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[c-lando]

Talk to me when you have conquered the world with freeTrolls.

[Butter]

August 10, 2015
Start: $78.32

Sat at 2 standard NLHE SNG's last night.

First one, I got from 1500 to 2000 chips by holding J7 in the BB, being able to see the flop for free and seeing 77J come out.  Several hands later, I was dealt KK in middle position.  Blinds were 15-30, so this was VERY early, literally 15 minutes in.  I raised to 105.  Guy behind me raised to 250.  Action folds around to me, I raise back to 550.  Guy behind me raises all-in.  I guess he was pretty much telling me he had AA.  And when I called him, he did.  That crippled me, and I finished 8th.

Second one, I was holding JJ in the blind.  I just checked to the flop, which was all undercards BUT 3 clubs.  I bet hard, got called.  Next card was a Queen.  I check, player ahead of me bets, I raise all-in.  He calls and shows Ace-rag, with the Ace of clubs.  Final card was the 4th club, and I was out of that one in 5th place. 

Two all-ins, one a mistake, and one wasn't.  But I probably could've avoided both.

Finish: $76.12
(-2.20 in tournaments)

[lutz]

I still find it crazy that you're mixing up Hold'em and Omaha and limit and no-limit and ring games and tournaments and SNGs, given that they all require slightly different play styles. I mean, yes it's more fun, but you're probably not going to learn very much.

[Butter]

I don't disagree, but there are only so many things going on at the times I can play.  I have to take the play I can get at the times that work.

August 11, 2015
Start: $76.12

Had a ticket to a scheduled freeroll at 8:30 yesterday, which paid out one $100 seat to a $100K guaranteed tournament, or 9 seats to a semifinal qualifier.

I made a real stupid play in this one, fighting back in the blind with Q-rag on a Qxx board, and lost out when AQo called my all-in push.  Welp. 

Also played a $2 deep stack tournament around this same time.  You would think with deep stacks, I would've been in longer.  But what REALLY happened was I lost about 1/3 of my stack on a flop of QJx when I was holding QTo in the blind.  I folded to a re-raise when a second J hit the turn.  Then this site has "rabbit hunting" which shows what would've hit the next street when there is folding on the flop or turn.  In this case, a 3rd Jack hit the board, so I probably should've pushed there.

Instead, I pushed all-in against a clear blind steal from the button when I was holding 44.  My read was correct, but he called with 35s, and I lost when a 5 hit the board.  Good combo of bad playing and percentages not holding up for me.

Finish: $73.92
(-2.20 in tournaments)

[Butter]

August 13, 2015
Start: $73.92

Sat at 2 standard $1 NLHE SNG's.  Busted out in 5th in both.  Played very tight, but also didn't get much to play with.  In 107 hands between the 2 tournaments, I saw 66, 44, 22 as pairs that I either folded pre-flop or lost with, I also got AKs once, KQs once (and won small hands with both), AQo once, and KJo once both of which I folded to strong pre-flop raises out of position.  I ended up going all-in in both with about 800 chips with 75-150 blinds, I had A5o in one tournament and 22 in a blind in the other tournament.  Was called with Q-rag vs. 22 and lost, and K9o vs. A5o and lost.  Pretty uneventful overall.

I then sat at 2 PL Omaha 6-max cash game (.02/.05 blind) tables, one was a Hi-Lo table, and the other was a standard Omaha Hi only table.  Sat for about 40 minutes. 

I won a decent pot at the Hi table with AKKT double-suited, and left there only up 15 cents. 

At the Hi/Lo table, I was dealt As-6s-Th-2c... a good drawing hand for Hi/Lo.  Not as good as AA23 double suited, but I was in a blind here.  It was pot raised to .22 pre-flop, and there were 3 players including me to the flop, which was TT4 rainbow.  That's a bingo for me.  Pre-flop raiser bets pot (0.71), I re-pot to 1.73 (all-in), he calls and other player folds.  Board ends up TT463, so I split the Lo as raiser shows AA2Q double-suited, but take the Hi.  Make over a dollar on that hand alone.

I press hard again with AAK2 double-suited, but get no callers of my PF raise from the SB.  I win another 50 cents or so with AKK2 on the button when the pot stays small on a board of QTK78.

I win another .30 or so when I am dealt JTQK UTG, and I keep pot small but get folds to my strong bets when the board comes KQ9J.  Was in danger to anything like AT, but had a lot of re-draws to full houses there, and anybody playing the Lo didn't make it.

Finish: $73.57
(-2.20 in tournaments, 1.65 in ring games)

[Butter]

2 weeks in, how am I doing?

Total bankroll start: $75
Current bankroll: $73.57
-1.43 overall

Well, it breaks down like this:
Ring games
Bought in with $41, left with $36.03
-4.97 in 17 sessions

Limit hold'em ring games
+2.23 in 5 sessions

PL Omaha ring games
+2.01 in 4 sessions

NL Hold 'Em ring games
-9.21 in 8 sessions

Tournaments
Bought in with $30.80, left with $34.34
+3.54 in 22 tournaments

NLHE Sit 'n Go's
-5.80 in 12 tournaments
1 first place, 1 second place, 10 no cashes

Omaha SNG's
+9.80 in 3 tournaments
1 first place, 1 second place, 1 triple up, cashed in all 3

NLHE Multi-Table tournaments
-.26 in 7 tournaments
1 cash in 7 attempts


Probably still too early to tell anything, but I'm starting to suspect that No Limit Hold 'Em just isn't my thing.

My 2 biggest wins though were netting $9.64 on a single NLHE Multi-Table tournament (the "Super Knockout" one), and netting $5.70 on a Pot Limit Omaha Hi Sit 'n Go.  My worst losses have been losing $2.20 on three $2 multi-table tournaments and not cashing in them, losing $2.69 the one day I tried "Zone Poker" which is essentially like playing 4x as many hands an hour as a regular player, and the 3 times I have sat at a no limit cash game and busted out with $2.

Still too early to get an actual read, but I may start playing some more limit and cash games and saving NLHE for tournaments, as that was my biggest source of losses so far.

[Dan]

Sounds like Omaha is your thing.

[Butter]

August 14-16
Start: $73.57

I played a lot this weekend.  A lot.  Didn't hurt that I wrenched my back on Sunday cleaning up some large tree waste in the back yard.

Some interesting stuff happened.  I earned enough points to gain another $10 bonus.  So now I have to play A LOT more by the beginning of October to earn a final $15.  May or may not be doable, if I keep hammering the Omaha cash tables it is definitely doable.

Played 6 multi-table no-limit hold 'em tournaments, and didn't cash in a single one.  Andrea played 2 of them.  We both continue to fail to win anything resembling a coin flip, it's actually getting comical at this point.  Last night in the $1,000 Guaranteed tournament, I had TT in the BB... it was raised then re-raised ahead of me.  I considered for a good long while, then decided to fold.  Flop came 66T.  I literally said out loud "Fuck you, game."  Luckily the kids were in bed.  That tilted me, I think.  I proceeded to go all-in later to an aggressive stealer who called my AQd with KTo, and I lost when the board came with only 2 diamonds and no pair, something like KJ632.  Thanks for nothing.

Also played 4 sit 'n go's.  1 NLHE, and 3 Omaha.  Did not cash in either, finished 7th in NLHE, 5th in the 2 regular Omaha's.  The 3rd Omaha tourney, I tried the $3 Triple-Up again, where the top 3 all get $9 instead of a standard 1st, 2nd, 3rd structure.  I would've made the final 2 had it been a standard tourney, as the big stack knocked out 2 players on the final hand.  So, I won $9 for my lone cash out of 11 tournaments played (including a freeroll).

For ring play, I played a single limit hold 'em table, but other than that, played a TON of Pot-Limit Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo.  At the limit table, I lost .88 in that single session.  At the Omaha tables (varied between 6 and 9 players depending on what was available), I ended up $2.77.  At the Hi/Lo tables, I ended up $3.15 thanks to two monster hands on Sunday.

In the first, I was already up $1.72 when I was dealt JJ32, 2 clubs on the button.  I called for .05, SB raised to .25 and one other player called including me.  3 to the flop which was 94J rainbow.  Couldn't get much better for me.  Figure the only thing that I had to worry about was some kind of wrap with QTxx in another hand.  I bet the pot, which was .80 and both players called me.  Turn was an Ace of spades.  That gives me the nut-low also if it were to complete with anything above a 4... as I now had 4-3-2-A.  Action checks to me, I go all-in for my final $2.67.  Neither player covered me, but they both called me. 

SB and original raiser turns up 6TQT with 2 spades... he had the hand I had to worry about.  Other guy was pretty much just praying for a Lo to complete, showing 7A72 with 3 diamonds. 

River was a 4th Jack, so the Low hand didn't complete, and I scoop the whole thing, over $8.

The other hand I dominated was me in the SB.  A hand I wouldn't normally play, I get 7493 with 2 spades in the SB.  I call, then the BB min-raises to .10.  We have 5 players of 8 to the flop for .10.  Flop is A62, 2 hearts.  That's a GREAT low hand for me.  I go for the check raise.  BB bets .50, 2 of the other 3 players call.  I raise all-in for my last $2.34 at the table.  All 3 call.  Only 2 players left have money, and they check it down.

Turn is a 5c, which completes my wheel for the Low.  River is an 8 of clubs, for which my wrap fits perfectly, giving me the nut high straight 5 through 9. 

Board: 26A58 with no flush possibilities
Me: 7493
BB: Q5Q4 rainbow
UTG: 7JKJ 2 hearts
Dealer: 67A3 2 diamonds

Best they had was two pair.  So they all had a tenuous reason to be in the pot, but none of their draws hit and I was winning at least half the pot anyway with my Low (although theoretically, that could split multiple ways if other people were holding 3-4).  I netted nearly $6 with that hand alone.  I wasn't having a great Omaha weekend until those last couple of hands.

Finish: $78.91
(-9.70 in tournaments, +5.04 ring games, +10 in bonus)

[Butter]

August 19-20
Start: $78.91

Not a great week for me.  Lost a couple of big hands of PLO H/L.

In one, I was starting with AA24 double suited, which is literally the 2nd best starting hand.  I pushed all in pre-flop, the other guy turned over AA67 rainbow, and I lost.  It happens.

Other than that, it was just a slow grinding down in most cases.  I lost more big hands that I showed down than I won.  When I was pushing with big draws, they wouldn't make.  I also stopped re-raising pre-flop in cash games, as that was losing me a lot of money as well.  I was playing almost ALL Omaha Hi/Lo.  I prefer playing at 9-handed tables, but none were available the last couple of days, so I played at 6-ers.  I don't know if that made a difference or not.  You are certainly supposed to loosen up your starting hand restrictions, and I felt like I was doing that, I just wasn't making anything almost ever.  Or when I was, it wouldn't hold up.

I realize not raising is a recipe for disaster the more I think about it, so I gotta stop that line of thinking.  It was maybe limiting my losses, but it was also neutering my wins as I was playing SO TIGHT that no one would call my bets.

On the plus side, I had my first cash in a NLHE sit 'n go in like FOREVER.  The table was playing so tight, I started just raising with literally about half my hands, and taking a lot of pots.  I ended up losing heads-up, but did make it to 2nd.

I made another "hero" fold as well... this time in the $3 PLO Triple-Up that I played that ended up costing me the money, as I would've won the hand, tripled-up in chips, and likely coasted to the money.  I had a draw to both the nut flush and the nut low with one card to come, but laid it down with a raise and re-raise all-in in front of me... and it completed.  I gotta stop playing so tight in tournaments, I guess.  Tournament play and cash game play are not the same, and I can't treat them the same.

Finish: $67.65
(-2.80 in tournaments, -8.46 in ring games)

I had another site that I signed up with for just freerolls just give me $5 in real money to play with, so I may take a couple of stabs there and see if I can build that this weekend.

[Butter]

August 22-23
Start: $67.65

A decent weekend.  Started out strongly by winning nearly $5 at 2 PLO tables. 

Big hand of the session which nearly won $3 on its own was:
I had AKTQ with 2 hearts in the SB... I just completed the BB and it was just me and him to the flop:

• J7T with one heart.

I bet .10 and got called. 

• Turn was an 8 of hearts.

I now had an absolute ton of outs to win the hand, any heart (9 more), and any Ace, King, Queen, or 9 (12 of those) would make the nut straight.  I would probably lose on any blank. 
I bet .15 and the BB raised it pot size, to .75.  I called. 

• River was the straight making King of diamonds. 

I bet pot-size, which was 1.80 and was called.  He mucked, but on later review showed his hand to be Q494 with 2 hearts.  He was drawing to a worse flush and straight.  He actually made his straight on the turn while I got mine on the river.  Tough luck.

A sample hand I lost on would be one where I made trips on the flop, but lost to a hidden full house (player had a pocket pair of 6's on a board of 6JJ which I bet hard holding a Jack, but lost).

I then placed 5th in a top-3 get paid Triple Up Omaha tournament.  But I did place 2nd in a $1 PLO SNG, which netted me 1.60 and got me over $71.

I then spent a very long time at 4 PLO tables (I vary between Hi/Lo and regular, 6-players and 9 quite a bit), gaining $1.72 and moving up to near $73.

After which I proceeded to bust out of a $1 Multi-Table tournament in 54th of 200+ where only 27 places paid.

And lost in 5th of a $1 NLHE SNG.

Then I took some beats at Omaha to push me back under the $70 mark by end of Saturday night.


Sunday, I pushed back over $75 briefly, thanks to this hand at a straight Omaha table.

I have $1.90 and am dealt A6TJ double suited in middle position.  UTG raises, and we get 6(!) callers of 9 to the flop, so the pot is already at $1.02 when this comes:

• Q85, 2 clubs

That's my suited Ace.  I am on a straight up flush draw with a backdoor straight draw to protect me if a 9 or King were to come.
UTG bets pot, $1.02.  I move my remaining $1.45 in... 3 callers remain in the hand.

• Turn is 7 of diamonds.

That's not me, but nothing I can do about it at this point.  Action is checked around with already $6+ in the pot.

• River is 2 of clubs.

That makes my flush.  UTG goes all-in, and gets one caller.  They all show a flush, but worse ones, and I rake $6.48.

Sadly, I don't do great at much else, and head into 2 multi-table tournaments at $74.

C-Fan plays the $2 NLHE MTT with $500 guaranteed, and I start the one that is the same buy-in but for $1000 guaranteed about 90 minutes later.

I lost out in mine early when my AK lost vs. AQ as per usual.

In C-Fan's, she got QQ in middle position early, and raised to 70 (blinds are 10/20 at this point, with stack size of 3000).  Got one caller out of position.  Flop was 26T rainbow.  Caller bet 130, C-Fan re-raised to 560.  He called again.  Turn was an Ace.  He checked, and Andrea bet about half pot, 645.  Caller goes all-in.  C-Fan thinks for a moment, but decides to lay it down.  Knocked her to about half her stack size... upon later review (after 1 day, you can review all hole cards from all players even if they don't show during the hand), he was playing 44.  Basically bluffed us off half her money.  At the time, I felt that if she was willing to bet 645 into the pot when a scare card came, she was willing to go all-in.  Didn't work out.

C-Fan makes it through the break and early in the 2nd hour with blinds at 125/250, 25 ante she gets 66 UTG.  She decides to flat call.  Cutoff made it 800 to go, Dealer calls.  C-Fan decides to go all in with her last 2800.  They both call.  Relief comes when the board brings a 6.  She triples up off this to nearly 9k in chips.

A bit later, C-Fan completes the small blind with 88 facing 2 other players.  Flop comes 84J... she tries the check raise, but no bets.  Turn is another 4, giving her a full house.  She goes for a min bet of 400 trying to get some callers.  MP caller min-raises to 800.  C-Fan raises back to 2000.  MP goes all-in, C-Fan calls and sees A4o turned over.  River is a meaningless Ace (gave MP a worse full house), and C-Fan is now threatening 20k chips.

Sadly, not much else happens.  She folds a lot of rag cards and doesn't get anything to flop with her speculative hands or blinds.  With only 7 players to the money, blinds at 500/1000 and her stack at 12k, she gets AJh.  She calls and gets a raiser behind her who has a monster stack.  She decides to go all-in against him.  He insta-calls and turns over KK (literally the 3rd time in about 20 hands he has showed down KK).  Board comes 95T8...T giving her a whiff and putting her out in 61st place out of just over 200 players.  While she probably could've limped to the money (which was about $4 for the lowest tier), she decided to keep playing her game and it popped her bubble.

With the 2 MTT tourney whiffs, that brought my roll back down below $70.

Finish: $69.61
(+10.26 in ring games, -8.30 in tournaments)(with one near miss)

[Butter]

August 24th
Start: $69.61

I start with a rare $2 PLO Multi-Table tournament.  It starts with literally 4 players, but late registrants soon get it up to 20.

Very early, I get AKQQ with AK of spades.  Board comes 89Q with 2 spades.  I have top set and the nut flush draw.  I decide this is good enough to go all-in with vs. heavy betting (someone clearly either has 89 or JT, probably JT to a flopped straight).  Sure enough, they do, but board doesn't help me and I'm the first one out.  I look it up later, and even with their flopped straight, I was still 65% to win after the flop.  Alas.

I make some good progress at the cash tables even with the loss, getting my roll up to $75+ before sitting at another $3 Omaha Triple-Up SNG.

I made it to the Final 4, where it was me and 2 other guys vs. a bully.  He was raising almost every pot while we were on the cash bubble.  I decide finally that my AK56 double-suited is good enough to fight back with.  I win when the board comes 3467K, and that's enough to pretty much coast to a Final 3 win of $9 and get my roll over $80 for the first time.

Then I proceed to sit at a PLO H/L 6 max table and bust out 3 times for $2 each.  I also had to add $1 back to one table after getting down to 20 cents.  Way to blow the winnings there.  I spend $10 at 3 tables and end up with .65 to show for it by the end of that.  I decide to try a couple of other tables.

At one of these, I sit at a 9-max table.  After 4 or 5 hands, it is clear that there are 2 guys who are just constantly going all-in against each other.  Literally every hand.  People start grumbling in the chat.  I decide that this is my chance.  Me and another guy decides to go all-in with them on another hand.  He wins the Hi, I win the Lo for $5.54 and promptly exit that shit.

I do fine at the other tables and end with $76+.

As a nightcap, I decide to tackle one final $3 PLO Triple-Up SNG... This follows a familiar formula, we get down to the Final 4, and one bully pushes the others around.  I decide to take a stand this time with 9TJQ double-suited.  I suck out a win there vs. 9747 as little help comes for either of us... I win the hand with a pair of Queens.  I ride that double-up to a cash at this one too, and end the night well over $80 for the first time.

Finish: $82.44
(+3.63 in ring games, +9.20 in tournaments)

[Butter]

3+ weeks in, how am I doing?

Total bankroll start: $75
Current bankroll: $82.44
+7.44 overall

Well, it breaks down like this:
Ring games
Bought in with $168, left with $173.50
+5.50 in 68 sessions

Limit hold'em ring games
+1.35 in 6 sessions

PL Omaha ring games
+11.21 in 21 sessions

PL Omaha Hi/Lo ring games
+2.15 in 33 sessions

NL Hold 'Em ring games
-9.21 in 8 sessions

Tournaments
Bought in with $74.80, won $66.74
-8.06 in 45 tournaments

NLHE Sit 'n Go's
Bought in with $16.50, won $9.90
-6.60 in 15 tournaments
1 first place, 2 second place, 10 no cashes

Omaha SNG's
Bought in with $6.60, won $9
+2.40 in 6 tournaments
1 first place, 1 second place, 1 third place, 3 no cashes

Omaha Triple-Up SNG's
Bought in with $19.80, won $36
+16.20 in 6 tournaments
Finished in the money in 4 of 6.

NLHE Multi-Table tournaments
Bought in with $34.10, won $11.84
-22.26 in 20 tournaments
1 cash / top-10, 19 no cashes

+$10 in bonus money from the site

[Butter]

Hit a bad run where I was playing almost all Omaha, and losing A LOT.  Was playing way too tight, but the times I was calling I was always calling with 2nd best hands.  Not sure if it was a bad run, bad playing, some combo of them both.   

But I have been running good in another form of poker, and I finally cashed the last of my bonus.

7 weeks in, how am I doing?

Total bankroll start: $75
Current bankroll: $126.47
+51.47 overall

Well, it breaks down like this:

Ring games
Bought in with $241.63, left with $210.18
-31.45 in 100+ sessions


Tournaments
Bought in with $136.10, won $169.02
+32.92 in 61 tournaments

NLHE Sit 'n Go's
Bought in with $19.80, won $9.90
-9.90 in 16 tournaments
1 first place, 2 second place, 11 no cashes

Omaha SNG's
Bought in with $7.70, won $9
+1.30 in 7 tournaments
1 first place, 1 second place, 1 third place, 4 no cashes

Omaha Triple-Up SNG's
Bought in with $36.30, won $54
+17.70 in 11 tournaments
Finished in the money in 6 of 11.

NLHE Multi-Table tournaments
Bought in with $60.40, won $96.12
+35.72 in 27 tournaments
6 cashes, 3 top-10s, 21 no cashes, cashes in 5 of last 7 tournaments entered

Omaha MTT's
Bought in with $14, won $0
-14.00 in 3 tournaments
0 cashes out of 3

+$50 in bonus money from the site

I ran the math, and these numbers don't QUITE add up, I'm off by like $1 somewhere in here, but you'll just have to deal with it.

You can see that I have a wild swing down in Ring Games, and a wild swing up in Tournament play.  And I gathered a bonus.

So, without the bonus, I am literally up $1.47 through all of this.  But I feel like I was nailing it in the multi-table tournaments I was in recently.  That'll be detailed in the next post.

[Butter]

Aug. 25 - Sept. 17

Started this stretch with $82.44.  Ran it down to just over $35 with mostly Omaha ring play.  I decided one week that I was going to make that second bonus before the early October deadline, and I did.  That was an additional $40, so that got me back to near $80.

It was about this time I started playing a few more NLHE multi-table tournaments.  Because that and Omaha are my 2 favorite things to play, and Omaha was starting to piss me off.

So, I found myself playing a couple of multi-table Omaha tournaments and not doing all that great in them.  Didn't make the money in any of them, and was certainly not being blessed with any big hands in them either.  Found myself getting money in against people with AAxx and losing more often than not.  Similar to cash games.

I decided to enter the 6:45 PM daily $500 guaranteed $2.20 tournament.  This is one that I have crapped out in a few times before.  You start with 3k chips in this one, as opposed to the normal 1500 chips in other tournaments.

Here are a couple of key hands:

I have about 5k chips with blinds 75/150 and get AJc in 3rd position.  I smooth call, and 4 to the flop which comes T8K with 2 clubs.  I bet pot size of 600, and the dealer raises me all in for his last 1700.  With such a strong draw and a gutshot possibility, I figure to go ahead and put it in. 

He shows Q3c, and he is dominated.  I just have to dodge a Q or a 3 and I win.  Turn is 9h, and river is Qh, which actually makes my straight.  I get up to 7200 chips with this.

3 hands later in the BB, I call a 300 chip raise from the SB with K9h.  Flop is T5K, 2 diamonds.  SB bets 600.  I raise enough to put him all-in, which is about 2200 more.  He calls, and shows ATo.  Top pair holds up, and I improve to over 10k in chips.

A bit later, I am up to 14k in chips, blinds at 500/1000 with 100 antes.  I get 55 in the small blind and raise to 3800.  BB decides to raise all-in.  It is another 4600 to call, and I am hoping for a coin flip as I make the call. 

It is not, as he shows 77.  Board comes Q9536, and I get up to 24k in chips with the trips.

About 7 hands later, I get TT in the BB.  Cutoff min-raises to 2400.  I re-raise him all in, which is about 8200 more.  He calls inexplicably with 78c.  Board comes T2KJQ, and I get to over 36k in chips, knocking him out in 47th place.

I later get to 50k in chips, and the tournament lead with A2o in the BB when the board comes 223 and I raise the dealer's C-bet.

With blinds at 2500/5000 and me down to 40k in chips, I get AJd in the BB.  UTG raises to 15k.  I decide this is good enough and shove.  He turns up KQo, but luck is not on my side this time, as the board comes with 2 Queens, and ends my tournament.

I finish 17th in a 200+ person field where 36 pay.  The pay only really got above $5 in the final 18, so this was a decent cash at $8.37.

I didn't make a lot of great plays in this, but got good hands in the blinds and was able to disguise the strength of my holdings and made that work to maximum effect.

The next day, I cashed for $5 in a $2 tournament, and $3.30 in a $1 multi-tabler to make 3 in a row.

The next couple don't go great, but I am holding steady at around $80.

[Butter]

Sept. 18-20

On Friday night after we get back from our trip to Louisville for the Clemson-Louisville game, I settle down for that same $2 6:45 PM multi-table tournament.

I get up to about 4300 before this hand, where I get AA on the button with blinds at 100/200.  I get the dream scenario, where I have a raise and a caller before it gets to me.  I re-raise to 1800.  I get 2 callers to the flop, which is K99.  A little scary, but I press on.  One bettor goes all in with their last 300.  I re-raise enough to put other guy all-in, and HE calls also. 

Turns out I'm up against JTh and 66.  66 was REAL optimistic.  JT has at least a gutshot, but the final 2 cards are a 2 and a 3, so I bust the 11k chip mark.

Then, I start stealing.  A lot.  The table is tight, so I make the most of it.  I end up doubling my stack with a lot of small wins, up to 22k. 

I straight up take a pot from someone, as cutoff raises to 800 with blinds at 200/400.  I had 39d in the small blind.  Board comes with a bunch of scare cards, I bet out on it and win. 

With 29k in chips, I get QQ UTG.  I raise to 2200 with blinds at 250/500.  SB calls me.  Flop is Q6J, 2 spades.  I hope to check raise, but nothing doing.  Turn is an Ace of spades, SB bets 1k, and I call.  SB bets 1k on the river, which is a 4h, a blank.  I raise to 5k.  He calls and mucks 2 of a kind, A6o.

That puts me into the tournament chip lead at nearly 39k.

Unfortunately, I gave 7k of it back overplaying A5o against a K44 board vs. someone who has a pocket pair.  I end up all in because of math, but lose.

With blinds at 1000/2000, and us just into the money (45 places pay), I get J5c in the BB.  One caller around to me.  Cutoff bets 4k on the flop of A9K, with the AK being of clubs.  I have the 2nd nut flush draw, and call.  Turn is a Jack of diamonds.  I call another 4k bet.  River is a 2c, making my flush.  I put Cutoff in position to call for his tournament life, another 7300 chips.  He calls, I win with the flush, and he mucks a single pair.  He's out in 33rd place, and I double up to over 43k chips.

I lose half my stack with AQo vs. 9Ts when the board comes QJ8 on the flop and flops him a straight.  Back to 23k with under 18 players left.  I claw gradually back up over 40k.

Big stack is to my left, and he tries to steal my blind a bit later.  I decide to call his shove with my KJd, and win when a K comes on the board vs. his T7o.  I get to over 92k chips.

I make it to the final table with 89k chips, and am the 5th largest stack.  I hang around, and survive another couple of places.  With a stack of 69k and blinds at 3500/7000, and the table at 5-handed, I decide to try to steal the blinds with a shove with K9d.  I am called by KTs, and the board is no help to either of us, so I lose out-kicked to KTs.  I probably could've survived another spot, which would've been another $20.

But as it is, I finish 5th, and make $43.23 my best showing by far in one of these tournaments.