Seabrook Poker is a charity based poker room but professionally run with amazing dealers and a wide variety of tournaments/cash games/sng’s to choose from. I play there now and again when I see a tournament coming up that looks interesting or one I think will draw a larger crowd. This is the case with their NH SPC. They are holding 9 tournaments over 9 days. I decided to try the first three days of nlhe tournaments and then I may go back for the stud tournament tomorrow.
Day one…nlhe mtt, $150 buy-in, 30 minute rounds, 15k in starting chips, 109 entrants. Can you say card dead? In 6 hours of play I saw KK, QQ, AQ x2, and THAT IS IT! I spent the day stealing, bluffing, and sitting patiently hoping for a hand. I never got above the starting stack of 15k, hovered around it most of the day just from stealing blinds/antes. I went out when there were about 32 players left.
Day two…nlhe mtt, $200 buy-in, 30 minute rounds, 20k in starting chips, 105 entrants. Okay…can you say card dead day two? Again, I saw absolutely no big pairs…this time I really saw no big pairs. I lasted about 4 hours and made it to about 5 tables left again mostly from stealing/bluffing.
Day three…nlhe mtt, $200 buy-in, 40 minute rounds with antes not kicking in until 600/1200 level, 16k in starting chips, 107 entrants. Can you say getting hit in the head with cards from hand one? I spent the first two levels seeing AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK, AQ and the list goes on. I built up a nice stack the first two levels only to lose back to about 20k from a weird blind hand. I had 3,5 in bb and tapped table. Flop came 5K5…sweet I flopped trips. We all check. Turn comes with an A…I bet out this time and get one caller. River comes a blank. I bet out again and caller (who is 2nd UTG) double raises me with a shaky hand. I think…AK or AQ with his position. He was a limper and not a raiser so he had something but being in 2nd UTG I couldn’t place him with a 5 in his hand but to be safe I just called. He flips over K,5 lol. He had played K5 in 2nd UTG and was rewarded. Okay, I move on from that but remember him for later.
Over the next few rounds I’m hovering around 20k to 30k in chips and am seeing no hands. Two dealers are at my table and they are making it hard to steal as they are both playing very aggressive and keep playing back at me. A person moved in on button with AK and I’m in bb with QQ. I isolate him and knock him out. Then I make a move on button, first in with AQ and bb moves all in (this is K5 guy). I call as I have him way covered (thank goodness for that) and he turns over 2,3 lol. Flop nothing, turn nothing, river TWO. I double him up but promise to move on. Two hands later I am first in and have AK of spades. Agressive dealer number two is in bb and is steaming from donking off a bunch of chips. I move in on him and he snap calls with AJ off and I take him out.
We get down to two tables and I’m short again. I move in with 72 suited one hand when sb who was also short limps and flop comes A, J, 7…he checks so I moved in and took down a hand. Then I’m in bb again next round and big stack raises me from cut-off and I re-raise all in with A9 clubs…he calls with J, T off and I’m sitting pretty now with about 80k in chips.
I get moved to other table and all hell breaks loose. First hand I’m in bb with AK suited. Big stack 3x raises (first one in in cut-off) and sb who only has like 30k moves in. I had played with him at an earlier table and knew him to be loose. I moved in to isolate him (now is time to make move, blinds are 4000/8000 with 500 ante) and money is still 8 spots away and I can’t make it without making moves. He flips over QQ and sees my AK and starts whining away that I should have folded (hellooooo…I have 10x the bb not counting the freaking antes every hand). Flop nothing, turn K….he flips out starts running around ranting and raving. River…QUEEN. Now he starts dancing around the room and acting like an ass. Okay fine, I’ll deal with it…I still have about 50k in chips and still need to make a move. Nothing has changed.
We get down to 15 and guy who took my chips with QQ asks for 15th and 14th to be paid by spreading the prize pool from first and second. Not a lot of money, just those two places getting their money back to speed up the game. We all agree and move on. Few hands later a big stack takes a dive with a mediocre hand and is out in 15th. I move in a couple hands later with AJ and take blinds/antes. A couple rounds later and I’m SHORT. I’m in bb and decide no matter what or who raises I’m all in blind (I have about 6x the bb). Button raises and I move in with K3 suited. He flips over KJ suited (sigh). Flop comes with a 3, turn comes with a blank…river is a JACK. Yep, once again the river has killed me. That is three hands I’ve lost now on the river and this one is my end.
I wanted to go farther but I am not upset with my play. For 9 hours I made all the correct moves and made no major mistakes. I got my money back and was last woman standing and so far only one to cash in any of the events (this will definitely change before the 9 events are out, there are some fierce women players at Seabrook). I’m also happy to note that a poker friend of mine won the whole thing! I feel like he avenged me by him winning!
Weird side note to the three days…the first two days I was seated at the same exact table in the same exact seat and during tournament #3 I was seated at the same table but two seats to the left. Everyone felt it was some kind of an omen, I just think it’s a freaky coincidence.
