So I finally final tabled one of these large MTT's. I feel like I played pretty good through out and was able to chip up without any big hands. I only picked up a big pair three times throughout the tournament and one time my AA were cracked late (but that was actually one of the better hands I played). 

I ended up in 7th for ~660, but it doesn't feel great since first place was over 5k. I really felt like I had an opportunity to take it down and was even chip leader with 12 remaining. I made one bad play on the final table trouble, putting a guy all-in with A10s when he had QQ.

I'll talk more about it later. Gotta finally get to bed. 

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Now that I'm a few days removed from the final table I'm able to look back and assess the positives with the negatives. My biggest concerns were my plays at the final two tables. I feel like I have a good amount of experience in the end game since my usual grind are 90 man Turbo KO's on Tilt. Making it deep in these is fairly easy and the play at the final two tables often mirrors that of larger MTT's so I feel like it's been good practice. 

First I'll look back on the worst hand I feel that I played. With twelve people left I was chip leader simply by abusing good position situations I was placed in. Notes I'd taken earlier in the tournament allowed me to place a pretty good read on most opponents, but the biggest thing that helped was knowing who had a one bullet gun. A lot of hands in the last two tables had me calling a raise pre, calling the flop bet, and betting the turn when my opponent checked to me. These kind of patterns arose with a lot of players and it allowed me to chip up pretty consistently. Unfortunately with 12 left I picked up A10s in the BB. I had just over 400,000 in chips when the cut off limped in. 

This player had been playing especially loose and had just lost a huge stack by limping late, and then re-shoving a raise from the blinds with A7o. Throughout the tourney, though, this player had been very lag and making a lot of moves to pick up pots. I thought that if I raise the limp and they try to shove to pick up the pot this should be a good call. They had around 180,000 and when I raised they shoved. I called and they turned over QQ. I didn't improve and limped my way into the final table. It was frustrating since I'd played so well up to this point and looking back I realize this is the pain in the ass thing with playing OOP. I know I had a solid read and I should feel good about sticking by it since most of the time I think I'm ahead against this player here, but it just didn't go my way. 

At the final table my KO came pretty standard. With 7 people left, a 240,000 stack, a BB of 20,000, a CL who was raising every hand my AQs seemed a good spot for a re-shove. I got called with 88 and couldn't win the race, but I guess I can take solace in knowing that I made the right move. 

Over all it was a good pick up for my bankroll since I started the month of August depositing $30 with the goal of running it up to 351 w/ my estimated ROI at the 90 man's I play. (Huge risk at first as far as bank roll management goes, but if I could catch a break I knew I'd be off and running). Needless to say I crushed my goal and am on my way to hitting my September goal early. 

I don't care that no one reads this and that it was only in a 3.30 90 man tournament and that it was only 3rd place it felt like I won the WSOP ME.

I've always loved live poker. If live poker was more convenient I would play it exclusively. I've only played four live tournaments before today in an actual casino, but I grew up chipping away at $10 and $20 NLHE tournys in my friends basements.

In my first live tournament I took fourth ($35 buy-in, 27 people, 3 cashed) but walked away with money from a chop. My second was the same tournament, but with roughly 50 people and I took it down. I played one more of the same tournament, but didn't make the final table. These were all at Irving, a local indian casino I'd been sneaking into since I was 16 where I played $1-$2 NLHE cash games. After that closed its doors I moved up to Casino Niagara which is located on the Canadian side of the border and offered a game when I hit 19 that I couldn't pass up. There were more tables, more people and more money. I loved it, but again I played all cash except for a sit-n-go once I'd rather not mention.

As I got older and took on more intense work and a job that required a lot of overtime I had to put poker on the back burner. That's when I began playing online and while I don't love it like I love playing live I still feel like it's something worth doing.

But I hit the 21 milestone a few months ago and had been waiting to play in one of the daily tournaments at the Seneca Niagara casino. While I've never been to Vegas I have to imagine this place is relatively nice even in comparison. The poker room, however, is smaller then I'd expected and shoved down a hallway not even in the actual Casino. It was still nicer then any card room I'd ever been in so I couldn't complain.

The tournament was a $60 buy-in that they run twice a day at 10am and 7pm. They (from what I'd been told by some of the people I was playing with) usually get around 27-45 players for each and I expected that when I walked in. We ended up playing two tables with 17 people.

I'd never seen any of these players before and I wanted to make sure I didn't make mistakes early because this tournament with the $60 was definitely taking a shot, although I don't really have a poker "bankroll" as you might say. The structure started off okay, but as soon as the antes hit I knew it was going to become difficult if I didn't have enough chips. I won the first hand with J5o in the BB, betting the flop when I hit a 5. I was happy to win the first hand, but played TAG going forward.

We started with 4500 in chips blinds at 25/50. My table was playing extremely tight and passive which I was pleased to see. There was only one of kid my age, while the rest looked 45+. Only one guy seemed dangerous at the table, but thankfully he was to my immediate right and was rather selective pre-flop. I was able to pick a few spots in the first two rounds to pick up chips until the first significant hand I played came up. I had 1010 in the cut off with 5400 in chips. It folded around to me and I raised to 250 (blinds were 50-100 at this point).

A gentlemen I'd noticed was extremely loose re-raised me out of his BB to 750. I decided there was a chance I was behind to an over pair, but I'd seen him raise with some questionable hands K8, J9 etc so I decided to make the call and see the flop. One thing I love about live games is the human aspect. You get to actually sit and watch peoples reactions to flop and I find it very beneficial especially in a game like this, even more so when they watch the flop and you can watch the person.

The flop peeled off: Ah 7s 4c

The player immediately checked his hole cards and checked. At this point I found it even more likely he was on an over pair pre-flop and did not like the fact the A flopped. My position plus my bet and call of a re-raise made it seem likely I had a hand with an A in it so I decided to put 1125 into the 1550 pot. He looked at his cards again, made a face that said, "God, why can't I catch a good flop" and mucked them. I wanted to show my 1010 badly because i felt he had KK-JJ, but decided my image was more important.

A few hands later we're still at 50-100 and this time I'm two off the button with AA. It folds to me and I make it 275 hoping for a call. I get three calls and a raise from the BB who makes it 1500. At this point I'm sitting on about 6,125 after the raise. If I just called the raise I'll have about 4600 and assuming there's no other callers I'll be looking at a pot of 3825. That means if all unders flop and he c-bets I'll be able to shove all-in with a good chance of being called. However, at this table I expected at least one more player to call behind me if I just called and given the fact I want to play the AA heads up I decided I should just push. Even if I take the pot down I'm not that dissapointed and if he woke up with KK or QQ I might get a call and double up. (The BB had my covered by about 2,000). I shove and the BB calls with QQ. I do double through and sit as the chip leader of the tournament.

At this point we're down to 12 people of our starting 17. Nothing of note happens and we make the final table. 3 spots pay and I know when it gets down to four people will start trying to deal. I don't mind that very much as the prizes go 1st 450 2nd 230 3rd 170. People I've seen make deals at the end of tournaments haven't been very keen on what they're giving up or gaining so I expect to be able to make myself a solid deal if it gets to that.

A few hands in I pick up QQ. There's a raise in MP to 1100. We're playing 200/400 no ante at this point. I'm in the BB and I decide that because of being being OOP and the fact that the player had roughly 8,500 behind I could raise an amount that might get him to shove so I don't have to make a further decision. I raise to 3750 and the MP player shoves. I call and he turns over AJ. I'm feeling pretty good until an A flops. A player comments he folded a Q so I'm drawing to one out. The player picks up a flush draw on the turn, but it doesn't matter as the case Q hits the river.

It was the first time I'd ever hit a one outer.

A few rounds later a short stacked older woman shoved on the button into my AJ in the BB. I called and knocked her out with J9o. I did have to sweat a 4 flush on the turn with her 9 of clubs, but the river bricked and I got a little healthier to roughly 23,000 with 7 players left.

As I get on the button and pick up 5c6d I decide that since the antes have now kicked in I should try picking a few pots up while in position. I raise to 1500 (blinds now at 300/600 50 ante) and get two calls. The flop comes 7 K 8 and the small blind leads out for 2500. The BB pushes for 3900 and I'm put in an interesting spot. I'm in a position where, to my current knowledge, the SB can't re-raise. If I want to call the bet with the open-ender and see the turn I can without getting raised. I make the call for 3900. In hindsight, even with the advantage of knowing the action is closed this is a poor call for a number of reasons. The percentage of my stack is larger then I should be willing to commit at this point. My draw, however, is concealed and if a 4 or a 9 comes off I know I'm getting paid off. The turn is a 3 and the SB bets 4000. I realize my previous mistake and fold.

It gets brought up after the hand that in tournament poker the all-in raise only has to be 50% of the original bet to re-open the bet. I was always under the impression it had to be a full raise, but the dealer had called during the hand it had to be a full raise. Had he ruled it correctly I would not have made the call knowing I didn't want to stand a re-raise even in position.

And then the cards stopped coming. I sat there for an hour barely making enough moves to stay alive and watched my once proud stack wittle down to 12,400 with blinds of 800/1600 ante 100. I'd been using position to push and pick up pots and it kept me afloat, barely. My last three hands went as follows.

5 players left. 12,400 stack.
I'm in the BB with 1010, and re-shove a min-raise pre-flop. I take it down.

In the SB with 77. Shove on the BB, he folds.

Ad7d on the button, shove and get called by AKs in the SB. I don't feel that I misplayed a hand except for the open ended straight draw and although there's no money the 5th place doesn't feel too bad.