By Ian Frazer
Feeling good today and up for the $1,500 PLO hi-lo split.
I want to get over to the Rio early as I have learned that the plums seem to be most eager players to take their seats and I don’t want to miss out on a valuable 10mins chat with them, this can save you 2 hours on the felt.
So I am there in seat 4 and already in their seats are 1, 2 and 3, so we get chatting and 2 of these guys have never played a tourney at the Rio yet, let alone hi-lo. The other guy has played a $1k buy in and tells me he tried to grind out a cash, so at face value I figure him to be a rock. Seat 7 sits down he has his bird with him and he is up and down in his seat, calling out to people he acts like he wants to be involved This is obviously going to be our action player.
We start and during the first level I realise seat 9 and the two guys to my right, although nice gents, haven’t got a blimmin’ clue. This tourney is like a triple chance – you get three lots of 1,500 chips or take them all. I prefer to change one at a time as the action player in seat 7 takes the lot and I don’t want to go out early at such a soft table. I decide that every time seat 2, 3 or 9 put a chip in the pot I am going to be in with them and sure enough it works, after 3 levels I have 5,200 – still with my 2 lots of 1500 behind which I have to take now. Luvvly jubbly!
So I have good chips and now want to take on action man in seat 7. I purposely go for him and win two nice pots and both times he doubles back through another player, I am thinking this is just so perfect. Then the dreaded happens, I get involved in a hand with matey boy to my right, and he does me bad, I manage to get him all in on the turn and he unknowingly hits a 2 outer… ouch!
I am now half average, but I double through in a blind on blind battle and think right, back to basics. The very next hand it all goes in pre-flop LOL, so much for the basics! Three-way action I have Ac 2c Ks 4s and yes, you have guessed, I am out.
This is now 6 and 0 for me at the Rio, its only 4.45pm I am going to catch the Bellagio tourney. I get there and in my seat by 5.20. This is just about as late as you want to leave it as the antes have just kicked in. The tourney has 97 runners with 1st place paying $31,900.
I get off to a good start and after 2 hours have 36k chips, then I get involved with a Vietnamese lady in a hand just before the break and I take up the full 20 minutes to make a bad call. She takes 25k from my stack. I lock up now and sit tight and sure enough I get gifted chips in a few spots and I’m off at the races again! I sort of breeze my way down to last 3 tables with just above average.
I meet the Vietnamese lady again and she has good chips and gets put in 2 to my left. We have some good banter, her game is very tight aggressive so I take advantage of my position on her blinds, even with the re-raise on previous raisers knowing full well she is only playing AA maybe KK in that spot. I manage to steal for a good couple of levels and I am getting close to chip lead.
Then comes the hand, I have the button and I re-raise the player to my right and the Vietnamese lady min raises me, the other guy passes and I have Kc Jc. I know she has AA but I have the chips and good price to see a flop, I am also prepared to try and out play her if it’s a scary board. Flop comes KJ6 rainbow (am I golden or what) she check raises me which is what I expected and I am on auto push, but then I suddenly think omg what if she has KK, but figure her pre-flop raise would have had to have been more to get rid of any ace so I shove. To her credit she passes showing AA and says you have set of jacks I know! I tell her yes for obvious reasons.
I never lose chip lead now and get 5 handed where they want to deal. I have 55% of chips. After the chip count goes into the computer it says I get $34k and there is lots of mumbling. I tell them I will take first place money $31.900 and they can split the rest, they all agree. Wallop! I love The Bellagio
Back to Mandalay Bay for some nice sleep.
Ian Frazer
