6 SNG $5 + .50 End 1st 159 Hands

Slow and steady worked out well this session. 1st person out was hand 15 w/ATo vs KK. ATo decided to go all-in after the T 8 5 flop. They surprised me letting themselves get knocked out so early. Hand 18, one more went out. I was 3rd high stack w/1570 chips and low stack had 1015. High stack had 3585 & 2nd high 2830. Hand 34 the short stack was down to 710 chips w/pocket 8's. UTG and open raised 3 BB (180), SB re-raised to 870 and UTG called. SB showed pocket 7's. SB hit their set on the flop and it held.

We were now on the bubble. I was short stack w/1500, 2nd high had 2780, and the big stack had 4720. I was hoping those two would go at it and not pay much attention to me. It didn't quite work out that way. :-) By hand 52 I managed to squeeze into the 2nd high stack and managed to increase my chips and hold that spot to hand 85 then the short stack w/pocket J's went out to the big stack who had Q3o but paired his Q on the flop. I'm in the money!! Big stack has 6565 chips to my 2435 chips.

Here is where I think some of that Thursday play with Lance and Mike watching/advising me helped. I folded a lot of hands I'd have tried to make plays with. Until the last hand, I generally choose not to gamble by calling when he went all-in. My low point was around 1595 chips.Hand 112 I moved up to 3735 chips. Hand 136 I finally took the chip lead and held it as we came to the last hand.

Hand 159. Blinds are 120/240. I have 4675 chips to the BB's 3965 chips. I have Kc Qd and open raise 2 1/2 BB (600), BB re-raises me going all-in w/4205 chips. I think about it a bit. He has done this all-in every so often and I've always folded so I don't have a good idea of what he might have. I suspect he likely has Ace something, maybe a pocket pair. He likes to play a lot of pots and from other hands I've been in with him he doesn't always have the best cards, so if he had Ace rag it wouldn't surprise me. In the end I decide to call, in part to see what he actually has, and knowing even if I lose here, I'll still have a few chips to fight back with and worse case scenario, I come in 2nd. He  shows 10h Qc. It's K vs 10. Worse cards than I expected. It's possible that he was trying to pick up an "easy" 600 chips from me under the assumption, from my past behavior, that I'd fold to an all-in bet. The board holds up for me w/4 9 7 9 8. Neither of us hitting anything and my K being the best card. I make 1st!!