GSOP Main Event - Split Personality Poker - Part 2

LEVEL 3 - Stack 16k - blinds 200/400 - Loose/Aggressive

I am in a much bigger percentage of pots now, trying to pick up the more significant blinds, and building on my tight image from previous rounds. Interestingly, after I raise to steal the blinds for the second time in a row, I make a comment to Praz Bansai, whose big blind it is. (I have played with Praz a couple of times)

Jimbo (after the fold): “Good fold, you know what a rock I am”

Praz “You won’t be able to help yourself - you need the adrenaline. It’s in your blood”

Great to see that my tight efforts from the last 2 levels have cultured a rock like image :( His comments were strangely prophetic of my demise a few hours later.

As I said, I am in a fair few pots but below is the really interesting one.

Hand1
I raise to 1100 with A♣K♠ and get 2 callers.
Flop K♥ 2♥ 9♥
The Italian guy from the big blind bets out 1000. I check-raise to 3000 to see if my TPTK is good, on the all heart board. Folded to the BB who calls. Hmm. The bare Ace of hearts perhaps? Or a made small flush? A set? I can get him to put down nearly all of these with a believable betting pattern I think. Turn is 4c (meaningless). Check Check.
River brings 6h.
He checks to me. Interesting. One thing I know for sure is that he doesn’t have the Ace of hearts (the nuts), as there is too much risk of me checking behind with the 4 hearts on the board. I decide to represent holding A♥K♣ or a flopped Ace flush, both of which make sense from the betting. I bet 5k into the pot of 9.5k. It’s an amount begging to be called, and yet a significant portion of his stack. He thinks for ages before folding the flopped Ten high flush. I show him the bluff, and he wears an expression like he just been stabbed in the heart. The person next to me comments “Wow, you got moves man - I thought you had the nuts”. ;)

The Italian fellow is so perplexed by this hand, that he then inadvertantly check raises Bansai to 10k, when Bansai has a set of 10s, and is eliminated.

Despite this hand I go into the dinner break with 17k in chips.

LEVEL 4 - Stack 17k - blinds 200/400 (ante 50) - Loose/Aggressive

I raise a few pots and take the 1k pot uncontested to get up to 19k.

Hand2
I guy who has been bluffing regularly and showing weird cards is in the BB. I raise to 1300 from mid position with 8♦3♦. He is the only caller.
Flop is K♠ 5♥ 10♣.
I bet 2500 and he passes. I show him the three. Stack now back to 20k

Hand3
Mid position raises to 1100 and gets 2 callers. I squeeze to 4000 with QJ and all pass. My stack is now up to about 26k.

Hand4
Mid position raiser to 1300, and I make it 4000 from the big blind with JJ. He shoves for 10k total so I have to call, but he only has 55 and I win. Upto 37k

Hand5
And so to the exit hand - which made the gutshot reporting. There was a bit of method to my madness as opposed to just blind aggression. Anyhow - I find K♠9♣ in the cutoff, so raise to 1300 to steal the blinds. Kay (a former LC regular) calls, as do BOTH the blinds.
Flop AsJs8h
The blinds check, so I decide to continuation bet for 3k and only Kay calls. Interesting that Kay only calls here - I fancy with a set or AJ he re-raises here on such a drawy board, and with 5k in the pot already - I think he has one pair here or the flush draw.
Turn is 4d - doesn’t help anyone.
I fire 6k and Kay calls again. Starting to look very much like he has the Ace or the flush draw.
River is 3h. The flush draw missed. Even if he has the pair I reckon I can get him off the hand. He would have likely re-raised AK pre-flop. I think he has AQ, AT or a busted draw.
I think he’ll fold all of these (he hasn’t been at my table long, so hasn’t seen some of the hands above). I fire a huge third shell by going all in for 22k on the river. Kay thinks for ages. I’ve played the hand like a set, AK, AJ, none of which he can beat I don’t think from his passive betting. If it’s a busted draw, the pot is surely mine, and it will be hard to call with the lone pair here. However, I realise I’ve made a mistake - as Kay is counting his stack I realise he can make this call and still be left with a playable 20k stack if he loses. Hmmm - I was hoping making this call would completely cripple his chances in the tournament. I think this might have swayed his decision, as he comes very close to mucking but eventually puts the chips over the line and I instamuck and am eliminated.

Below is how the hand was reported on the Gutshot forum - the details are correct, although I don’t remember saying anything about a busted flush draw.

“James Hart just made a move too far.

He raised in the cutoff trying to steal the blinds, and was called by the button, Kay Koysor.

James bet out on the flop. Kay called. He bet out the turn. Kay called. He pushed on the river for 20k. Kay called.

James crumpled the moment Kay called, saying “I thought you had a busted flush draw”. Kay turned over AQo for top pair, and took down the c70k pot. James declared he had K9. News just in: dog bites man!

Kay is now one of the chip leaders.

Outside, James explained the hand as “A rush of blood to the head.” He said Kay dwelt up a long time before calling on the river, but decided to call because he realised he’d still have 20k left if he lost.”