First Open League Tourney

I started playing about a year go live (online PM a few years prior). Started with about 5 or 6 of us from work. It has ballooned to a point where we have about 20 people over on a given night at my friend's house.

So, we started a league with 20 people and more on a waiting list.

Last night, we had our first league open tourney. 20 people, buy-in at $10/no rebuys, and a top 4 spot payout (100/50/30/20). You get points for knocking out people, knocking out one of four bounties, and some other things. I'll probably make a post in here after we have tourneys just to update. If I get flamed by people who don't care, then I guess I won't post.

I finished 4th out of 20. Took out two people including a bounty. In our last tourney (that was before the league started) I was taken out quickly because we were beating much too big. Last night, we started off a lot slower. Blinds were 5/10 - before, we'd come out w/ 300 if you had a hand (30 times blind)...last night there was more 2-5 times the blind raises. Much better. Start w/ 1500 chips - after the fist two blind levels I was still at 1500...won a small hand and lost a small hand.

The third level I doubled my chip stack. Then added to it some more over the following levels and made it to the final table (we call 6 the final table where you get points for making it to there). Worst beat for me - we were on the bubble w/ 5 players and I pull K/5 and I am maybe up a grand over the short stack...maybe 4K in chips and blinds were 300/600 - so I know I gotta make a move soon. Flop comes out and 5-5-6 comes out. I raise to 1200 and the short stack calls putting him all-in. He turns over 6-6. So my trip 5s loses to trip 6s. Thought I was done then...big chunk. Then I tripled up on one hand and was able to live until the short stack was taken out putting me in the money.

I was looking at 3 deep stacks and I think I was at about a M of 2.5 (blinds 400/800). So I put all-in w/ A-5...one caller turns over A-Q and we pull AA on the river - but then a Q comes and I'm out. Took about 7 hours to play - from 7pm - 2am.

Worst beat of the night at our table - Nut Flush on the flop loses to Full House on the river.

One other interesting fact - a co-worker's spouse who doesn't play often won. She was short stack most of night but wouldn't go away. Ended up heads up and she was a 6-1 chip underdog. She came back and won. She was even resigned to second place - but she kept pulling the cards and winning the all-in battles until she won it. So $100 and an $80 set of Dog Tags (we went w/ dog tags since we are military instead of bracelets).

Anyway - so that was our first tourney...and I'm looking to be no. 4 in standings. Maybe no. 3 with my 2 takeouts and my bounty win.

sounds like fun, interesting read, as well. very good idea starting a league. hope to hear more in the future

Well, we had our second league tourney and we started w/ 18 ppl. Standard rules for our tourneys - $10 buy in for $1500 chips, no rebuys, w/ 5 color chips at $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 w/ blinds starting at $5/$10 (NL).

Started off pretty good for me and I was about middle of the pack about halfway through (started around 8pm and ended around 4am). At my first table, we were pretty conservative and was a really good game (no real donkeys). Then we combined tables. This guy from the other table had trips 4 times and 3 of those were w/ a pair on the board. So a pair showing and he bets out and gets raised each time. So fish were paying him off each time. Only one time did he hit trips w/ a pair in the hole.

Well, he comes to our table and plays crap hands and bets large with them. He was two after me and w/ the blinds at 100/200, he was betting 800-1000 w/ just about every hand. The blinds were coming my way and my M was low. I had made it the final 6 (which for us counts as final table points - but ITM is 1-4). I am short stack and I pick up K/10s. At this point I may have 2000 chips and the blinds are 150/300. I limp in w/ 300 and I get raised by the loose guy to 800. I only have one play really, so I push. The blind is one away and I figure I'll have to push there w/ any 2. I should've pushed first - but it wouldn't have mattered, he would have called. End result was same - all my chips in the middle.

He calls. Turns over 44. Catches a 4 on the flop and I catch a 10 on the turn - river was a blank and I'm out. He pushed 1000 earlier w/ 33...and his chip stack swayed from large to small all night. The host finally went off on him - 5 people left, one person is all-in and there are a lot of chips in the pot. Coop play - the person all-in was good and she had been raking pots most of the night. Perfect opp. to get rid of her. There are 3 in the pot w/ money left and they all check the flop, then check the turn. The river brings a 3 and the donkey raises 1000. I don't know what ended up happening, but I know the host went off on him on poker etiquette and such. His new nickname is online.

Anyway - he ended up heads up w/ probably our most serious player besides myself (serious does not mean good, but wanting to get better and learning the strategies). The donkey had a 5-1 chip lead and still lost (just like last week).

So for our first two tourneys, a very loose player made it to the final 2 w/ a large chip lead and lost.

For now - I am the points leader. I am the only one that made the final table for both of our tourneys. So no money this time...but got the points.