Dean Chops Alea Casino Triple Chance For £805!

After playing the Gala casino £25 triple chance last week and it only having 35 runners, I decided to try the new venue in Leeds who were basically running the same competition but in better surroundings, with most of the old Gala regulars playing there. Therefore after working late on Friday, I decided to gobble down my tea and make my way to the new Alea casino in Leeds, handy as it is only a 10 minute drive away from my house.

My initial reaction was that the venue was very impressive and the dedicated cardroom was the best I had seen outside DTD, I was very impressed. I waited for the start and I think there were just over 50 runners in the end. A triple chance is basically 2 rebuys and/or add-on, so the outlay for me is usually £75 plus fee. 5000 chips for each buy-in and blinds started at 50/100. You can rebuy at 2500 chips or less. 40 minute blind for rebuy period (2 levels) then 20 minute levels thereafter.

I took my seat and thankfully wasn’t dealing, I will be grateful if they make tournaments such as these dealer-dealt, I wouldn’t even mind paying some extra fee for this, given there were only 5/6 tables. The dealer wasn’t very good and in fairness to him he hasn’t come to deal and be criticized, so I felt sorry for the guy. I can deal but as I have the hand co-ordination of a bull in a china shop, I am useless at card shuffling, so I rarely put myself forward.

I started off well in my usual semi-LAG style, and within an orbit I had 6000 chips. Main hand being AQ 3 way on a horrible (but standard for me) KQx flop, but I took it down anyway. Things were going OK as it was the usual limp-fest, so my plan was to apply pressure in position and take it from there.

Later in the level I get 10s after a couple of limpers and make it 400 and got a caller, but the BB who was fairly quiet made it 1600. Against my better instincts I called (thought about a shove as it was a rebuy) and the other guy called. Flop was J32 and the BB shoved, I pondered and made an easy fold and he showed me QQ. Calling off the chips like that is my weakness sometimes. After that I was missing flops with semi-decent hands or flopping top pair in the BB and getting shoved on and my stack was heading towards the 2500 rebuy stage despite my early success. I probably wouldn’t have played as many hands if I hadn’t had the buffer of a second chance. Looking down at KK and then realising there was a misdeal was also a delight.

I finally got to the 2500 stack after flopping bottom pair and a gutshot with j9, turning 2nd nut flush draw as well and completely bricking the river, so folding to a river bet. I topped up to about 7,000 and we were part through the 100/200 level.

Then as the sign for last 3 hands came up, I got aces UTG and made it 600 to go. To my horror I got 4 callers and then with relief the BB made it 4000 total, leaving himself 2,000 behind (phew). I shoved and all others folded. He knew what I had but had to call with QQ and he didn’t get there. I managed to lose another 1,000 or so in the last few hands with 53s (oops) so after adding on I had about 19,000 chips, blinds were going to be 150/300 after the break.

I had two calling stations to my left and this had been troubling me all night, one was really short stacked and the other had luck-boxed his way to about 35,000. But I just couldn’t resist with 63h on the button and made it 900 (I had raised OTB with AQ and A10 previously unchallenged). The big calling station in the BB called. Flop was KJ9 and he check called my 1,500 c-bet. Now I had a big read on him, he basically overbet and got very excited with anything top pair or better. His check-call was weak and he either hand a low pair or a gutshot. The turn was an 8 and it went check-check. The river was a perfect bluffing card, a Q, and he promptly checked to me. With 6 high I either had to give up or play at it. I bet 3.5k and after a ponder he called and showed AJ (he owned me) and I chucked my cards in the muck. This prompted one particular player to say I had to show and we had a long argument about rules on showdown, basically he was applying a local gala rule where mucking wasn’t allowed (due to suspicions of collusion) and I stated that the only guy who could insist to see my cards was the guy in the hand, basically told him to stay out of the discussion as it had nothing to do with him. Out of courtesy I told all I had 6 high but that was the last info they would get from me for free.

Obviously embarrassed, I at least knew I could get value for anything big. A few new players joined the table and now I only had just over 10,000 chips. New player raised to 900 and a lady called, I basically decided to “squeeze” with my 99 and shoved my 10,000 in the middle. First player folded and to my surprise, the lady snapped me and showed AK, just covering me. The 9 on the flop was pretty reassuring though and I was back to around 22k and I had some play again.

Played a couple more pots with hands like AK/A10 and missed the flop but took the pot anyway and was on around 27k at 400/800 and was fairly quiet, watching the short stacks and others go to war whilst I was card dead.

Then I managed to get another big hand UTG and looked at KK. Made it 3,500 at 600/1200 and a fairly TAG guy in MP calls and a decent player in the SB also calls. Flop is 972 with 2 hearts and I bet 8,000 when checked to, leaving myself about 14k behind and the MP guy calls, SB folds. At this point his range is flush draw (with overs), a middle PP or 10s/Js and obviously a set. My heart sank as the ace of diamonds hits the turn. It completes a lot of his range so I am either miles behind or in front with no chance of action, I really feared something like AJh. The pot is like 28k and I have 14k behind. I think this is basically a bad spot. I look at the pot and shove, immediately thinking I maybe could have checked. Anyway he folds JJ showing, I was so happy that I showed my kings for some inexplicable reason. He said that’s what he thought I had and I laughed saying that his flop call was awesome then. What would you do here?

This sits me comfortable in the 30k+ zone for a while, despite losing 9k with 88 when I was check-shoved on an ace high flop.

At this point the tension surrounding the dealing was getting a bit much and I volunteered to deal (the guy who did it before me was excellent), but warned people that criticising the shuffle was not a good idea. First hand I deal myself 99 and make it 3500 again, a guy shoved for 14k (who I think I had annoyed by arguing with him) and the JJ guy shoved for 20k in the BB. I was calling the first shover, but couldn’t call after the action. I laughed when they both showed AK, but the K on the flop made me feel better.

I was enjoying myself having a bit of banter with the dealing and the blinds went to 1000/2000 so the short stacks were in trouble. Shortly after the big stack raised in early position to 6k and I looked at 99 in the BB and decided to play it strong. I shoved 28k in the middle and he quickly folded.

I had about 32k, one guy had about 55k on my table but the rest were pretty short. A young guy shoved about 8k from the SB into my BB and I already said I was snapping anything reasonable. AQ was more than enough and it held against 83o. The blinds were going fairly quickly though and I went back down to about 34k.

Shortly after this we were down to 20 and 2 tables, ours was being broken thankfully. I was moved to a new table and was sat 2 from a guy who appeared to have at least 150k, probably a bit more, named Lawrence. I managed to see part of the reason why when he raised to 6k and a guy shoved on him for about 20k. Shover 10s and he had J2s. The flop of 1093 looked safe until an 8 and a 7 followed for runner-runner sickness. At this point I was in shove mode with about 33k at 1500/3000 but with a huge stack behind I had to be selective. On this table there were several huge pairs going against each other but none were in my hands. I made a couple of shoves with hands like a10 and got through but this basically maintained my stack.

Then get a lucky break when a guy takes out 2 players on the other table. I am due in the BB and get moved to where we play 5 handed tables hand-for-hand, a 9 paid final table. Although I did get moved to UTG, I said “hello new table, I am all in” as I look down at AQ. It gets through. I am not one to hang on for the bubble, but there was a very short stacked guy on the table I left. I folded q10 to a shove from a nitty SB, then I folded rags in the SB when the guy in the BB had a huge stack. Relief when the bubble was broken.

I was the shortest stack with 33k, about 5 players had 35-70k, and there were 2 big stacks with 175k and 120k who I was sat right in between. We had about 10 minutes of 1500/3000 left then it was 2000/4000. I knew what my strategy was going to be, 9th got less than I bought in for, the next 5 places after that weren’t that much either so I had to make top 3 which was £470, £690 an £1,310 I think. I wasn’t going to be passive, fortunately the players at the table didn’t really know me.

I proceeded to shove with regularity. I won’t share the hands but I was quite glad not to get a call, but needs must. Whereas the other short and medium stacks just seemed to sit there. The only other guy making the action on the table was Lawrence on my right, but he had the chips to do so, the chip leader to my left sat there pretty tight but was getting fed up at my play. I basically shoved from late position or the small blind everytime it folded to me. He hated it. I had gone from 33k to 67k without showing down, the players (and observers) were of the opinion I couldn’t play proper poker and that all it would take is for one call and I would be out. That’s their opinion. In fairness I was lucky that I didn’t run into anything callable I guess, but I did have to withstand a few dwells.

A couple of other players exited when I wasn’t involved so at least I was getting my buy-in back, although the next prizes were only £140/170, so no time to take it easy and ladder up.

With about 58k in front of me at 3000/6000, I looked at my first big hand at the final table, aces in middle position. I did my usual routine and put my stack over the line. This time the chip leader snapped me, I was like wow. Even more surprised when he showed Q10o, which shows that I really must have got to him; although he did just lose QQ v10J to a short stack a few hands earlier when the flop came JJ9. I hit trips on the flop and filled up on the river and with 120k I was now able to play, joking that I may continue shoving anyway.

A few hands later and its folded round to me in the SB with reversed chip stacks now. I have QQ and I consider limping in. He has about 10bbs left and I change my mind to do what I have always done and shove, hoping for another tilt call. He stares at me and folds. Next orbit I get JJ at 4000/8000 and make a normal raise to 22k UTG. This gets the respect it deserves and I get through, keeping my stack about the 130k mark in second place.

A few people exit and we are 5 handed. A guy who has been fairly solid thinks for a bit and raises for 30k leaving 55k behind, I have 130k. My initial read is either he is unsure what to do because he has the button or he has a monster and wants to extract. I have a10 and want to bin it. But my aggressive impetuosity gets to me and I shove on him for him to snap me with aces. I think the table enjoyed that I spewed all my chips and this confirmed to them that I was in fact, useless. At that point I would have agreed with them.

Back to 40k and with 5bbs I then shoved the next 2 hands just to say that I am still here and won’t go out quietly, so that gets me back to around 55k after another orbit of the blinds. Then Lawrence raises to 32k on the button and I have aces in the SB. So I shove and he is committed and calls with k10, I am right back in it again.

We have a split pot blind on blind the orbit after when he limps and I check with 78, we check a 322 flop, but I shove on him after he bets a 7 on the turn. He has 74 and we chop the pot as the river J negates my kicker. The guy who had aces earlier then has a brain explosion in a limped pot blind on blind, when he 4bet shoves a QQ99 board with a3 and Lawrence has q3. This leaves 4 left and Lawrence is clear chip leader. Blinds have gone 5/10000 and 6/12000; we are now at 8/16000.

Then comes a crucial hand. The guy UTG shoves for 100k and I am in the SB with 88k with 88. His range is wide and I think I have to call, but the guy to my left has us both covered and snaps as well with QQ, the original raiser has 66. So this is me done. My play isn’t bad, I just ran into something big behind me. However an 8 on the flop sends one guy to the rail and the other guy over the edge, who wasn’t best pleased with me as it was. So then I go from 88k to over 250k.

We mess around 3 handed for a while but it is late (3.15am) and the blinds are 10/20000 and we all know that larger sums of money are basically going to be determined by luck. I was just 2nd in chips at the time and was happy to accept a 3way chop equally for £805, officially taking 2nd place.

I enjoyed it and although I played pretty badly at times, I am glad I took the final table in the way I did against some fairly decent players, given the way I have been playing for the last 3 months.