I'm worth...

"I'm worth a million dollars in prizes" -Iggy Pop

Last night I hosted a NLHE SnG and I got away with one.

I am so card dead, that frustration sets in. Starting with 500 chips, I never got above 600, and spent most of my evening at 450.

At one point, I am so frustrated I am looking for something to play and get dealt the hammer. Now, considering my last 10 hands had a 6 in them, this was a monster. I decided I would avoid the "curse of the hammer" and play it. I raised the 3xBB and got a call from the EP limper. The flop is AKQ. That is trouble. He checks, I bet over 1/2 the pot, he calls. Turn is a blank and he check, again I bet and he calls. UGH....

My strategy with the hammer is always the same. If you are first to raise pre-flop, play it like AK. If you are not first to raise and are re-raising or raising limpers, play it like AA.

So when the river came, knowing damn well I had a long night of watching poker in my own basement instead of playing, I pushed all in. He folded.

A bad fold? not by a longshot. How do you call that bet with anything but 2pr or better. Even A-rag is dead here.

Then, I showed the hammer as is customary.

I felt bad. I made a blogger play on non-bloggers and felt obligated to show. I didn't have to. I could have left it a mystery. Why did I show? I am not really sure.

That was my highest chips stack of the night, but I soon found myself back at 450. When there were 8 left, I had about 450. Same with 7,6,5, and with 4 left, I still have 450 at the bubble.

What amazed me is that I continued on life support. Why was kinda simple. Everyone was playing a tactical game and no one was trying to isolate and kill off the short stacks. And I certainly are not going to bring it up. Suddenly 4th goes out and I have... counting.... 450 chips. I am going to cash?

As if by magic, I get JJ (at this point, far and away my best hand of the night) and it holds up against something like 77. Then, the very next hand, I get the hiltons and poor Rich raises it up with JJ. Now I am 2nd.

I battle my way to chip lead by about 20% and my final opponent is restless. He goes all-in 2 hands in a row, both times I fold 52s. (The happened earlier in the game with 3 left, both time he had AK). But when he does it a THIRD time in a row, I can not give him credit for a monster. And I have 77. I count and posture, but I call and he shows the 45s. The 7 comes on the turn, but that is bad since my set now gives him the OESD outs. But the river is a King and I take down the SnG.

When you are not dealing with a big field, never concern yourself with chips. Concern yourself with chips and AGGRESSION. Since the table was not aggressive, I was able to lay low even when my M was 6 and wait for my spots. At one point I had a mear 271 chips left.

If you do have chips in an SnG, you need to ATTACK THE SHORT STACKS. If you dont, you leave them "hanging around" (as they say in the NFL) and they are one big play from ruining your Sunday.