Played Another Large Field Tournament

I am still a little under the weather from the flu. This flu is just dragging. So last night I had planned on 4 tabling $10 + 1 STT (Single Table Tournament) but changed my mind. I just didn't have the energy.

So instead I did another "fun" poker night where I looked at what big tournaments were playing. The pickings were far and few but I found a $4 + 0.40 large tournament starting in about 10 minutes. There ended up about 430 of us. I quickly doubled up in the first few hands. People play very loose in these low buy-in large field tournaments. I guess they figure they are willing to take big chances and double up and are willing to go out early if that is not going to happen.

With these big tournaments I have learned that patience is a virtue. I too am looking to double up, but I know I can wait for good cards and a good flop before trying. So many people are throwing all-in's that if you time yours just right, you are almost certain to get a caller.

Unfortunately, I did not place in this tournament. I played about 2 hours and went out in 117th place. ITM was 103. Doh! I can honestly say I got stupid at least two times towards the end and that is what cost me the tournament. I was sitting very comfortable at $7500 with $150/200 blinds. I raised a LAG player who was constantly blind stealing and he called me. The flop gave me two overcards. I had AQs and the flop was J, 4, 7 rainbow. I was the big blind and the opponent was on the button. I raised the flop and he called me. Basiclly I kept raising with nothing but overcards, trying to represent TPTK or two pair and he just kept calling me. I checked the river and he called. He had paired the 7. That was just bad play on my part. He also played lousy too since I have been very TAG the entire tournament.

Another thing I have learned in the large field tournaments is 90% of the time it is flop or fold. There are too many calling stations in these large tournaments to try to bluff.

I repeated the same mistake a couple hands later and ended up loosing the tournament.

I played another tournament at the same time. It was a $5 + 0.50 45 player tournament. I also doubled up pretty quickly in this tournament. But I ended up not ITM here either. I made it to the final table and went out in 9th place. My last hand was my last $300 and the blinds were $200/400 + $25 ante. LOL. I actually would have been better off waiting until the next hand. I was UTG so the blinds would have hit me next hand. But this particular hand had 3 All-In callers. I had 3,7o. My opponents had TT, JJ, AA. Good god! My only hope there was landing trips 3's or 7's - which did not happen.

The funny thing was since this was the final table, had I waited till the next hand, I would have made it ITM. ITM started at 7th place. Those two opponents would have been taken out and I would have survived to place in the tournament. But when you are down to $300 and the next hand will blind you out of the game - your position is the worst possible. Ironic way to go.

Any ways. My wife's sister is visiting us from Florida and she is staying with us for the next couple days. But I hope to be able to 4 table $10 + 1 sitngoes tonight.