Played in a poker tournament tonight with some friends and a few people I had never met before. Thirteen people ended up playing. The entry was $20 per person and the top four places paid out. We played at two tables and I drew a spot at the table with 7 people.

I started out the night with some pretty good cards and won a few pots the first time we went around the table. In the 7th or 8th hand, someone called to go all-in and lost. She eneded up dealing the rest of the night, and she was pretty good at it. After the first trip around the table I didn’t get much for cards, but played a hand here and there. After awhile I started to get some very nice pocket cards, but could never get anything on the flop, so I had to keep folding. During the first two hours I think I had “pocket rockets” twice and won both times, which was nice.

During the end of the 2nd hour and for a good portion of the 3rd, I got pretty short stacked, so I played very tight. After watching everyone else play I knew I could outplay them, I just had to wait for my chances and let them make the mistakes. I was being very patient and eventually it started to pay off.

I finally got a really good pocket hand with a pair of tens. I raised pre-flop and got two callers if I remember right. The flop came down with a Queen and 2 rags, so I bet big again. I was raised by Bill, so I’m thinking either he’s bluffing (which he did quite often) or he has a Queen. I called his bet, and then we both checked after the turn card (another rag) came down. Now I’m thinking he’s definitely bluffing. Another rag came on the river, and my heart is just pounding because I know I gotta go all-in here. He ended up calling me with only a pair of fives, so I doubled up quite nicely. That was the turning point in my night.

After another player or two dropped out, we combined tables and had seven people left. New game plan…all I wanted to do now was play top hands and survive until there were four of us left and I’d be in the money. Sure enough, it worked…I only played very strong hands, but agressively of course! I made it to the final four and was guaranteed to get my money back.

OK…now time for another strategy. Play a little looser, but try to read into the opponents more. No one was really making any moves until I limped into a hand with an Ace and something else I can’t remember (they were off-suit). Two more Aces came on the flop, along with a nine. I bet pretty big and got one caller. So I’m thinking…the chances that she has the only remaining Ace are not very good, I’m about 95% sure that I have the best hand. Another nine came on the turn, so now I have a full house. There is an outside chance that she has a pair of nines in her hand, which would give her four of a kind. But, if she did…she would have had a full house on the flop and would’ve raised me. So I have the best hand here, possibly a split pot if she has that other Ace. I bet a few hundred to see if she is game and suprisingly she calls. Game on! River card is a rag, so I go all-in. She calls again, and I know I have her. We have a new chip leader (me) and only 3 players left.

I ended up taking out the 3rd place player (who hosted the tournament) with 2 pair I think. This is where it started to get interesting…playing heads-up. It went back and forth for awhile and then I started to do a little bluffing, which worked pretty well. The only time it wasn’t working is when the other player would raise me by going all-in, so I had to fold of course. I quickly picked up on this and thought…all I have to do is catch him once and it’s over.

It went back and forth for at least a half hour until I raised with an Ace-eight off-suit. He comes over the top and calls all-in. I debated this one for a little bit and thought, I got him beat on my hole cards, so as long as he doesn’t hit a good draw, I win. Sure enough, he had K-something. An eight came on the flop and another on the turn, which gave me three of a kind, so the river card didn’t matter. GAME OVER!

First place paid out $130, so I came out $110 ahead. It was a lot of fun!