Tournament at Hideaway

I played the 2-5 game at Snoqualmie last Wednesday and had some huge swings.  Was down two buy ins at one point.  Quite honestly I wasn't playing well -- too loose and too passive.  I got "fooled" on a big hand where my opponent took a lot of time to make his decision on the flop and looked like he was going to fold and I pegged him for weak.  Instead he had flopped the nuts and I guess was pondering a raise.

I shaped up my play, hit some draws, made a couple of hero calls in big pots and wound up cashing out up a buy-in. That gets me close to even for the year.

This morning I decided to check out Hideaway with Meier.  We'd popped in a couple of time since it re-opened a couple of years ago, but it never seemed inviting.  Was the same four to six regulars and a couple of dealers hoping to get a 3-6 game started.  But recently they've been advertising a pretty good structure for their daily tournaments so I figured I'd give it a try.  I had the day off today for President's Day (yes really) and Meier is always happy to play in Shoreline casinos.  It turns out we know the casino manager there.  Mooske used to be the poker room manager at Treasure Casino and then Rascal's before both places removed their poker room; and while there ran the best low buy-in tournaments in town.

Unfortunately it was a bit of a last minute decision and we were both alternates.  I didn't get in until the middle of the third level which put me at a disadvantage.  After the break, it was push fest time -- my chip stack was so small my only choices were to go all-in or fold.  I stole the blinds with 54s, then raised with KQs and was called by a shorter stack with 44 -- a really terrible play as he's either a slight favorite or a 4.5:1 dog if I have a pair -- flopped a king and knocked him out.  Then I shoved with AK and took the blinds and had my M up to 9 and we broke to two tables.

From this point on I ran over the table, shoving liberally to pick off blinds which is the only way to play.  Sometimes I had hands, but a lot of times I just had position.  I believe of the perhaps 15-20 times I pushed all-in pre-flop the KQ v 44 hand was the only time I got called.  In a key hand, a decent shack shoved, I found KK and re-shoved and didn't get unlucky against 66.  At this point I finally had enough chips that I could raise without having to go all-in.

At the final table, the big stack was on my right and I continued to accumulate chips once he was out of the hand.  I think we started the table with 165K for him and 120K for me.  Key hand of the tournament.  Blinds are 10K-20K and big stack (now #2 stack) is first to act min raises to 40K, I ask what he has left and he counts 150K.  I shove for 230K total with AK, the BB tosses in her last few chips and #2 guy thinks a long time before folding JJ.  BB shows QT (or something silly), I flop an ace and we're 5-handed and I have almost half the chips in play.  It was easy from there especially since no one wanted to tangle with me.

Last hand I limp on the button with A7o, trying to trap.  Flop is K-7-4 and my opponents pushes for about the size of the pot.   I think a bit and can't believe he has a king and call.  He shows 54 and doesn't suck out.

If only they were all this easy.  Turned $50 into $565 in about 2.5 hours.