What's up all? It's been a while since I last posted something on here. Just been busy with work, family, and the girlfriend. You know how it goes! But anyway! I took advantage of a recent trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL and entered the Friday morning $150 Deepstack tournament at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL. My goal was simple. I wanted to sit down at the poker table, play with actual people, and just have a really good session of poker, where I made good decisions, kept the mistakes to a minimum, and achived the goal of walking away from the poker table feeling like I played well. The money was secondary, for some reason. I've outlined the top 4 hands of the day for me, since I didn't have to face any bad beats, or make any really tough decisions. I hope you enjoy, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Big Hand #1.
Early in the tournament, the blinds were 25-50. I was at a table were I was fortunate to get off to a good start early on. I had gotten paid off on an Ace hight flush, and I also flopped a flush with suited connectors. Starting the tournament off with about 10K in chips, I was already up to about 18K. On this paticular hand, I was dealt AK in early position and I got one caller. I guy in seat 7 was pretty aggressive, and he really hadn't shown any hands. I made it 150 to go, and he called. The flop came Kc, 7c, 8s. I made a bet of about 300, and he flat called. I wasn't sure of what to put him on, so I guessed his range to be on a flush draw, pocket AA's, or maybe a smaller pair like 99's or something. The turn brought another club and I checked it. He checked as well, and the river brought a 7 of hearts. I checked it again, thinking that maybe we was trying to trap me. He ended up beting 2K, and my BS radar starting going off. I thought about it for a minute and it just didn't add up, so I called. I asked him, "You got the flush?" He said, "Nah!", and he showed pocket QQ's. I took down a pot of about 2.5K and padded my stack.

Big Hand #2.
UTG, I get dealt pocket AA's. I knew that there were a few aggressive types behind me to act, so I just limped in, hoping that someone would push the action. Sure enough, the guy in seat 6 pushed all in for what looked like about 6K in chips. Everyone folded to me, and what are you gonna do with pocket AA's? Obviously call. So I did and knocked him out of the tournament, further padding my stack.

Big Hand #3.
I got dealt pocket 33's in early position and so I called, looking to hit a set on the flop. Seat 8 called, the small blind folded, and the BB checked it. The flop came Kh, 9h, and 3d. The BB bet the pot, I called, and seat 8 folded. The turn came a 6c, and the BB pushed all-in. He must have figured me to be on a flush draw or something, and he really wanted me out of that pot. Unfortunately for him, I knew I was ahead with my set and so I called. He showed AK, having top pair and top kicker. The river was a blank, and I eliminated him from the tournament as well.

Big Hand #4.
In early position, I got dealt AK, and I limped in with it. My table was aggressive and so I chose not to raise here, as I could've been re-raised. We had 4 players enter the pot, and the flop came Kc, 10s, 4h. The small blind checked it, and I bet about half the pot, and I got 1 caller from the SB. The SB was a guy who was pretty aggressive, but TIGHT! He had quite a bit of chips, and I knew I had to be careful with him. Besides, he and I mixed it up in an earlier hand where I got dealt pocket QQ's and he got dealt pocket JJ's. In that hand, I raised, he re-raised, and I pushed all-in and he laid it down. So in this hand, I knew I had to be careful with him, as he only really played premium cards, and he could be crafting something up that was pretty tricky. The turn came another club, and the SB checked again, so I checked it. The river was another club, and the SB bet 2K. I didn't think he had the flush, and I was sitting on AK, so I called, and her turned over pocket rockets! Even though I lost the hand, I'm glad that I had a good read on the guy, and that I didn't get crazy with my AK. I'm glad that I showed some discipline, and was able to control my betting, and not get mad for losing to AA's. I fealt like I got away from that hand pretty cheap.

All in all, I played well. Out of 60 players, they paid the top 6, and you guessed it! I finished in 7th. 1st place won $2,700 and 6th got paid $400. I probably should've made the money, but it just didn't work out for me. I played well though, and I'm glad that I had a good 8hr session at the table, with minimal mistakes. I'm looking forward to coming back to Florida to take another crack at a tournament. Until then, take care and as always, if you have any questions, or comments, please feel free to contact me.