20 Rebuy Tournament (Live)

90 runners, 20 rebuy PotLimit Hold Em

My strategy for this tourney was to play tight during rebuy and open up my game after hopefully getting a nice stack in process. The table I drew was a few faces I recognised from previous tourneys and one who was on final table of the 50 rebuy tournament.
Straight away I noticed they were all passive pre flop and loose, I didn't decide to open many pots in the first hour or so unless I had the goods, I knew they are unbluffable and no reason for me to stick in my stack with nothing when there is good chance of being called.
However when rebuy stage finished I built my stack to a very solid $12,000 in chips with antes at $200/$400 making me chip leader on my table, I had seen AJ, Q9os and KK in that hour that had helped my stack grow. One particular hand I liked was when I was dealt 4d5d,I am in late and 2 people limp so I decide to take a cheap flop. Flop falls 3s 7d Jc, first guy out of blinds fires out $700 into pot of $1800 , one guy calls as do I (the original better didn't seem strong) , figuring I may be able to makemy straight but also think they are weak and can take this one, turn comes Q d, giving me my gutshot draw with a baby flush draw, I fire out $2500 and they both pass. Good strong play that was, I love getting some momentum going and bluffing with 5 hi is good feeling too! Nah, just kiddin - It was a semi bluff , i mean i had outs on the turn , a river Diamond or 6 gives me the winner there.But I know if I have a nice stack later I can bully my table effectively.....

.....Then they broke my table up :(, and I was moved to another table which was full of good stacks , I had 28,000 when I got moved ( built up from agressive pre flop play) and wasn't sure of the players. I raised a pot in mid with A5os, and the bb stared , folded and showed A10suited and I mucked that pot didn't make me happy though, what it could mean is when I do get a nice hand will I get paid off from this guy? So I opted to raise more often pre flop if they are gonna pass to me, then my hands dried up somewhat as in 73,42,Q2,59,etc.
One limper in mid and I find AhTh, I have position at the moment and a solid starting hand, but I opt to just call this time, wanting to see a flop and see where I am at....2 more limpers and the flop falls QsJsAc, I flopped top pair and the blinds and the limper check, I perhaps passively decide I want acheap showdown and check behind him, the late pos guy raises the minimum- $1200, the original limper calls and I without giving it too much thought just call ( should have folded here or re raised!) I didn't beleive his minimum bet was a sign of strength, hes a young lad like me who wanted to take it down cheaply on the flop my guess hes playing a very weak ace and doesn't want to commit too much into that board. Turn comes another J, the guy before me moves in I instantaneously pass and so does the other guy after 20 seconds or so of deliberation. My reason for wanting to play that pot slow was the fact the board was so dangerous , especially with 3 limpers QJ-K 10, JK,J 10 , AJ all had me beat on the turn. I never like playing out big pots in tourneys - unless I am pretty confident in my hand, this time I wasn't.

Anyway blinds were getting big, I again got moved which was annoying since I found it hard to get reads on people. The table seems pretty tight, but cos of my stack has dimineshed a bit I am committed if i raise. Plus like the previous table there is around 4 big stacks.

3hrs in or so when I was moved blinds were now at $600/$1200 and I have been anteed away to around $17000 in chips, the last hr or 2 I haven't been able to get anything going, no hands , never a chance to raise cos someone had already opened and on the table my stack wasnt enough to push them off a hand anyway. We were down to 3 tables or around 26 people, I am in the SB and find QKos, after an early position raiser up to 7000 , I take a peak at his stack and notice he has well over $40,000- I took a look at him and he seemed confident , I desperately need to win a pot and double up if possible but this isn't the right spot I tell myself, I pass and he shows AdKd. Nice to see you still got some discipline Ciso!

We are down to 2 tables now, one of 9 the other of 8 when I look down and find As7h utg, I have $13,500 in chips with blinds $1500/$3000 and I decide I gotta make a move and raise it to $10.5k which is the maximum at the time, the Sb just calls and when the flop comes J 4 2 and I move in he calls for odds if nothing else and turns up AQos. Turn 2. river Q. and I am out, 17th/90 not bad was hoping for another final table appearance but the cards didn't go my way in the last 2/3hrs. Leavin the casino I was a little annoyed I mean I don't like blaming it on "bad cards", and I am skilled enough I think to do well in a tourney without good hands, but I couldn't quite get my game going the last few hrs like I said, I could'nt open a pot cos someone already had, I didn't feel quite as safe as usual raising with trash in late cos I wasn't sure if the guys on my new table were "gamblers" or players who will pass marginal hands. I guess the table moving was the biggest factor that annoyed me.But thats the way it goes Mape.
That A70s was my only all in in the 4hrs I played which is of some comfort when I had over $30,000 at one point- I will do another tourney in a couple of days and go into it with the same idea, playing for that final table - I definitely think I am on form at the moment , I d say I am playing at my C+ game ...Just need to get it to B now :).