ThePunk75 Rides a Chip and a Chair to a 5th Place Finish at the Electric Stick

Even Jennifer Aniston wants to know how he did that?? ThePunk75 tells us with a superb write up.

“This wasn't the first time I've been down to a chip and a chair and come back, but the timing of this one was special.

It was last Sunday at The Electric Stick. We are given 35k to start the tournament and right at the end of the first blind level (25/50 blinds) this hand left me crippled.

I played A3 on button. The was a preflop raise to 300, I hate playing A3 under most circumstances but the button made me call and there were 5 callers so there was already a decent pot brewing.

Flops comes [248] checked all around I don't remember what the turn was but someone bet 1k, and I call as do 2 others. River is the 5 and I have made my wheel.

SB leads out 3500, BB reraises to 7000. Folds around to me and I literally have this sick feeling. I have hit my hand and its looks like its no good. My initial thought was the SB also had the wheel and BB had 67 and hit the bigger straight, so if I flat call I get to see and only lose 7k if he did hit it. So I call the 7k.

Then SB goes all in. BB sits there for a minute and folds. Now what do I do. Go with my first read? Rethink the entire hand? How can I fold? All I know is that I might be forever be taking A3 out of my range at any bet level after this fiasco. After a couple of seconds I decide I can't fold, I have to go with my first read, so I call. SB turns over 67. Great. The BB says he had a set.

After all of this I was left with 525 chips. 1.5% of my starting stack. I say at least I have 10 bbs left. As soon as I finished saying that the blinds go up to 50/100. This gives me even less chance of getting many folds on my impending shove.

Very next hand I get AK. Shove. 3 callers. Flop comes AA10. BAM. It’s checked down to river and the running 9's gave me the full house and I held the only A. Now with something like 1800 chips I look down at AK again. Shove. 3 callers. Flop a king and it holds and I have just under 4k and I literally can't believe this.

Next hand there was a preflop raise and I look down at A10, and I figure lets ride this one more time and shove. 2 callers. It was a rag board, and Q on turn, and I'm thinking my luck ran out. A ten hits river and it’s checked around again. I turn over my A10 for a pair of tens and that’s the best hand. One guy said he had AJ.

From 525 all the way back to about 13k in 3 hands and now I have some breathing room. I took down a couple more pots with AK and a set of queens before the break, and had about 16k. First hand after break, AA I raise to 1400(200/400 blinds) with two callers.
Flop is KQ4 all clubs. I check my cards for the club. Yep ace of clubs is down there. I’m going all in on this hand but I want to try and extract some chips first so I check hoping for a bet with the paint of the board. One guy bets and I shove over the top he calls. He shows KQ, which was the hand I didn't want to see him turnover. But the turn was the club I needed and after a fist pump I raked the pot and my comeback was complete, as I now had just about my starting stack back.

The cards went cold for awhile and the blinds were eating me up so I look down at 55 and shove my last 28k, two callers and they both have AQ. My fives hold and a nice triple up.

Now in BB, an UTG shove, and I see 66 and call. He has me covered in chips so this is it for me. A queen hits the flop and I stand up. The 6 hits the turn. I sit down. I now have ballpark of 130k.

We get through one more orbit and I'm in BB again. Another shove on my BB and just as I look down at 55, the tournament director says final table is set. Now what do I do, I have made it to final table if I fold. But I really am short-stacked to do anything but shove once I get there. I call. He shows AK. I hit a 5 on flop and another fist pump. But he gets a straight draw on turn, but misses the river.

The player asked me after the hand how I call that. I said I needed chips to do anything at final table and 55 has been good for me tonight. An equal 8 way chop (with top 3 playing for remaining balance) was agreed upon at the Final Table.

Seeing I wasn't even supposed to be there I had no argument for that. My final hand went down like this. 6 players left, an all in from UTG, and all in for less next to me and look down at 77. Seeing a chance to triple up again and have a shot at the additional cash I call, and I’m against 99 and A10. The nines held and I finished 5th.”

ThePunk75

What a night and what a story! Great job Punk, and thanks for the re-cap.