The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

You may have seen the ads on television: The good people at Pokerstars are hosting a free online poker tournament where they want to send a group of 10 Canadians to the World Series of Poker. They host daily "turbo" events to a maximum of 3000 participants. Because it's turbo, well, let's just say you have to catch hands pretty fast. A regular live tournament with 3000 players would probably take 4 days...online and in turbo format, it'll take no longer than 90 minutes. The top 100 advance to round 2. There are cash prizes to win amounting to several thousand dollars, and first place wins a free seat to the $10,000 World Series Main Event, all expenses paid. Hey, it's a longshot, but it's free! So I'm going to write every hand that I play and update as I go along. Here we go:

J-10 suited, 5 limpers, I call. Two clubs with a ten, not bad. Two people bet 120 chips, I don't like my kicker so I fold...damn, I would have made a boat! They bet with ace high and a flush draw! Geeez...

Pocket 3s...I limp, bunch of callers...raise from the button. 9 to 1 to hit my set...I fold. Damn, would have made three of a kind! Geeez....

Tons of unplayable hands. Man, everyone's playing junk though...

POCKET QUEENS! All-in...called by...6-7? I guess they are suited. I take his chips. 1500 to 1940 in chips...

Alex is playing too...he gets whittled down when his K-Q and A-4 suited don't improve...that sucks pal.

25 minutes in and blinds are already 100-200, damn. I'm at 1790 in chips...

27 minutes in and about 1/2 the field of 3000 have departed...

K-4 in the big blind, small blind calls...flop 3-4-7, small blind checks and I go all-in as he only has 900 chips left. He calls with 6-3, I improve to two pair and take his chips! 2770 is my stack...

I have pocket deuces! Damn...someone is all-in. Fold...good thing I do, he has pocket Jacks.

A-J suited! Someone pushes...damn...good thing I fold, someone had pocket 10s and made a full house!

K-J in the big blind, two callers. Flop A-4-5. People play their aces! No sense in bluffing, fold. Down to 1995 in chips, and I'm the table short stack! Geez, turbo is crazy. Blinds are now 200-400.

4-5 offsuit is my latest holding. Cards please! 1000 people left. If you finish at least in 478th place, you win $5! Blind are up to 300-600, have to push when I get a hand...

A-10 suited, I push...no callers! Stack up to 3140...

Can't play the hands in the blinds and I'm down to 1970. Blinds are about to be up to 400-800!

I have pocket 9s in the big blind! Small blind limps in...I push. He thinks about it and calls with Ace-Seven. Not bad...I'm about a 70% favourite. Oh geez...he hit a jack on the river to make a straight while I have the sucker straight. I finish 605 out of 3000. Oh well, it was free! Thank the Lord REAL poker isn't this ridiculous....