 to 1600$
If i can reach 2000$ soon that would be great, then i can start working on the 0.5-1$ tables.

I also hope to do some more detailed tournament reviews this weekend.

I get one caller and the flop comes q-8- I bet half the pot and he calls, turn brings a Im now commited with only 400 left so i push the rest and he calls and turns up 3- No problem there, i take it down and im now back to square one with 21 Just before the break i get j-j and get up against 6- But with a 6 on the flop and a 6 on the turn im outta here, nice quads bad luck.He only has a few hundred left and the pot is big enough to call him although i havent hit anything.If he has a lower pocket pair, im getting good value and move him all in.Bummer, im out in 72th place.I dont expect him to fold and he dosent.What a poker beat.A short stack raises it and on the flop k-q-8 comes.After this i play a little cash, omaha h/l pl with 10-20 blinds.Entrances 277 starting blinds 10-20 starting chips 2000 blind levels 12 minutes Lots of action at the table im at, people are limbing and calling raises like crazy.BB calls and shows 2-10 but with no improvement he wins with high card.Blinds are now 75-1 The next 30min my cards are just terrible cold and with my small stack and constant limbers and action its impossible to build it by stealing.

He calls and shows k-k trip kings, so im down to a 4 outer.Im starting with a 10$ tournament today at eurolinx Entrances 238 starting blinds 10-20 starting chips 2000 blind levels 12 minutes 40 min in the tour i play the first hand (ive limped a few times without hitting) I get a-j in middle possition and raise it up.I call off course thinking im only winning the high now, but he shows 3-6 of clubs gving him a straight flush and im dead.The river brings the 7 of clubs and all the sudden the opponent bets the pot all in.I get down to 830 and im on the button with NO LIMBERS.The evening is still young so i join the 20$ 6,5k guranteed thats starting.I dont hit and im down to 11 I few hands later i pick up pocket nines and raise it up.I get up to 40$ when i holding a-2 of clubs and on the turn i got the nut high and low with 4-5 and 8 of clubs.Nothing happens the first hour though exept a few small pots and as we go on break i have 2150 in chips and we are 115 players left.

I went from 420 to 370. Then i took a huge blow and went down to 100. I then managed to get back to 300, only to go down to 100 again the next day. Today i took the last hit and lost the rest, terrible. Bad start to the project, but with only 10 buyins i knew there was a possibility that this could happen although i dident expect it. Its pretty rareBad start to the project, but with only 10 buyins i knew there was a possibility that this could happen although i dident expect it.Anyways, back to square one with a new fresh 500$ poker bankroll and a hunger for poker victory.I have reloaded 500 more so im now back to square one, or i guess the right phrase is down 5 Im still possitive about the project and im sure i will succeed.

Im determined to work hard and stay focused.Well i have taken some sick beats, but i also havent played my best.I went from 420 to 3 Then i took a huge blow and went down to 1 I then managed to get back to 300, only to go down to 100 again the next day.Sad news, the last days has been terrible.Today i took the last hit and lost the rest, terrible.Its pretty rare i loose 10 buyins in a week, but it happened and thats that.So what went wrong!Playing 12 hours straight saturday with a hangover was also a bad idea.
 i loose 10 buyins in a week, but it happened and thats that.

I have reloaded 500 more so im now back to square one, or i guess the right phrase is down 500. Im still possitive about the project and im sure i will succeed. Im determined to work hard and stay focused.

So what went wrong! Well i have taken some sick beats, but i also havent played my best. Playing 12 hours straight saturday with a hangover was also a bad idea.

Anyways, back to square one with a new fresh 500$ bankroll and a hunger for poker victory.

So what has happens the last days in the challenge.I ended up at 420$ but thats still ok with a 140$ boost.I started out at the 25-50 nl holdem tables but dident do any good.I like to see what im up against when im all in, and not when the hand is finished.

I have just been totally caught up working on a new design for the pkrplayer mainpage and writing new articles etc.25-50 pl omaha short handed yesterday.I ran into some pretty unlucky situations with qq against kk etc.So far i have played 800 raked hands, so it shouldent take more than a little month.Havent blogged for some days now.Things quickly turned around and i increased the roll to 580$.Apart from that its good.

419 players are in the tournament, and we start with 2000 in chips.

2nd hand i pick up up q-q. There is on limber and a raiser, so i reraise it. The limber calls and the raiser folds. The pot is 1000 as we see the flop a-10-8 and he bets the pot right away. Not much to do here so i fold and he shows a-10. What a call preflop lol.

After that its just down down down, and i dont even get to first break.

Back to cash game where im down 80$ when i start.
It dosent get better though and when i finish my session im dowm $135

bankroll is $440

playing hours: 20

Today i played for 5 hours and things went better. I havent written any hand reviews because i also have my freeroll poker project going, and i was writing a tournament review today.

I eneded up winning $54.14 though, so now my bankroll is $575.66

playing hours: 16