MTT at the Temple Club in Lansing, MI

Live Game
I played a MTT at the Temple Club in Lansing, MI on Sunday. It was a $20 dollar buy-in and we received $300 in chips. There were about 9 tables with 9 players and each table would play down to one person and that person from each table would advance and be in the final table for the money. Top price of $500 and on down to $50 for 8th place. Michigan only allows a maximum top prize of $500 and the tournament must be sponsored by a charity that gets half of the buy-in. In this case it was the Friends of the Ingham County Animal Shelter.

My Poker Playing daughter Rachel and I went to the tournament and we both did well but neither got in the money. I eliminated two players at my table with pocket queens and pocket jacks to double my stack but my best hand did me in and it was my deal. I got Ace/Queen of clubs and bet it up pretty good. There were only three of us remaining at the table and my chip stack was second best. The chip leader called and the flop was rags but all hearts. I bet a pretty good size bet to see where my opponent was and he just called. This led me to believe that he did not have a flush yet. I put out another good size bet to try to take the pot now and not go to the turn or the river but my opponent called and the turn card was another rag but it was a heart, too. I checked and my Opponent went all in. I figured him for Ace of hearts so I folded and with it went over half of my stack. He showed me the Ace as he was raking in my chips. The worse part was I dealt that hand. I did myself in. Now I was short stacked at the table and the blinds were the maximum $250. I doubled up with 9-5 when I hit a nine on the flop but still was short stacked. The next hand I went all in with Ace/nine and was called by Queen/five and the five hit on the flop and I was done. Rachel had gone out on her table shortly before me and best we could figure is that we had made the top 25 or close to it. Most of the tables were down to less than 2 or3 people when I went out.
I don’t play much live poker so it always amazes me when live poker hands ‘emulate’ on-line poker hands. For example, my losing hand when four hearts came on the board in order. It just bothers the hell out of me when on-line players think the game is rigged because their set of Aces loses to a straight or a flush. It happens in live games, too!! In fact it seemed like we got quite a few flush draws that players were able to complete the flush and take the pot.

I am looking forward to next month’s tournament and hope I do better and can finally get into the money.