Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series Event 6
Sobota, Marec 14, 2009 06:01Spending the early part of the day at fellow PokerNews worker Mat Pater's house I eventually made my way to Crown before digging into some fried rice before the 7:10pm commencement of Event 6: $340 No Limit Holdem Terminator where for every person you eliminate you receive a terminator button that can be redeemed for $100.
I wondered over to table 25 seat 1 which was coincidentally the same table I played this event on during the Melbourne Poker Championships. Vito Montalto, Damion Drapac and Crazy John populated my table as play began at 25-50 with 10,000-chip starting banks. I started terribly connecting my 
with a board of 
out of the big blind and calling a min-raise on the river to slip down to 8,425 in chips when showed 
by Montalto. By the end of the level I was back up to 9,600 after taking two pots down on the flop following some preflop aggression over a couple of limpers.
It wouldn't be until the third level to see my stack jump over the average after calling a 425-chip raise in position with blinds at 75-150 holding 
. The board fell down 
and following a continuation-bet of 1,000 and a call I raised it to 4,700 leaving myself 3,575 behind; which forced both players to fold. Late in the level I had a chance at eliminating someone, but was a little unlucky after I opened to 400 from late position with and found callers in both the blinds. The flop fell down 
and the big blind let out for 2,000 of his 4,450 stack which prompted me to move all-in over the top. He ummed and ahhed before making the call for his tournament life tabling 
. BANG the 
fell on the turn and with none of my 17-outs falling on the river I was down to 6,975.
However it wouldn’t be for too long after facing a weak-passive limp in early position I made it 550 to with blinds at 100-200 and found four callers up against my 
. On a flop of 
the weak-passive player I was trying to isolate led out for 1,600, and thinking he was drawing or had a weaker made hand I moved all-in which eventually prompted a call from him following those famous of words of “I wanna gamble.” Gamble he would turning over 
, but alas he wouldn’t improve as I doubled through to 15,600 in chips.
With blinds at 150-300 I came across an interesting hand which I think I played very well. The cutoff limped, as did the same weak-passive player from before on the button and I completed from the small blind with 
. I led out for 700 on a flop of 
and with the big blind out of the way the cutoff made the call before the button made it 1,400 to go. Now there is good chance I’m behind to a bigger pair, but with my two-pair and diamond draws I think it’s better to put in a re-raise to find out where you are in the hand, otherwise you face a difficult turn decision. Consequently I made it 5,400 total which prompted slow folds from both players both showing a bigger pair and A-9 respectively to see me climb to 15,325.
The following level I would move tables to join my good friend and fellow PokerNetwork writer Michael Palti who has recently been added to the team to specialise in Pot Limit Omaha. I would make a steal from the small blind and then play 39 hands before finding a spot – and that spot would be a double with Kings against Queens with all the money going in preflop. Now back up to 18,900 I chopped another all-in with A-K against A-K before I opened to 3,500 with blinds at 600-1,200 with 
and was shoved on by the small blind with . The board brought a sweat when it fell 
but I whipped my brow as I stacked up to 30,200 in chips.
After folding 
against a stubborn overpair on a board of 
I was down to 18,800 as a few new players joined the table. One would get involved straight away opening to 4,000 with blinds at 800-1,600 from middle position as I looked down at on the button. Having under a third of the average chips and still two tables from the money I decided to get tricky with the hand in an attempt to double up knowing he wouldn’t call my all-in as I felt he was raising pretty marginally; and therefore I flatted on the button leaving myself 14,800 behind.
I really didn’t want to see the flop connect too heavily with broadway as I had him on a range of hands from J-10, Q-10, K-10, Q-J, KQ, A-10,A-J and A-Q and intent on shoving any flop that didn’t connect with his hand too much. The flop fell down 
and he checked to me which I followed by checking behind as I either had him crushed or was dead to two-pair or a straight. The turn landed the 
to give additional outs to improve my hand and when he led out for 6,000 I decided to go with it and push for my last 8,800 on top. He called tabling 
for a flopped straight and when the fell I was eliminated short of the money by 21 spots falling in 58th place of the 256 starters.
* * * * * * * *
Looking back on the hand I was happy the way I played it because at that point in the tournament I really needed some chips and gambled that we would both connect with the board (however with myself in better shape) and I could find a double up instead of taking down the 6,400 that was in there. I know that it could seem a terrible line to take, but with an average stack of over 40,000 at the time and still two tables away from the money I would need a lot more than just a double up to have my chance at taking down the tournament!
Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series - Event 6 Chip Stack Graph
Just like in the previous tournament I tracked my hands dealt and chip trend and the above is my trend for the 6 hours or so of play. With the red line indicating the change in blinds and green line the change in tables, the blue line indicates my trend of my fluctuating chip count over the 157 hands that I played.
Up next is Event 7: $340 No Limit Holdem (2 Day) before I have a break before working and playing the Main Event!
