20 Rebuy II (live)

20 Pot Limit Hold Em 87 runners

I entered this tournament (same structure as previous) with 2 of my friends hoping one of us would make final table, but not really focused on how I would play. I was drew a table of unknowns bar John-Paul who was seated at number 9 and me at seat number 2, it was his first live competitive tourney and I was trying to give him some direction. Juan, was seated on table to my right and the tourney starts...Straight away I notice there is going to be alot of rebuying on my table as often there is in these low buy in events, but the difference from today and my previous 2 tourneys is that today I wasn't playing tight and focusing on my opponents or even my own game.

Anyway, starting stack is 2000 as usual, and blinds 50/100. I play alot of hands in first hour and 1/2 like 45s,56s,A9os before playing some real hands like AQos (3 times)and pocket 8s once. Anyway after 2 rebuys some bad calls and an hr and a half of play my stack is at $8,800 after the top up. Which isn't too bad at all, when the following hand comes up that I played appallingly.I am dealt 3 3 in late, and after 2 limpers decide to take a flop cheaply and catch my set , flop falls Ks 8d 4s, they all check round to me and I reach for some chips and bet out around $1100 into the pot of around $1600 to see what the players are up to....they all fold round to the guy in my right ( young , pretty loose guy who likes suited cards and overvalues Ax) , turn comes Ac, he checks (here is my error) I remembered last week he called my bet with A5d last week when flop was Jxx( 2 diamonds) turned an ace and called me down....Today I checked when I beleive I should have pushed , I felt he either had flush draw on flop or was overcalling an 8 or even a small pp like 6s etc. River comes 2s which isnt a nice card really , but then he checks ....Hmmm I had him on flush draw so I should check behind him right?? So what do i do? You guessed it I tap him betting out $4500 and he quickly calls with 10s9s, Nice play ciso! Didnt take my time , didnt follow my initial gut and bluffed off around $5000 in chips with an underpair in an unraised pot.

That pot left me with around $2400 with blinds at $300/$600 and me getting moved to another table...Drawing Juans table. He's doing well though sitting on a very sound $14000 or so, not sure what to make of my table, looks pretty solid, no maniacs. Which is good . I am there 15 mins and don't pick up one hand worthy of playing when I get moved yet again. I am dealt AKos and move in after an Ep limper, the bb calls me and the limper passes , my callers shows 8 8, I am not too bothered as to the outcome for some reason but double up anyway when I spike a lucky Ace on the river. $5500 in chips (blinds $400/$800 now). Then soon after I am in Sb, they all pass round to me whenI am dealt Ac8c, I riase the pot which is $1200 more, the short stack in bb just calls my raise and flop comes K J 2, I decide not to get cute and check it to him , who instantly goes all in , I pass and show an A just so he knows my raise was legitimate , he flips over a King, Nice luck mate!!

Then I am down to around $3100 in chips and say "I'm all in " when i find KdJd in mid, when the guy in bb calls me again with 7c9c, (hoping to kill me properly this time unlike his 88) , I am not too confident for some reason and rightly so when the flop falls 10c 8c 2s, turn 7d, river 7h. And I am outta there! 46/87. Pretty poor tourney, just when I thought I was getting some focus and consistency from my last 2 tourneys I go play like a muppet, wasn't observant enough,wasn't making plays based on odds, wasn't "reading " people as well as I normally would and was Selective enough with my hands. Basically need to wise up ciso for your next tourney mape!

I think the fact that I played the tourney with other people made me less focused but thats not excuse, next time im gonna get "in the zone" and play better. Anyway, just so you know John Paul busted out 25 mins or so before me coming in around 55th/87 not too bad for first time but clearly wasn't on his A game tonight, he busted out when his A60s all in on button was called by both blinds who held A2os and QQ.
Juan did better then us coming in around 26th which is quite good, some level of consistency, he picked up some nice hands after rebuy but busted out quite unluckily him and the sb were in pot with him holding K3d, flop fell K K 5. They both ended up all in Juan having K3, the other guy K4, and his opponent drew a miracle 4 on the turn giving him the full house , ouch! Any card combination on turn or river is gonna split the pot providing it ain't 4 or 3, really unlucky there.

Anyway, just to conclude - to do well in these tourneys you need to have a good degree of concentration, patience and focus while playing , you lose any of these attributes and you are in trouble I knew this all already , but tonight just enforced it.

Eh eh eh, adds some nice pressure for my next tournament- choke choke lol.