Deep Stack under way

The Venetian Deep Stack has finally started. Went down and played the 10am Super Sattelite to try and win my buy-ins for a couple of tourneys for $275. Ended up near the bubble. Just couldn't get any cards and couldn't chip up. Went out when I found KQ with about 6 BB left and of course get the insta call from the resident donkey of the table. He turns over his suited cards and of course he hits the flush on the turn. Oh well. There is always the 6pm.

Buy in for the 6pm Satellite and get on a good chip throwing away table. Nothing like being able to build up a chip stack early in a 30 min blind satellite with 41 players. No spectacular hands to speak of or any bad play which was interesting. Just a lot of action flops. We play down to 2 tables and this is where things begin to get interesting. They announce they are paying 3 places with $2500 in Lammers for the Venetian and then paying cash for 4th, 5th and 6th. Personally they should have just payed the $2500 for 4 spots. If you are advertising a 10% payout of $2500 then you should stick to it. Just my opinion.

We are down to about 16 players and the Englishman across from me, who obviously plays a lot of tourneys, just never seems to believe my raises. Either that or he just liked to portray that image. I managed to get him to lay down a couple of hands but I was real strong when I moved in on him. The most interesting hand of the night between me and him was when I was sitting around $14k with the blinds around $600-$1200. Get one caller and I decide to raise in the CO to $4000 holding JJ. Have I mentioned I hate JJ? I figure I will just take down the blinds here. Well, the Englishman, in the BB, go's into the tank and mumbles some things and decides he wants to move in on me. Other guy folds and then its on me. Now I figure he has made several loose calls with his large stack, he had been the chip leader on our table the whole time, and made several bad raises just trying to steal pots. Do I want to potentially be in a race with him holding AK or AQ? I know he doesn't have AA or KK as I just don't believe he would have moved in right there. I figure he is bluffing and make the call for all my chips. He pauses and says, "I apologize for what is about to happen." I figure I'm dead as he has AA. I roll over JJ and he shows 3s 4s. WTF??? Really, come the fuck on. I haven't bluffed or been called with crap all night and you decide to make a move with this crap?? I just figure I'm going to see a flop with 2 4's or some nightmare like that. Luckily the board does nothing for him with no spade draw and my JJ holds. I can't believe he would move in for 3/4 of his stack with those rags.

We get down to the final table and we end up 5 handed. So I'm guaranteed at least $700. I'm on the button and have 77 and decide to limp. The BB always moves in with his stack on his BB so I figure I might be able trap, even with a weak middle pair. Of course he moves all in for a total of $20,000. I'm sitting with $32,000 left with the blinds at $900-$1800 with $200 ante. I figure maybe he is just pushing with anything to take down the blinds and ante's and at worst i'm in a race with A whatever. I decide to make the call. I figure i'm left with $12,000 if I'm wrong and not far below the short stack at the moment. He rolls over AK and I show my 77. He can't believe I called with 77. Now maybe I'm wrong here, but I still stand behind my call. I put the guy on A something so I'm ahead at that point with a chance to be the chip leader and able to just wait for the small stack to go out and I'm in for $2500 tourney chips. He continues to make comments on how bad my call was. Of course he hits an A in the window and improves his hand with a flush. Guy to my left is taken out so we are down to 4 players. 4th pays $1270 and I am perfectly happy with that at this point. 3rd position in chips decides to raise to $4000 and I move all in for $16,000 on top with 33. (managed to take a couple hands previously) He go's into the tank for a bit so I know he just has an A with not a strong kicker as he was just holding on for dear life the whole final table. He decides to call for half his stack and rolls over Ad 10d. Of course a 10 pops off on the flop and I'm out. Take the $1200 and tip the dealers and head home. Not the end result I wanted after making the final table but I'll take it. Now just waiting for the Saturday tourney to start and hopefully can continue to make a good run at that one.