Last Friday night, July 13th (cue the Jason Voorhees music), I hosted my first ever multi-table tournament. I was hoping to get two full tables of ten, but 12 CPMGers RSVPed. With 12 runners to start, plus a 13th who arrived before the first break, this tournament would award CPMG Tournament of Champions points for the first and second place finishers.
We started with two six-handed tables and I really enjoyed the short-handed play in the early levels of the tournament. I might actually host some 6-max tournaments in the future. My opening table featured Pyxis, Josh Keeler, Doug Poker, John, David Lee and myself. I expected to see lots of action. $60 buy-in with a 12k starting stack for those in line 10 minutes before the tournament started (10k stack for those who did not arrive early) and 20 minute levels.
In Level 5 (150/300 blinds), I’m in the big blind when Pyxis raises UTG to 700. Doug Poker flats and I call as well with pocket fours. Flop 6 5 4 and I lead out for 1600 with bottom set. Pyxis raises to 3500 and Doug immediately goes all in for 8500. I think for a few minutes and think Pyxis likely has an overpair to the board. Doug’s range is pretty wide here and it’s perfectly within his wheelhouse to show up with 87 for a flopped straight, but I determine he’s probably drawing with a hand like pocket sevens or threes. After thinking things through, I believe I have the best hand and four-bet all in for ~15k. Pyxis reluctantly folds her flopped set of fives (!!!!) and I have Doug at risk of elimination when he turns over 75 for middle pair and open-ended straight draw. He bricks the turn and river and I’m sitting on roughly 25k after escaping what should have been an elimination if Pyxis called my all in.
The last hand before break, Josh moves all in for 9k on a flop of A J 2. John (who was dealing the hand) called the all in, but when he went to turn over his cards he discovered that he only had 1 of them (an Ace). Granted, this single card beats Josh’s bluff Ks9s, but it’s still only one card. Before I can figure out what to do, John starts turning cards over from the muck in front of him. When he turns over a Jack, he says he had AJ for top two-pair — but this is before I could ask him to identify the value and suit of the card that he apparently mucked by accident.
Now what?
After some thought, I decided to award the pot to Josh. I was not 100 percent confident in my decision, but John acted frantically before I could gain control of the situation and started flipping cards over from the muck before I could ask him what his holding was. I felt horrible and explained the benefits of capping your cards during the break.
I was sitting on 30,600 at the break and we combined to a full table of 10 after John busted on a short stack. Sitting to my left was Jon Novak, Shekar, Papa Z, Pyxis, Dana, Special K, John Thevenin, Josh and Malcolm.
During the 400/800 level, I donked off 12k to Josh on a bluff. To his credit, he made a great call on the river with third pair on an Ace-high board. The very next hand, I look down at pocket Aces. John Thevenin raises to 2400 and I reraise to 5300. He counts out his stack and moves all in for over 20k more. I call and my Aces hold against AK. With 64k, I have roughly 45 percent of the chips in play and am in prime position to win the tournament.
During the 600/1200 level, I’m UTG with JsTs and raise to 2700. Jon Novak moves all in for 10900 total and I double him up when I’m unable to crack pocket Kings. Jon would bust a short time later, however, which meant...
Cmdr. Data: “Ladies and gentlemen, we are on the bubble. The next player out gets NOTHING.”
Josh held a huge chip lead (~80k), leaving me (45k), Pyxis (~10k) and Papa Z (~10k) trailing behind. I was content to let him bully the shorties, but they kept folding. Finally, Papa Z put his tournament life at risk with pocket sixes against Josh’s pocket tens, but spiked a six on the flop to survive. Josh continued to raise most hands and my stack was getting smaller.
1000/2000 - Josh raises to 6k from the button. I look down at AK and smooth call. Flop A 8 4. Josh calls my 6k bet. Turn [A 8 4] J. I have 14k left in my stack but decide to bet another 6k. Josh calls. River [A 8 4 J] 5. I check, fearing Josh is holding AJ and turned 2-pair. Sure enough, Josh puts me all in. With only 8k left and so much money in the pot, I feel like I can’t fold. I’m dismayed to see Josh does have 2 pair, but spiked it on the river holding the 8s5s. Josh said he would have folded if I went all in for 14k on the turn instead of betting 6k.
I was pretty steamed for bubbling this tournament, but I really should have been eliminated much sooner had Pyxis called that all in with her set of fives. Funny enough, Josh should have been eliminated before the first break, but lucked into the win after John’s dealing gaffe.
Speaking of which, what would YOU have done if you were the Tournament Director?
I asked several CPMG hosts and all of us would have done something different. One would have awarded the the pot to John because his one card was enough to beat Josh’s hand. Another would have awarded the pot to Josh, but wouldn’t have forced John to call his 9k all in.
Matt Savage, on the other hand, had the following to say about the situation:
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