Heads up...

here is the latest news from Vegas. The day before yesterday I played the $2500 6-max Event. There I had a really nice start, when I got it in with AA vs JJ and 88 at the last hand of level 2 for a 20k pot. So I had alsmost 3 times the starting stack. I had a very nice table, everyone was too tight and too passive, so I could bully my table around, and won many small pots. At the end of level 4, my table broke up and I was moved to another table. At this time my stack was already 30k and the blinds were increased in level 5 to 100/200/25. But then everything changed. First I lost a coinflip for a 10k pot with 96s vs AdKd on a 9x7d3d flop. Then I made a stupid 3bet, because I didn't see, that the other guy was so short. So he pushed all in and I had to call him with 43s and couln't stand his JJ. So I was down to about 20k. Couldn't win a single hand then, because I didn't hit my draws, got check/raised a few times, when I had to play bet/fold with air and thus my stack was decreased to about 12k. Then I had J9o in the big blind, it was folded to the small blind, who raised to 800 at 150/300/25 blinds. I called and the flop came Q94. He cbet 1100 and I called. Turn was a J and I had 2 pair now. The small blind bet again, like he was doing every time and I decided that the best play for me is to push all in. Unfortunately he KT for the nuts and I couldn't hit one of my outs.

After the tournament, I went directly to the final table of the $5000 Event, to cheer for fabstinho.  It was a nice atmosphere, many germans were railing him, everyone had beer and was hoping for the first german bracelet in 2009. But as you should already know, fabstinho could "only" finish in second, because he was unlucky in the important all ins. Nevertheless a really great performance of fabstinho and still a nice payday. Congratulations!!!

Today I played the $1500 NLHE Shootout tournament. Everyone started with 4500 in chips and the first player of every ten handed table improved to day two and had about $5300 safe. I think I had a good table, with some decent players, but also some who donked of their chips. In the first level, I didn't play many hands, I was just feeling out the table a little bit. Then in level two, I had the first big hand. The hijack raised to 125, cutoff and button called, so did I with 99 in the small blind and also the big blind threw in another 75 chips. The flop came J96 with two hearts. I bet 475 in the ~600 pot and it was folded to the hijack, who raised to 1100. Everyone folded back to me and I pushed all in. He put me on a flush draw and called with QJ. Turn and river blanked and I could win a nice pot.

Then again at the end of level two, the young loose guy in the hijack opened to 300, I reraised with black Kings to 850 and he shoved all in for 8k. I called and was happy to see his AQo. The flop came with three low clubs, he had no club and couldn't hit on turn and river. So I was up to about 17k. After the break, the game went on 6-handed. After a while of playing, another three players where knocked out, and we were 3-handed. I still had about 17k, the chipleader had about 20k and the third guy had 8k. After raising and folding around for some time, I found QQ in the small blind. I raised to 850 and the big blind called. The flop came 865 with 2 diamonds. I cbet around 1200, he raised to 3000 and I pushed all in. Then he went into the tank, but finally he threw in his last chips and showed A8o. The Queens held up and I went into the heads up with a 3:2 chiplead.

I think, then we played for like 2 hours. I grinded him down to 7000 chips. The blinds now were 300/600/75. I had K8o in the small blind and shipped it in. He tanked for a while, but then he called with A8s (wtf). Sadly I didn't suck out, and he was back in the game. After one failed 3-bet bluff, the stacks were like 26k vs 19k in my favour. He openraised to 1500, I got 88, 3-bet to 4250 like in the last hand, when I bluffed and he pushed all in. I obviously called. He had AK and we had the classic coinflip. The flop brought an Ace and I couldn't catch an 8. So now I only had 7k left. The very next hand I moved all in with A6s and he folded. He then completed his small blind and I checked with 36s. The flop came 862 with two clubs, I had hearts. I check/raised all in and was in bad shape against his 89o. Another 8 on the turn and I was drawing dead.