Not withstanding what I wrote in my last post, I got an invite to play a live game tonight and I accepted it. Playing live is an opportunity I hate to pass up, unless higher values come into the equation.
Decided to change my game a bit, playing much more aggressive from the get go, almost trying to be the table bully. Won a nice pot early on with showdown and then a couple more with standard c-bets on the flop, taking advantage of a couple "fit-or-fold" type players. Built some stack but then got involved in a big pot, failed to make a good read and went back down to a little below my initial stack. Moved tables, but before I did that I was able to scoop another juicy pot on the flop. I had AQo on the SB, couple of limps, button raises 3BB, I make a standard 3-bet and get check-called by villain in the CO. Definitely fishy, but then again I saw this player slow playing his KK before the flop, so it wouldn't surprise me if was on an {AK,AQ} type hand. Button folds and we see the flop. All rainbow rags, I fire a pot-sized c-bet which sent villain to the tank but thankfully forced him to muck his hand. I definitely put him on a AK-AJ, maaaaaaaybe KQ-suited range, so it was kind of a standard play from both of us.
Then on the other table, we were playing 5-handed and I stole the blinds once with Ace-rag, keep afloat, with about 11-12BB. Then this hand comes up where it is folded to the CO who instantly goes all-in, I wake up with AhKh on the button and instant re-raise all-in. Fold, fold and we see the flop heads up. He turns Th9h face up, for a little disguised WTF moment on my part and flop comes not one but two tens, evolving to a full house by the river, and I shrink to some 5BBs. Bad beats, I love you dearly. Poker loves donks.
Reduced to little more than ashes, I was ready to shove the next hand with pretty much any two cards and I wake up with Qd9d. More than enough. I shove and get called by the BB, showing Ah8h. Two hearts on the flop, giving my opponent a flush draw - something I'm getting quite used to stomaching when flipping lately... - but the turn is a 9 and he doesn't complete his flush. I double up and am back above the waterline with some 5,000 chips.
It's soon time to join the two tables, as my former table also got 5-handed and the final table was underway. Sadly being in push-or-fold mode, with blinds 300-600, I shove a couple of times, once with Ace-rag (showing the rag face up to the table) and once with JTo, showing it face up as well. The reason I decided to show these bluffs to the table is because lately I feel I have too solid an image at the places I play in. Basically, people are respecting me too much and I'm not getting enough value for my premium hands because of that. The only way to counter that seems to be showing some bluffs and get a looser image.
After those steals I got up to 6,500 chips, more or less, when someone goes all-in pre-flop a couple of seats before me and I hold JcJs. In this spot, with half the table still to act, I would probably tank for a while and eventually fold, guessing my opponent, raising from early position with around 10BB would have to be on a pretty tight range of {99+,AK,AQ} and maybe AJ suited, a range which kinda dominates me or at least gets us flipping. However, I came to this tournament with a more aggressive approach and it wouldn't make much sense to fold JJ after what happened earlier. Either I doubled up and was back in the game, or I would go home. He flips AdQd, for two suited overcards, which makes this a 54%-46% race, me being slightly ahead. At least I guessed his range right! The flop is awful with an A and two diamonds giving him top pair and a flush draw and after another diamond hits the turn, I'm drawing dead and on my way to the rail.
All in all, I'm happy with the way I played and I enjoyed the more aggressive line I took. If I didn't take that huge AK vs T9 bad beat, I would shoot up to near the chip lead and I would be a serious candidate for ITM and maybe winning the tournament, as the more aggressive players were either short or already out of the way. So, tonight I can safely blame it to luck that I didn't go further and can rest peacefully in the knowledge that my AK call was definitely +EV, being dominated only by KK+ which that villain certainly wouldn't open shove with in the first place.
I definitely feel that aggressive poker is a must to be a contender in big tournaments and I plan on keeping my game going on this direction, while developing post-flop skills to go with it. While not playing a hand, it's great to sit back and watch, trying to get a read on the players that are in the hand. There's no better way to develop your reads.
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