Something is wrong w/ my partypoker bonus, it didn't credit when I deposited my $1000. So I'm going to play my second steps tourney while I wait for an e-mail back from party/wait to see my bonus moeny.
This is a single table sit n go. Top 2 make the next level, 3rd gets another try here, 4th gets a little cash and another step 1 shot.
Level 1 - 10/15 blinds
J7s, Button, folds
you start w/ 1000 chips here instead of the 800 at the step 1 level.
crap, cutoff, folds
AQo, cutoff-1, 3 limp, and I raise it to 80. SB calls, BB folds, only 1 of the 3 limpers calls. Flop is 826 all clubs. Checked to me, I bet 150 chips, a little over half the pot. I thankfully win it right there and get a quick boost up to 1205 chips.
J2o, cutoff-2, folds
97o, MP, folds
J8o, UTG+1, folds - KK busts out 66 and we're down to 9.
crap, UTG, folds
J8s, BB - free flop 3 handed, which comes QJ8 with 2 clubs. I lead out with a pot sized bet(55 chips) and get called by both opponents. The turn fucks me, a queen. I bet 110, half the pot, and get called by the big stack, and raised by the last guy. My two pair badly counterfieted, I give it up here. Our big stack had T9 for the flopped straight and is not an even bigger stack.
I'm back to even almost, 1015 chips.
Q2o, SB - I complete for 5 chips for a 6 way pot. I fold at first chance when it doesn't hit.
Level 2 - 15/30 blinds
crap, button, folds
K8o, cutoff, folds
T8o, cutoff-1, folds
Key Hand
AJo, MP - I open raise to 90 chips(3x blind) and get a call from the SB and the BB. Flop comes K97, two hearts. I have only the jack of hearts. I refrain from trying to buy the pot here. I check. Turn is the ace of hearts. I have the 2nd nut flush draw and top pair. SB leads out for 100, big stack calls, and I call. The river pairs the king on the board. Now I'm faced with a 500 chip bet that I really can't call. And I'm glad I didn't. Big stack bet it, I almost called, thinking bluff. But no, it was KQ.
I probably needed to throw out a flop bet there but I would not have gotten rid of top pair and I was really afraid of overplaying AJ.
Q4o, MP, folds
couple crap hands, folded
K3o, BB, folds to PF raise - TT > 77 all in, down to 8.
T2s, SB, folds
A8o, button - There's one limper and I try to bully my way to this pot w/ a 3x raise. I bet the flop when checked to me and win it right there.
Level 3 - 25/50 blinds
Key Hand
AA, cutoff - There's a minraise to 100 before me. I re-raise it to 350. The raiser has 530 left and I hope to get him all in. Unfortunately, he, and all left in the hand, fold.
I sit w/ 1085 chips, which is currently good for 3rd. Lots of small stacks, a 1600 stack, and a 4000 stack.
crap, cutoff-1, folds
crap for a few hands, folded
74s, BB - free 3-way flop. Flop comes AQ4. I check it around. Turn is a 6, making a flush possible, and I fold to a bet.
KTo, SB - folds to big stack raise and a call
A5s, button - big stack limps, I limp, both blinds play. Flop is 3 hearts, I have spades. I move out of the way.
K9o, cutoff, folds
74o, cutoff-1, folds
Level 4 - 50/100 blinds
96o, MP, folds
I have 960 chips. I'm still 3rd amazingly enough, out of 8.
two short stacks get doubled up on coin flips in consecutive hands.
some crap folded...
52s, BB - a short stack goes all in from the button, but I can't call with 52...
86o, SB, folds KK/99 all in. KK is now a solid #2 stack, 99 is gone. Down to 7.
A7s, button - a small all-in and a call before me, I fold. JT > A3 for a doubleup.
85o, cutoff, folds The #2 stack goes after the big stack, but they end up splitting AT vs A5 on an AQQQ board.
54o, MP, folds - 405 short stack all in. AK vs 33. 33 wins, AK gone. Down to 6
Two giant stacks... 4000/3000, then we have a 1200ish stack ahead of me now, and them I'm at 710, two guys under 500.
J6o, BB, folded to me.
Level 5 - 100/200 blnids
KJo - a short stack limps, I go all in, short stack calls me with 98o. Why did he limp 98o UTG for over half his stack? I hold up and eliminate the short stack. Down to 5.
A2o, UTG, folds
64o, BB - folds to a raise
65o, SB, folds - big stack and the stack about my size put in a fair amount pre-flop.
J5o, button, folds
2 Key Hands
QJs, UTG - 5 handed? 200 blinds? Good enough for an all in. Everyone folds though.
ATs, BB - big stack min-raises. I push all in again. I gotta come in 2nd here... if I bust now I'm just otu $11. Opponent CALLS with J7o. I hold up for the big win.
I now have 2750 chips for a solid 2nd place.
Level 6 - 150/300 blinds
J8o, SB, folds - big stack min-raises again. #3 guy pushes for 1600. Short stack calls for 540. AQ vs Q8s. Q8 flops a flush but AQ has the ace of the suit, rivers a 4 flush. Down to 4.
Q4s, button, folds
stacks are 3055, 2791, 2746, and 808. I have 2746.
AA, UTG - I raise it 3x, and everyone folds again
94s, BB - short stack all in, 250 for me to call, I have to call w/ any 2 there. I lose to his J7.
95o, SB, folds
73o, button, folds
K9s, UTG, I steal the blinds w/ a raise.
J6, BB - folded to me.
T8o, sB, I fold
98o, button, folds
Level 7 - 200/400 blinds
65o, UTG, folds
all of us are still pretty much in the same position now that we were when we dropped to 4.
64o, BB, I fold to a raise.
AA - SB - WTF AA 3 times? Amazing. SOMEONE BET PLEASE. DAMMIT. I min-raise and steal the blinds. I can't limp with them, heads up yes, but not here.
Q7s, button, folds - big pot between the other two largers stacks. our former "big stack" that outchipped everyone early folds to an all in on a flop, and is now in 3rd, i'm in 2nd, taykenz is in first.
87o, UTG, foldsj - AQ vs A3 all in. They split w/ 2 pair on the board, dammit, shoulda been down to 3 there.
QJo, BB - SB min-raises, he's a short stack. I push all in over him. He has 97s, I catch a jack, I win. Down to 3.
KTo, SB - steal blinds
I'm now chipleader. 4600 chips. The other two are at 1800/3500. top 2 is the key here.
KJo, BB - folded to me.
JTo, SB, folds to raise
Level 8 - 250/500 blinds
Q8, button, folds shades46 is now back in 2nd, Taykenz in 3rd, but it's close all the way around.
Q6o, BB - folds to an all in
K2o, SB, folds to a big raise - surely these two are gonna get all in eventually. They're stealing my blinds an awful lot at the moment.
89o, button, folds - other two stacks go at it again, shades goes all in after the pot is 1500 and wins it. taykenz under 2K by a bit now.
73o, BB - folded to me, hooray.
A3s, SB - I min-raise, shades calls. I flop a flush draw. I bet 1500(2000 pot) and he folds. I'm up over 5000, over half the chips at the table.
crap, button, folds
95o, BB - folded to me.
taykenz is under 1K now.
AJo, SB - taykenz all in. I have AJ and call. tay has 42o. He wins. Catches a 4.
I still have over 4K.
crap, button, folds - shades min-raise, tay re-raise, shades all in. KK vs QQ. taykenz is GONE.
shades46 and I advance to step 3!
I win an entry into the $200+$15 3rd step. It loosens up a bit there. The top 3 advance. 4th gets another step 3 entry. 5th-7th drop back 1 step to step 2. 8th back to step 1 + $3 cash. 9th/10th nothing.