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I played in two tournaments this week and made the final table in both–ninth in the first tournament and third in the second. (Unfortunately they both only paid to third place, so I only “won” anything the second time, and what I “won” was a gift certificate to the place that hosted the tournament–wheee!) But I can’t complain TOO much cause I did reasonably well. The first tournament started with about 60 players and the second started with about 40 players. Both started with 4000 chips, with a 2000 chip-up around the third or fourth blind.

Just really two things to come out of my tourney adventures this week–some ruminating on the differences between a Hold ‘Em tournament and a Hold ‘Em cash table, and the really cool thing that happened at my first table in the first tourney. First the ruminating…

…there really is a big difference between how you play a tourney and how you play a cash game. There are very specific, key differences between the style of the two that result in this. In a tournament, you and everybody else start with the same amount of chips, so it’s utterly fair. At a cash game, you may already be dominated in the very first hand by the fact that your chip stack is three times smaller than everyone else’s–or you may be able to start bullying the table from the get-go since your chip stack is three times larger. In a tournament, you can’t just sit tight and fold til you get the nut pockets–you have to win, every so often, just to keep up with the increasing blinds. If you aren’t getting the cards, you just have to make your move without them. In cash games, you can if you want to play nothing but premium hands–even if you don’t catch much of anything, your attrition rate can be maintained at a very low level. At a tourney, you often don’t know many, sometimes most or all, of the people you’re playing with, and you only spend part of the game with them–you don’t get to know their play very well because you often don’t get to see what cards they were calling, raising or folding with. At cash games, even if you don’t really know anyone there (and unless you’re in Atlantic City or Vegas, you probably do know most or all of them) you have aaaaallllll NIGHT to get to know ‘em, as players–donkeys, sharks, fish, rocks, calling stations, river rats, flush chasers—

And OOOH! Speaking of flush chasers!

I hate players who habitually, routinely chase flush draws. I suppose I shouldn’t, cause statistically speaking, they miss far more often than they catch–making them more correctly an object of pity than of passionate dislike–but if you’re a tight player, like me, you don’t play all that many hands. So, when you run into one and your excellent hand happens to be the one they suck out on of the twenty others like it they’d already blown that night…you do notice.

At the first table of my first tournament this week:

1. I had A-K suited, raised preflop, got two callers. Flop was K-little card-little card, but the two little cards were suited in spades. I bet twice the pot to get any flush chasers out but didn’t manage to scare out ALL of them–got that one caller. Turn was another little card, not suited in spades. I went all in. Dumbass calls, and MISSES HIS FLUSH on the river. He is OUT and I am responsible. Yes!

2. I had Q-J offsuit, limped in in late position. Flop was A-Q-J rainbow. Checked around to me, only one player behind me and I know he doesn’t have K-10 for the nuts. I bet the pot. He folds, everyone but one player folds, so one caller. Turn card is a little card, but a diamond, making two diamonds on the board. I’m tired of screwing around and go all in. He calls because of COURSE! He had a queen (not the ace, I’d like to point out) AND was now four cards to the flush in diamonds. River is not a diamond and he is OUT. Flush chaser no. 2 is DOWN for the NIGHT!

3. I had pocket 9’s on the small blind; four players limp in ahead of me. I raise to 3x the blinds, they all call (if you can believe that–I know, I know) including the big blind. Flop is A-J-9, J and 9 suited in hearts. I think to myself “Self, you have already taken out two flush chasers. No more messin’ around!” So I just go all in, ridiculous overbet but clearly some people will call a strong raise on the flush draw, it’s a shame I won’t make more chips on my set–as I’m thinking this, I get ONE CALLER, who says, as he’s shoving his chips out, “I just gotta, I can’t put this down!!” He is, of course, on the flush draw and no, he does not even have a pair otherwise. And no, he does not hit it. I couldn’t help it. I did hop up and do a victory dance cause I was flushchaserBANE, I was SuperDonkeyKiller!

I will treasure that night all of my life. The Revenge of the Tight! YES!