Online Sit and Go Summary

I played in a $5 sit and go at pokerroom yesterday, and managed an easy second place finish. I probably should have won it, but I started out way short stacked when we got to head to head, so I was satisfied with second place.

My usual tournament consists of me entering a few pots early on, but not doing too much one way or another. Once a few people get eliminated, I start playing more aggressively since I am usually in the lower third in the chip count by that point. My goal is to make sure I get at least third, then worry about placing higher if when I reach that point. I'll tighten up once there are four or five people left, and hope that someone will try to make a move and get busted out.

So anyway, yesterday, my usual strategy was out the window on the first hand, but in a good way. I was dealt [As 7S] in late position. I decided it was the first hand, and the blinds were cheap, so I'd play it and see what happens. Flop comes [8d, 5s 8s]. Hmmm. Now I'm drawing to the nut flush which is basically what I was hoping for. Maybe I can see some more cards for cheap. No luck. Small blind bets $150, which is way more than I would have thought appropriate. Maybe he has another 8 or he is just bluffing. Big Blind calls, and everyone else folds. I decide I have something like a 30% chance of hitting my flush in the next two cards, and if it gets too expensive and I lose, I can tighten up and still make a comeback. Pot Odds wise, this was probably a bad choice, but I was in a crappy mood, and felt like gambling a bit and didn't want to get pushed around. Turn Comes [Ad]. This gives me top pair, with a second pair on the board. Small blind bets $40, which to me says, he is either trying to trap us, or he is scared of that Ace. Big Blind calls and so do I. The river brings the five of spades. Just what I was looking for. Small blind bets $40 again, and big blind goes all in. This is the first hand, so I don't know what was expecting. I can't imagine anyone calling this bet with anything other than a flush or full house, and as it turned out he only had a jack high flush. I called thinking that if he had the full house, oh well, I'd play another tourny, if he didn't have the boat, then I should be able to coast to the money. Small blind folded and I doubled up.

The table was unusually aggressive. I had a suited Ace Ten beaten when someone called my 3x big blind raise with Jack Seven off. The flop came [rag, 10, J] and I think the turn was a King, and I couldn't get him to fold. A lot of people went out fast though. We were down to four people in no time. The blinds were still real low for that point in the tourny. I had about 3500, the leader had 8500 and the remaining 3000 was split between the other two, and they just would not go away. Everyone played tight because the next person out meant money for everyone else. The other two kept draining their stack then doubling up, until finally they both went out. It was now me against Goliath, but he folded to just about any raise pre-flop. I was able to catch him pretty soon, and put him all in and but, he managed two pair against my aces, so I was severely short stacked again. I battled back to about even when he put me all in with two fives. He had JQ, both of which paired to cost me the tourny. All in all, I was satisfied, with the result, although, I think probably could have won.