If you play any sort of poker you have heard this before and probably all too often. Most people will be glad to share a story or two of when they were down really big and fought back over the long haul. I too figure I have a story worth sharing so thought I’d also share with ya what happened to me in a sit and go tournament last night.
I folded the first hand as it was raised pre-flop with 7-2 off-suit. The next hand I got pocket Q’s. Two people raised pre flop and I just called the raises. On the flop came A Q 7. That gave me a set of queens. With the pre-flop raises, I checked, then the re-raiser fires out a 250 chip bet. There are still 2 people behind me so I just call, they both fold leaving me and one other person in the hand. On the turn came a 7. Now I have Queens full of 7’s. I bet 150 and am immediately raised all-in in which I was left with 10 chips. They flip over our cards and he is holding pocket rockets (Ace-Ace). A blank falls on the river and I now have 10 chips only 2 hands into the tourney.
On the next hand I go all in with pocket kings and build up my meager stack to 35 chips. On the 4th hand I get k7 diamonds and say what the heck as I toss in my 35 chips and go all in. I get 2 callers prior to my raise and 5 callers after my raise. The flop comes k 7 6. I laugh a bit and rake another small pot and now am back up to 195 in chips. I think to myself “I think I stand a chance if I maybe get a little luckier and I could be right back in it.” On the next hand I am dealt pocket rockets and go all in and get 2 callers! On the flop comes 2 4 7 then on the turn comes a K with the river bringing another 2 and I luckily win the hand with 2 pair. I’m now back up to 600 chips and decide I really need to slow down and be patient. Over the next 20 hands I get a bunch of cruddy dud hands and don’t even play one.
Upon my re-entry into the action, I get a small pot and get to 700 in chips. 5 hands later I catch A 9 clubs. So I call the 30 along with 4 callers. Then comes the flop. On the flop comes K 8 6 all clubs. The player first to act goes all in with A K spades I am the only caller. He starts trash talking about how that is just a bad hand and I have no idea what I am doing. He goes out the next hand on a called bluff. We are now down to 5 players and boy did I never even think for a second that I would make it this far after a brutal start.
We are now in the 50/100 round and nothing much has changed. I still have just over 1500 in chips.
Next, the 2 chip leaders go at it along with the low chip stack as well, they all go all-in. I am of course hoping that the chip leader kills them off. The chip leader has pocket Kings, the second largest stack has pocket Queens and the small stack has A J suited diamonds. On the flop comes A K 10 with the turn being 6 and on the river comes another Ace. That gives the kings the nuts and wow, we are down to 3 players just that quick.
A little positioning happens and the guy with 1300 chips falls into a straight. Too bad for him, I hit the flush and destroyed him. Now it’s just me and ironically the guy who put me at 10 chips in the first place. We play for 20 more minutes going back and forth. He beat me with a bigger kicker on a pair of jacks, however you must consider that a good play when your down to the final 2 and when you almost get busted out.
The moral of this story is that anything can happen in cards and if you have a chip or 2 you are NEVER out of the game.
Until next time, good luck in your action!
