a serious comeback

Monday night, I was almost out of the game when I decided to make a risky rebuy right as the rebuy period was ending. Blinds were $0.25/0.50 and I had a stack of only $10 (twenty big blinds!), but Chip, second in points, was rebuying also, and I had to try to outlast him and squeeze my way into the points, or at least hope for a scenario in which neither of us placed.

I was already $21 deep into the tournament in buy-ins, a limit I try never to exceed in that tournament (it is a small-stakes tournament. $21 is a buy in and two rebuys. The actual dollar amount doesn't go into consideration in this self-imposed buy-in limit.), but I knew that first place was awarded 11 points that night, and the difference between sixth and fifth place was seven points. I was only about 14 points ahead of Chip, so I didn't want him to gain seven points on me if I busted out and he crept into fifth place. I decided that thwarting him was worth the additional five bucks. To my left was Lee, then Eric, Lori, Dale, Chip, and Jake on my right. I managed to double my chips up and was doing well at shoving in and picking up small pots (small to the bigger-stacked players, yet consequential to me). This allowed me to stay afloat, even increase my chips, while Dale and Chip's short stacks eroded. After a while, Chip busted out (yes! now to try to beat Dale into the points and increase my lead on Chip by another seven plus points. . .).

A key hand occurred soon thereafter: I found myself on the big blind, and Lee raised it under the gun to $4.50. Blinds were $0.50/$1 at this point, and I would have $22 left if I called. I looked down at two sixes, and shoved my stack into the middle. Lee thought for a while, and called with the ace-jack of clubs. On the flop, he caught his ace, but I sucked out on the river, hitting trips. At this point, I now had a reasonable chip stack and was in position to attack the weaker players and try to actually win the thing.

I had about fifty bucks in my stack, and Lee had about thirty or forty. Eric had about half that. Lori and Jake were about even with me, with about forty or fifty each. Dale was in the red zone with about ten bucks. He eventually shoved in, and I called with king-ten, while Eric called with the ace-king. We checked it down and Dale showed the ace-jack, meaning that Eric's high cards were good and five players remained. I was guaranteed now to extend my lead on Chip, which made me feel pretty confident. Also, I had a lot of Chips, and I felt that Lee, who would ordinarily be somewhat of a threat in this situation, was on tilt because of the two-outer beat I put on him earlier with my pocket sixes.

I went into aggressive raising mode, trying to attack the blinds and isolate Jake and Lori in pots. After taking down several small pots during five-handed play, it was clear I had momentum, having gone from $8 or $9 to around $50 or $60 now. In one pot, Lee raised it under the gun, to $4.50. Eric folded, Lori called, Jake called, and I called with the jack-ten of diamonds. The flop was a great one for me: Nine, eight, trey, with two diamonds. I isolated Jake in the pot and ended up hitting the flush on the river, only to have him lead out by going all-in against me! I called, Jake went out, and I collected another $30 or $40.

Just three or four hands later during four-handed play, I raised it under the gun with the jack-nine of clubs, exploiting my large chip stack, my position should Lee fold, and the deceptive suited/connected value of the hand. Lee and Eric folded, and Lori called in the big blind. The flop came down queen of clubs, ten of clubs, seven of spades. I had flopped an up-and-down straight flush draw. I was ready to get the money in if I had to at this point.

Lori led out for $3, and I raised her to $10.50, which she called. The turn card, the six of clubs, made my hand. I had a jack-high flush, which I was fairly confident was the best hand at this point. She checked it over to me. I had her well covered, and it looked like she had about forty dollars or so in her stack. I bet a little over half of that, twenty-two bucks. She thought for a second, then went all-in for eighteen more dollars. I called, and she showed queen-ten offsuit for top two pair. The river bricked and I eliminated my second opponent with a jack-high flush inside of one round of the button. At this point, I held a massive chip lead over my two remaining opponents, and was able to take it down, extending my first place points lead by eleven.