27 Player $1 NLHE

I entered another $1 27 player tournament recently and did fairly well in it, I ran into a couple of hands worth noting, both of them happened heads up.

So I started out with my usual TAG style as I do in most my tournaments, but I found this table to be particularly weak/passive, so I decided to play a fair bit more aggressive than usual. This strategy worked well against this particular table but it would be unwise to be aggressive at a normal $1 table due to the muppet factor.

After grinding my way through the tourney I came to the final table as the chip leader, I changed gears and started playing extremely tight, attempting to build an image for later use, this worked well and I opened up with 5 players left and pretty much dominated them until I was heads up.

The player I was heads up with was a decent player but I believe I might have had a slight edge on them due to the fact that they were giving off a nervous vibe (they're bluff sizes were too small and they were check folding too many flops etc.). The play started pretty standard with me being really aggressive and trying to impose my will over the game. I believe I may have underestimated my opponent a little bit when he started to three bet me in good spots and he started being more and more aggressive pre flop.

He managed to get back to about equal in chips and I realized I had a fight on my hands. I tightened up and changed gears in an attempt to throw him off. It worked and I managed to get the lead again by a slight margin when this hand came along:

Hand History:

BTN: 18,420 (18.4 bb)
Hero (BB): 22,080 (22.1 bb)

Pre-Flop: Hero is BB with A A
BTN calls 500, Hero raises to 2,500, BTN raises to 4,000, Hero raises to 5,500, BTN raises to 18,420 and is all-in, Hero calls 12,920

Flop: (36,840) 3 4 9 (2 players, 1 is all-in)
Turn: (36,840) K (2 players, 1 is all-in)
River: (36,840) 7 (2 players, 1 is all-in)

Results: 36,840 pot
Final Board: 3 4 9 K 7
BTN showed K K (three of a kind, Kings) and won 36,840 (18,420 net)
Hero showed A A (a pair of Aces) and lost (-18,420 net)

This was a real sick cooler and I actually took it quite well and didn't start tilting to my surprise. after this hand I shoved every hand for about 8 hands in a row and he folded every time (this play works because every time he folds his BB I make about 20% of my stack, so shoving is definitely the right play in my mind, until I hit about 10 000).

I won my way back to about 11 000 and picked up a nice hand in the BB and decided to shove it knowing that my opponent would think i was bluffing again, here is the hand in question:

Hand History:

BTN: 29,340 (29.3 bb)
Hero (BB): 11,160 (11.2 bb)

Pre-Flop: Hero is BB with T A
BTN raises to 3,000, Hero raises to 11,160 and is all-in, BTN calls 8,160

Flop: (22,320) 9 J K (2 players, 1 is all-in)
Turn: (22,320) Q (2 players, 1 is all-in)
River: (22,320) K (2 players, 1 is all-in)

Results: 22,320 pot
Final Board: 9 J K Q K
BTN showed J K (a full house, Kings full of Jacks) and won 22,320 (11,160 net)
Hero showed T A (a straight, Ten to Ace) and lost (-11,160 net)

Quite a funny hand and another cooler, I don't mind losing to a player like this, in a hand like this because I know that he wasn't a muppet who got lucky, he was a legitimate player who got lucky, I was gracious in defeat and was happy with 2nd place and $6.

Signing off

Shane