5k hu round 1

They got 94 people for the $5k heads up so they decided to have an extra round. Basically 34 people got right through to the main event, the other 60 got half their money back and had to play an extra match with the 30 winners filling out the 64 person bracket. Anyways, I was one of the 34 so had the afternoon off. Nat and I went out to Ikea, then for dinner before my 6 o clock match.

I drew a guy who I guess plays a bunch in Calgary/Edmonton and is kind of known as an action player. In general he was just way too loose, playing way too many hands from the big blind but other than that played ok. I played pretty straight forward in general, pot controlling a bunch and letting him bluff, which he did a lot of. Made a lot of thinnish calls and was right a lot early then lost a pot where I bluff raised the flop but he shoved. Really the only interesting hand came the next hand.

Blinds 50/100, I have ~9.5k
I raise K9s on the button to 300, he makes it 900 and I call. I'd fold sometimes here but from other hands we'd played I really didn't feel like he was strong here. 4betting is also an option but I think I have a big enough edge postflop vs him that calling is better. Flop is 8c72c and he checks. I bet 1025 and he calls. I think he has a lot of weakish draws and maybe some 7's or 66-33 a ton here. Turn's the Ac and he checks again and I bet 2k with 5k behind. He thinks a bit and calls. I think most of his range is pair + club or maybe gutshot/oesd+club so when the river's a 2 and he checks, I jam and he folds after thinking a bit. This gets me ahead and him down around 10bb. A couple hands later he limps, I jam A6o and he calls K9o, I hold and I'm up 1-0 in the best of 3.

Second match:
Couple interesting hands:
Hand 1: blinds 25/50, I raise A4o to 150, he calls. Flop Q85, check/check. Turn 3 and he bets 150, I call. River 4 and he bets 525. Basically I just don't think he bets this big without a really strong hand or a bluff so I call and he mucks. Win a couple other pots and get up to 12k then this hand:

25/50, he makes it 225 and I call 86hh. Flop Ah9h5h, not bad I guess :) I check, he bets 400, I make it 1600, he jams, I call and lose to A5. Damn. Play a couple small pots, then get it in 88 vs AQ and win to get back to 4k. Win some more pots to get up near 6k, then a weird hand. I raise to 250 at 50/100 with 66 and he thinks a bit and makes it 4k. Don't really think he does this with bigger pairs much so stick it in and hold vs A9o, nice to win flips. Couple hands later he raises I call 65ss, flop A85ss, he bets 3700 at maybe 2k and folds to a shove. Then just some all ins, we chop KTs vs KTo, I lose KT to T5s, then I win K9o vs A7o to win the match and advance to tomorrow.

So that's at 12 and then there's a 200r plo at 4 so I'll probably play both. More updates tomorrow night.

Steve