Round 2, bring it on!!

Ok, I’m starting a new journey through the steps tonight. I decided to buy directly into level 2 this time for $23. If you buy into level 1 it’s only $6, but you have to win to advance. In level two the top two advance and 3 through 5 get to repeat. I figured I have a good enough shot at getting at least 5th, so it should be easier to advance by doing this.

On to the game. First hand 10/15 level MP I get JJ, one limper, I raise to 55. The blinds fold and the limper calls. The flop came out TK2 two suited, the limper bets 15 I raise to 50, limper folds. Yea! Next few hands uneventful, A6 fold, 66 fold, A7 fold, 96s fold, J7 fold. Big blind, get to see the flop with 53, no help fold to bet. Small blind, KQo, this is a bad play on my part. I don’t like to play this hand out of position. There’s a raise to $30 from MP, and I call, blah. Flop no help I check and fold to $35 bet, should have just folded it to begin with.

Sitting at $850 now, not too bad, $50 more than started with. Folded AJo from EP and the flop came out AJx, stupid. Should have been raising, but I felt like my table image thus far was kind of loose and didn’t think my raise would take too many out of play. A2 fold, T6 fold, 9J fold, 36 fold. 28 in the big, see a flop of AJx, sb bets I fold. T6 fold, Q6 fold, 64 fold.

We are in the 15/30 level now and I pick up AJ again, this time in LP. I bump it to $90 and everyone folds, ho hum.

We are in the $25/50 level now, I skipped a few hands. 79 fold. ATo from UTG + 1, raise to $150 get one caller. Flop A59 two suited. Lead out with $250, caller folds. YEA!! Up to $1075. Next hand KQo UTG, raise to $150 once again, everyone folds!?!? Up to $1150. Lost my blinds to raises. Next hand on the button, AJo. There was an utg raise from a short stack of 320 to $200. I reraise to put him all in and he calls with AQo. I get no help, he catches a queen, I’m down to $755. Fold a couple of hands and then I make a pretty stupid move. I get KJo in UTG+2, I raise to $150. The button, re-raises all in to $545. I’m kicking my self now, but I think about it and fold. I guess it was actually a good recovery from a stupid raise, when I should have just folded. Down to $605 with 8 players left and only two have less than I do. Guess I better tighten up and get aggressive. I get 55 utg and fold.

On to $50/100 level, and I lose my first two blinds. Down to $455. On the button + 2, get A3s. I guess I was hoping to get re-raised as I hoped my ace would stand up. I raised to $300 and got re-raised by someone else moving in for $915. I figured he didn’t want anyone else to call by that move and that he probably didn’t have an ace. Didn’t think long just called and hit an A on the flop. WOO HOO, doubled up. Fold a couple of hands and I’m in the big for $100 with KJo, short stack raises to $460 all in, I fold.

We are now in the $100/200 level and down to six players with the 6th spot being knocked down to step 1 and 3 thru 5 repeating step two. Fold a few more, then get AQo in MP, raise to $500. No callers, up to $1210. Fold some more hands, get in the BB with 6To, folds to SB he calls. I check flop comes out ten high rainbow, I bet out $300 and SB folds. Up to $1410. Next hand in the SB with 33, I limp and the BB checks. Flop comes 743 rainbow. Yum. BB has $2980, I bet out $600 hoping to get all my money in the pot, and I get re-raised all in. I call, he shows 74 for two pair and I double up after neither of us improve. That was a little scary. I guess he could have limped with 56 and flopped a straight, but that was a chance I was willing to take. I’m now up to $2820 and in second place to a guy with $2850 with 3 guys on the brink of being all in blind. I’m sitting good for at least a repeat into step 2. Now it’s time to be hyper aggressive when I get a hand.

I get the BB when the level jumps to $150/300. I have 24 and get to see the flop, A57 two hearts with a MP caller that is also a big stack. Hmm, some possibilities. We both check. Turn 8d, I bet $300, get raised to $600, I call. River, YES, 6c giving me low straight. I bet $500, figuring if he has a higher straight he’ll raise and I can soundly lay mine down. He folds and I’m up to $3870. Fold several hands, lose some blinds, then raise to $750 with crap, T5s in the small trying to steal and get it.

Level jumps to $200/400, I have $3120 with 4 of us left. OTB I get TT. Raise it to $800, BB calls, flop is Q high two hearts. I bet $500 BB folds, up to $4120. Lose my blinds, get QQ otb, raise to $1200 and get them back. Fold a couple then SB folds to me, then I pick up QQ again in the SB. Short stack raises to $580, I re-raise to $1400. Short stack doesn’t improve his A7s and I take him out. Down to 3 of us, I have $4900 the other two have around $1000. Catch 89 OTB, try to steal, wind up calling $200 more to put the short stack all in and catch two pair on the flop. SWEET!! On to step 3 for the second time.

There was a lot more action in this step than any of the previous that I have played. Once again I get to advance in my first attempt at this step.