I came in 3rd in the weekly 55 PLO Rebuy on Stars last night. I played well and ran well up until midway through the final table. I had built up a nice stack and this allowed for me to bully some of my opponents. Examples: An aggresive guy opens in the CO and I flat OTB with AJ98dd. Flop is 345dd giving me a J hi flush draw and A hi, not the greatest but I have the stack and the position on this guy. Aggro guy checks to me. I mean, with a drawy board like that you have to bet out your str8s/trips/top two and since he is aggro he is betting his flush draw as well. He is checking to me because: if he c-bet bluffs and I raise him he is in bad shape stack wise. I have him covered easily and he can't pressure me off a hand. Even though I do have a J hi flush draw I could easily PSB with air and I think with that board he would have to fold all naked overpairs, he doesn't want to put his tourn life on the line with just a pair. Another spot came up with me limping in SB and another aggro raising PSB from BB. I call with AQ103hh, this is a raising hand HU for sure but since he is aggro and has position on me, and my cards are partially disguised if flop comes with As and broadways I just call. Flop is KJ6r. I flop a wrap st8 draw, nice. He makes PSB. I shove PSB over the top and he folds. This may look standard but we were the two chipleaders in the tourn. This was a huge pot of 400k plus if he called my raise, the avg stacks were 80kish and we were 12 left or so. I know I have a good drawing hand but I'd rather just take the pot down. With my raise he HAS to have trips or top two to call. I can fold out top/bottom or bottom two or something like AAKQ or even Q10Jx with that bet. He just has no need to risk his huge stack there without a huge hand. He may even fold bottom set although lots of people seem incapable of that on a Sunday. So I'd rather pressure him and take down a nice size pot already than chase OOP with a good drawing hand.
I enter the FT chipleader, I chip up to 300k and then things start to slip. Ok, PearlJammer makes his standard minraise UTG and an aggro guy flats OTB. I hold AAQc4c in the SB. I could raise PSB but then I'm played a pretty naked AA OOP against two players if they flat. I'm really worried about button flatting because he is aggro and will have opportunity to steal pot with position. After seeing PearlJammer fold to 3 bets later in tourn in position I realize I probably could have folded him off his hand, I don't know about aggro on button. So I call and flop is 557r. Pretty nice for AA. Checks around, turn is 8. Now PJ bets 1/2 pot and button folds I call. River is J. I lead out for 20k and PJ raises 72K. Easy fold, if he has str8 he just calls. I don't think he'd bluff me as unknown player so its nizzles for him. "JJ I ask in chat?". He claims 55. Anyway, I lose a few more hands to him. I raise KKQ10doulbe suit and he flats from BB with AQQ10 and spikes A. I call his minraise from BB with AQ57 double suit and flop is KK6r, check-check. Turn is Qh giving me NFD as well as top two. Check-check. River is 9. I check and he bets 20k. I mean this is another nizzles or nothing situation. I think J10 bets turn with position. So it's KK or KQ or a hand with no showdown value like Axxx. I decide to make hero call and he tables KK. I always fold there, I wish it wasn't PJ and just a regular player I fold but my ego said "don't let this top pro push you around" lol. Something like that. Well, I chip up a little bit and eventually end up 3 way with PJ and antother guy. I'm shorty after losing a pot with 84k at 3.5/7k. Button min raises and PJ makes PSB. I'm pretty sure that PJ is raising to steal. He knows button won't want to get into there with a monster with me being short stack. I hold KQQ9cc and insta shove it. PJ calls and types "oops" and tables AK53, good for OHL for sure!. Flop is 9xx, with the dead money its a 220k pot. To put me back into it.....one...time.....runner runner st8. PJ ran so sick at FT. Not that he didn't play well, he did, but I saw him two out a guy BvsB, he won ALL is AIPF hands as well. (4-5). That's called running hot in PLO. So, until next time. Also I am running well in the FTP 44 OHL tourn. I've FT'd 4 of last 5 times I've played it with two 2nd place finishes. It gets maybe 75-95 runners usually, my favorite size tournaments. If my internet didn't keep crapping out I would probably have finished higher a couple others as well!