If you haven't read the first 3 parts, I'd suggest starting there:

Wynn Poker Tournament in Las Vegas: Part 1

Wynn Poker Tournament in Las Vegas: Part 2

Wynn Poker Tournament in Las Vegas: Part 3

Just to recap, we are in the 4th level and I have 3150 in chips when the following hand comes up:

Blinds: 75-150, betting rounds of 150-300

5 limpers in the pot, I had 7-9 clubs on the button, and decided to see the flop with the other 7 players.

Flop is: 5 clubs, 6 clubs, 7 diamonds

Another great flop for my marginal button hand, I flopped top pair, with a straight flush draw. Everyone checked to Seat #1 (player to my immediate right), who bet 150, I immediately raised to 300, trying to isolate the bettor and also because I believed I had the best hand, everyone folds, original bettor calls.

Turn: King of Hearts

Seat 1 checks, I fire another 300 hoping to pick up the pot right there, seat 1 calls.

River: 2 of hearts

Seat one checks, I check behind, and get the privilege of looking at Ace – 7 off suit, a really marginal junk hand.

So my stack decreased by 750, and I had a chip count of 2400 when the following hand came up the very next deal.

One limper, Seat 1 (same guy from previous hand) raises, I look down at pocket 10’s, and make it 3 bets, everyone folds around to seat one who now makes it 4 bets. In the course of 4 hours, I hadn’t seen this guy make it 4 bets one single time (and he had played and raised a lot of pots). I was putting him on two aces or two kings, but most likely aces.

Flop: Jack, Ten, Four (rainbow – all different suits)

Gin Rummy, I got lucky with the worst hand and I’m going to win a bunch of chips ! Donkey bets, I raise, he raises, I raise, he raises, I raise, he raises. Yikes, 7 Bets so far on the flop, I really believe I still have the best hand, because my reads are usually very solid, I just didn’t believe this guy had three jacks based on the information I had previously observed about him.

In a Cash Game I probably would have not stopped, betting, I would have gotten all in with this hand. But tournaments are different, and sometimes you need to save a few chips even when you believe you have the best hand. Before flat calling the 7th bet on the flop, I counted my chips, to figure out what my best options were. I had 750 left, If I flat called the turn and the river ( I would have 150 left) not much but enough to play another hand. If my read is off, and he really does have three jacks, at least I get to see one more hand instead of going bust, and the most it costs me is 150 in a 4500 pot. I decided to flat call

Turn: Ace

Donkey bets, I flat call as previously planned

River: Queen (making any King a one card straight)

To my surprise the Donkey checks, and I check behind now believing he actually did have three jacks, presumably he must have thought I had pocket Kings (not a very good read, considering I put 7 bets in on the flop)

Donkey turns over pocket Aces, for three Aces on the turn. I don’t show my hand.

The Donkey’s check on the end saved me another $300, so I have a total of 450 left. (This is another good reason, why saving a few chips in a tournament is sometimes a good play, because the board could come scary, and the idiot Donkey might let you save some chips.)

Analysis, even though I lost the hand, I think I played this hand perfectly. I really don’t see how I could have played it any better. That’s poker, sometimes you play good, and still lose. All you can hope for as a poker player is to put money into the pot with the best of it.

A couple hands later I picked up King Queen off suit in late position and got two callers, but I didn't make anything and my tournament day was over.

I don’t believe in luck much, but I’ve sure been unlucky in a lot of the tournaments I’ve played recently.

Jason
Aka “The Good Karma Kid”

__________________
I'm Not Lucky, I Have Good Karma !

Well played, and a good story. I'd have probably thrown all my chips in on the tens and never lived to see the kq.

GG sir.

Great story Jason, can't wait for another tourney report (if you do another one I mean).

Excellent story! It was worth going through and reading the whole thing as it kept me interested. You played well regardless of the result. "That's Poker" as they say and you just got to regroup and come back to play the same way.

I do not like limping with a hand like 7c9c in a situation in which you only have 10 big bets or so in a tournament. I understand that in the situation that you describe you have a chance to win a lot of chips and because of that your play may just be correct. It would certainly be correct in a live cash game even though raising might just be a better play in a live game. But 7c9c is a hand even in live play that you have to get very lucky with in which to win. More often than not (quite often actually) a situation arises similar to the one you describe that costs you a considerable amount of your chips. Chips that you can ill afford to lose. In tournaments the value of your chips increase as your stack decreases. When your chip stack is low you are looking for situations in which you have a good chance of winning. Playing a 79 is not, in my opinion, one of those situations. In my opinion yours was not a case of bad luck. It may have been a good poker play but I cannot calssify it as a good tournament play given your stack size.

vinpoker

With 5 limpers in the pot, plus the two blinds, it seemed incorrect to fold this hand on the button to me, but you know I'm an action player and find an excuse to play a lot of hands.

I appreciate the feedback, you may be correct about folding the hand, the advice about the value of each chip as your chip size decreases is an important aspect to keep in mind in tournament play.

Jason

__________________
I'm Not Lucky, I Have Good Karma !

It's hard for me to go against your play in this hand considering you know a heck of a lot more about poker than I do. I probably would have raised or folded with 7-9 suited on the button with 5 limpers already in. Judging by what you have described these players as, I probably would have had to raise.

But then again, you're in Vegas for a reason and I'm not ;-)