CStone Win Stars $150 For $17,123

So, I went into this tourney with a decent run of final tables over the past few weeks, but just the one 1st place to show for it. I’d had a bad night actually, busting out of a ton of other games and generally having a ‘mare.

This game really wasn’t going great either, to be honest.

First hand of any note, I raise AJs and get one caller, flop comes K83r, nice and dry. But he calls my cbet so I shut down, we check it down, he has T8. I curse myself for not barrelling. Down to 2500 chips.

I then miss with AQ and have to fold to aggression vs the same guy (he showed JJ). Ho hum. But I get a bit of impetus, winning a small pot with an AJ float, then get QQ, raise a couple of limpers, one calls then folds to my cbet on a raggy flop. Back up to 3.6K, a tad below average at this point. (I’m obviously skimming over many folded hands/minor pots).

So I tread water for a bit, trading small pots back and forwards, then bink a set of fives, and bust a guy with (er) Q4cc. Given the flop had neither a queen, a four nor a club, I don’t really know what he was up to.
A few hands later I get QQ on the button. UTG raises 3x and I 3bet him, he shoves, I call. He has TJdd, I hold. Now, the guy has an average stack at the start of this hand, and while you can maybe discuss the merits of raising JTs from UTG, it’s not really an auto stack off….

So, up to 7.3k, ahead of the game now.

I get AKs OTB and everyone folds to the cutoff who shoves for about 2k. He has AJ and I hold. 9.1kI then get JJ in the cutoff with the blinds at 100/200. Raise 3x, the BB shoves for 3k, he has ATs and I hold. Just over 12k now.

KK a few hands later (nice run of hands), I raise 500 from ep and get no less than 4 callers. (What is this, PKR?) Flop comes Q high and rainbow they all fold to my cbet, another 2k chips.

Gain another 1300 by 3betting a raiser with AQ, in the SB. He folds.

Then win a nice pot set mining 44, in a 4 way min raised pot. Flop348 with 2 clubs, I bet , they all fold. 15k stack now, well ahead of average.

A wee BB special helps me along, I have Qd9s when UTG limps and everyone else folds. Flop comes KQ2 all spades. He bets, I call, turn is 9x, I donk and he folds.

Then a huge pot. I raise AKo from ep and the SB 3bets me. The BB (another bigstack) then flats the 3bet. I scratch my head for about 5 seconds and shove. SB folds and the BB tanks for his entire timebank before calling with JJ, King hits the flop and I’m up to 40k.

I then get in an interesting spot myself with JJ. UTG raises, I 3bet him and the guy in the hijack comes over the top. Well, shit. This looks super strong, and I’m in no need of a big gamble (at best), so I fold (and don’t tell anyone). UTG and the other guy go to it, UTG has 66, hijack has AK (damn). However a 2345x board makes me happy I folded and the 66 scoops with the higher straight. I’m fine with being results oriented now and then.

A bit of a long quiet spell, then I get JJ again. I 3bet an EP raise and call his shove, he has 99 and I hold. Stack 50k.

We’re getting pretty deep now, blinds 600/1200 and ITM. I raise QKs from the button and get shoved on by the BB. He’s been super loose/aggressive, I think I’m in reasonable shape vs his range and make the call. He has 55, and holds. Quite a blow, halving my stack.

I open up a little, needing to build my stack and do ok, taking a good few pots. I then win a race with AQ vs 88 and I’m more than healthy again.

The usual deep game grinding, winning some pots, losing a few but managing to build the stack a little. I then get 99 in the BB and reshove over an MP raise. He makes the call with 66 and doubles me up. In decent shape now with about 100K and the final table bubble nearing.

I raise AJs on the button, get re-popped by shortish BB and have to call. He has QQ but I bink my ace on the flop.

I win a good pot with 99 vs T8 and then endure the longest spell of card deadness, occasionally raising weak hands, getting a few through and having to fold to shoves here and there. Stack is dwindling a bit, I’m well below average, though almost before I know it, the FT bubble bursts.

A couple of people get eliminated while I do nothing much but endure dross cards. By the time we’re 7 handed, I’m down to 70K, only 10xBB’s and ready to gamble. The chip leader (big chip lead) is opening every pot, I shove over him with KJs, he has A9. He flops his ace, but I turn my straight and get back to a bit more workable stack. Very nice.

We get down to 6, I’m still the shortstack with 16xBBs. I raise KJ from the cutoff and the BB puts me all in. I call, he has A3, flop comes JTTK3 and I get mucho abuse in the chat box. Which was nice.

I get myself up to 3rd of 6 left, winning with A9s vs the chip leader’s 88. Running good.

I get AT in the BB, everyone folds to the SB who is the short stack. He shoves, I call he has TT and holds. Big chunk of stack gone. However almost immediately after, I get it in with 88 vs the chip leader who doubles me up with A8. Good hold and I’m 2nd place now.

Tough hand then follows. I open JJ and get flatted by the SB, flop comes Kc9c7c. I have Jc, and decide to check behind. Turn is 3d, he checks again and I bet. He raises me 3x. I think he’s FOS, I flat, river comes a blank 4s.

He bets 158k of his remaining 220k. I shrug/call and he shows AQo (no clubs), catapulting me into a solid 2nd place.

Next BB, I get AA and the same guy open shoves for 190k. He has QKs, board comes JA2QQ. I actually wince when the second queen hits on the river, it takes me a second to realise I’m still good. So we’re down to 4 left, and I have the chip lead now.

A few hands later, I have A4s in the BB. Short-stack in the SB open shoves for 100k (I have 900K or so) and I call – he has KT, flop 6KK, bit of a run good fail there. Still in fine shape though.

Win a nice pot stealing with Qh3d, flop comes all hearts, BB calls flop bet, turn another heart, he calls turn bet, river a blank, he folds to the river bet. Another 150k.

I then eliminate another player, he raises from the cutoff, I 3bet from the SB with AJ, he shoves and I call. I have his JQ dominated and manage to hold.

So we’re down to 3, I have 1.2M chips vs 281K and 362K. Plain sailing from here, you would think, but it’s never that easy.

Bullying quite a bit as you’d expect win a good few pots pre-flop. I then fold trash UTG and the SB ships into the BB who snap calls. SB has a monster 39o which beats the BB’s A7, crippling him. I take him out a few hands later when he ships 78s into my KK - and we’re heads up. I have 1.3M to the other guy’s 500K.

Grind up to 1.5M vs 300K then we get it in with A9 vs 33 and I lose. I then get it in with a pair and flush draw, brick out and his top pair holds. So now it’s 600K for me and 1.2M for him.

Over the next 20 hands I grind back to equal stacks. It’s clear he’s not a great HU player, pretty much bets when he has something and folds when he doesn’t, so he’s not that hard to grind down.

Win a big pot with Kx vs his Qx on a KQx board, he calls every street and I’m way ahead now, 1.4M to his 400K. Next hand he open ships and I fistpump TT. He has Q9 and binks his Q on the flop. Bugger.

Very next hand, it’s all over. I raise QJo, he 3bets and I ship. He has JJ. Have to confess the TT hand tilted me, I really should just have folded and went back to grinding him down. However, the board comes 95K5 and a beautiful 10 on the river. That’s $7k of run good right there!

So, my biggest cash to date, thanks to the infamous Stars river J Thanks to Reg for railing and the forum in general for the expert help, advice and knowledge. Some of it might rub off eventually.