International £200 Freezeout

I made my first trip to the International for ages last night, to play their new £200 weekly freezeout. My main concern for the event, which had an excellent structure with 10k starting stack and 25 minute smooth clock, was that is would finish too late on a school night. I shouldn’t have worried, as I was tucked up in bed by 10:30. Nonetheless, this looks a great tournament and I aim to play it a couple of times more before Vegas.

31 runners took to the felt, and here is how it panned out:

Hand1
I limp for 50 in early position with 33, and button makes it 300 after two more limpers. I decide to set mine with our big stacks, but miss and have to fold to the continuation bet on a KQ4 flop.

Hand2
One raiser and a caller into my big blind, so I take a peek for 200 with 8♦7♦. I miss totally and have to pass.

Hand3
Two limpers for 100, so I make it 500 with AK and all pass.

Hand4
I raise 2♦5♦ in the cutoff and all pass.

I don’t play a single hand for two orbits and find myself down on 9k at the 100/200 level. My cards are terrible, and the action is always raised before me when I have good table position.

Hand5
There is a raise UTG+1 to 600 and one caller. I call on the button with A♥10♥ and the blinds come along as well.

Flop A♠ K♠ 8♣

Checked around to me. Hmm - I decide to check rather than put my Ace on my forehead. Probably a mistake, but I don’t mind it too much with so many players in the pot.

Turn is Kh

Blinds + original raiser check, so I now think they have nothing with the flush draw on the board. First flat caller makes it 1,050. This guy has been splashing around a fair bit so could have nothing (or a flush draw), and I figure that since I have a tight image I can take this pot down given the weak betting shown by the other guys.

I raise to 3k. All pass back to the splasher who calls. Oh dear.

River is 4 diamonds, so a total blank.

Opponent checks. I figure he has either a busted flush draw, or the King. Either way checking is best and he won’t pay me off with the busted draw. I doubt he has the King as he probably should have shoved turn, so I check expecting to take it down but he surprises me by having KQ. Down to 5.5kish.

Hand6
Two hands later I raise in earlyish position with KQ to 600 and get re-raised to 1600 and have to pass.

For a couple of orbits I have to bide my time, and can’t find any spots to get involved. Then arrives my exit hand at the 200/400 level. My stack is 3.6k and I am in the big blind.

Hand7
Folded round to button with 14kish stack who makes standard raise to 1100. I find A4 so move in for 2500 extra, as the button has air a fair amount here. He dwells for a while and finds a call with 33. Unfortunately I lose the race and am busto.

So overall a tale of two hands really. The AT was a move too early I think - I had no need to take a risk like that with 9k at the 100-200 level to be honest. I’ve thought about the exit hand, and think possibly I would have been better to stop and go here. That way I have a chance to get both KJ and small pair hands to pass depending on the flop. Given the guy has a big stack and he is being only asked to call 2500 to win 4900 and I think he is going to call pretty wide in this spot. If he is given the same odds post flop and has missed, he might think more about passing.

The other item to note was that big pairs continue to avoid me like the plague. Perhaps there are an endless rack of pocket Aces and Kings waiting for me in Nevada.

Next week I’ll continue to focus on tournaments - initial aim is Monday round of each, Wednesday £200 and Thursday £50.