I HAVE THE POWER! (pass)

Every WCOOP, I like to run through the schedule, pick out the tournaments I really want to play, then filter out the ones I can't either because of the timings or the cost. This year my WCOOP was looking like this:

Tuesday 8th

#16-L $22 FL Badugi

#16-M $109 FL Badugi (if I can satellite in) 

Wednesday 9th

#21-L $11 PLO 

Monday 14th

#44-L $11 8-game               

Tuesday 15th 

#50-L $22 2-7 triple draw 

Sunday 27th

#108-L $109 NLHE Main (if I can satellite in)

#111-L $109 PLO Main (if I can satellite in)

Tuesday 29th

#118-L $5.50 PL Badugi 

#118-M $55 PL Badugi 

#118-H $530 PL Badugi (if I can satellite in)

I played the low FL badugi and PLO tournaments without any success and then didn't really have much pencilled in until the end of the month, which got me thinking...

The one event I really want to play out of the whole WCOOP is the $530 Pot Limit Badugi but that's too rich for me unless I can satellite in. Unfortunately, there's only turbo/hyper satellites available in the hours before and during the target events, which I'm no fan of BUT... there is also the Power Path. 

Pokerstars has a satellite system where you can win a "Power Pass" of varying values which you can exchange for either online tournament tickets or live event packages. 

A $2500 Silver Power Pass could be redeemed for a bunch of WCOOP tickets, including a $530 ticket as well as multiple $109 and $55 tickets, allowing me to play the events I really wanted to play, the high and medium badugi tournaments as well as a couple of bullets for the low holdem and PLO main events. I would also be quite pleased with a Bronze Power Pass which would grant me two $109 tickets and two $55 tickets, again culminating in a good final few days of WCOOP with the low main events and medium badugi.  

So I got to work on the Power Path. The bottom tier is a 50cent spin and go, the prize is almost always either a $1 or a $1.50 power path ticket. The $1 ticket gets you into a 16 person hyper shootout, with an $11 ticket for 1st, $1.50 tickets for 2nd & 3rd and a dollar something in cash for 4th. The $1.50 stage is just a standard satellite tournament for $11 dollar tickets and then the $11 satellite tournament gets you into the final $55 tournament, with varying number and types of Power Pass packages guaranteed depending on what night of the week it is. There's a couple of key things to note about the Power Path:

• Pokerstars guarantee a good number of seats for the next stage in each tournament, which often overlays. 
• You can't buy in to the final stage directly, you have to qualify from a lower stage.

Both of these factors mean, that even in the final stage, the player pool is full of idiots and fish. The final stage must be the softest $55 tournament on Pokerstars. Despite that, I've never really taken advantage of the Power Path promotion. I made a concerted effort once before but stone bubbled the $2500 Power Pass, and was maybe sickened too much to go through it again. 

It went better this time though. The early stages are still the definition of donkament, and you just have to patiently persevere knowing that there's going to be a lot of variance. 

Even the final stage is a turbo, I value bet my way deep into my first attempt at the $55 final stage but even as second in chips with 16 left, I had a palty 10bbs. As we approached the end game, I was fortunate enough to benefit from this hand, all in preflop:

By the final table we pretty much all had an average stack of 6bbs. First place would win a $10k package, 2nd - 6th getting $2.5k packages and $530 bundles for the rest. Thankfully, I'm very used to playing shortstacked in satellites and knew what I had to do. Players fell by the way side and I cruised into the last 6 players securing the ticket bundle I had set my eyes on, I won the Silver Pass! 

I got exactly what I wanted AND ALSO an additional $1500+ worth of tickets that I hadn't really thought about. I contacted customer support to see if the tickets would be usable after WCOOP but unfortunately (?) they expire after WCOOP ends. Suddenly I've got less than three weeks to play $2500 worth of tournaments! 

This is the revised plan for the events I really want to play:

#108-L $109 NLHE Main Event (with a spare bullet)

#111-L $109 PLO Main Event (with a spare bullet)

#118-M $55 PL Badugi (with a spare bullet)

#118-H $530 PL Badugi

Leaving me with three $215 tickets, two $109s, six $55s and ten $22 tickets, that I don't really know what to do with, I just had to dive in:

#44-M $109 8-game

I was nervous about playing this. I'd be happy to play the low version but I felt like a fraud buying into the bigger one. But actually, I was surprised by how little it differed from the lower buyin 8-game tournaments I've played. I finished just five off the money, 52/324. Despite not cashing, I felt quite happy with how competitive I was at this level.

#50-M $215 2-7 Triple Draw 

It didn't feel right registering for this, I rarely play 2-7 triple draw and to be playing a $215 buyin? Seemed like madness, but I'm kinda in a use it or lose it situation and having come close to the money in the 8game, I'd decided to go for it. Very similar to the night before, I finished ten off the money 29/148, but still pleased to be in contention despite not really playing much of the game type.

#50-L $22 2-7 Triple Draw 

I also played the low version, you would think if I was nervous about playing a $215 tournament in a game I don't often play, then playing more of it wouldn't help, but I was actually surprised how it sort of negated the money side of things and just busied my mind with playing 2-7 triple draw, both tournaments were equal in my mind. Although I'd much rather have managed the min cash in the other game I finished 64/530 for $44.45.

#59-M $215 PLO8 - 117/211 

I haven't played PLO8 in ages, so once again, I was hesitant to play such a big buyin, but if nothing else, I'm hoping playing these will take the edge off and by the time the big badugi rolls around I'll be more comfortable playing at these levels. While I didn't go as far in this as the others, I think I played it right and just lost a flip, had I won that flip I would have had an average stack with half the players gone, so I still think I played it fine - 117/211.

Despite not cashing anything so far, it's making me think I can compete in these bigger games, and even if I don't cash a single $100+ tournament with these tickets, I'm thinking another run at the Power Path for another bunch of online tickets is definitely the game plan after WCOOP concludes.

Two more badugi tournaments added to the WCOOP schedule, $55 and $11 pot limit badgui side events, which would hopefully build my confidence ahead of the BIG badugi at the end of the series.

Side Event $55 PL Badugi

With a plethora of $55 tickets at my disposal, my approach was to play aggressively from the start and gamble if necessary to build a stack, and rebuy as required. That plan went perfectly. I played aggressively and within the first 30 minutes I'd tripled up without even having to rebuy. That was plenty enough chips for me to make a deep run, so I eased up on the gas, I continued to chip up, just at a more sustainable pace. I made it into the money without too much fuss but went a bit card dead as the final table approached. By the final table, I had less than 10bbs, and continued to suffer for some time.

Down to just 5bbs I decided to go for it with an A2xx. Only the big blind called my pot raise, and we both drew 2 cards. My new cards were of no help but I'd committed myself to the hand so called the big blinds bet that put me all in. My opponent drew 1 card, I drew another 2 to no avail. My opponent drew 1 once more achieving a very solid 8 high badugi but it was no match for my skillful drawing when I plucked a 6 high badugi out of nowhere! 

The very next hand I got it all again, and doubled again. And the hand after that, I picked up another 15bbs and a bounty as I eliminated the now shortest stack. In three hands I went from 5bbs, on the brink of elimination, to 35bbs, taking bounties and with a real shot at the win. 

By the time we got down to the final three, the chipleader was banging on about how badly he was running. Yeah, sure pal. Not only was he chipleader in the $55 badugi with three left, but he was also the chipleader in the $11 badugi with three left at the same time! 

Poker players are never happy. 

Three handed play dragged on for quite some time without a whole lot of action. During this time the chipleader shared his unhappiness at losing head headusp in the $11 game and suggested we make a deal. A friend who was railing noted how boring our table was but I was quite excited by the prospect of the chipleader going on tilt. And sure enough, despite starting 3 handed play with half the chips in play, he was next out. 

I began hedadsup trailing with a 2:1 chip deficit, but with a bunch of headsup experience, I was able to grind my opponent down. I remember the first time I played badugi headsup and I was battered with aggression before I couldn't even figure out what was going on. And so that's what I hit my opponent with. I had almost drawn even in chips with around 28bbs vs 30bbs when the final hand arrived.

I was dealt a 29TQ badugi, not a great hand ordinarily but headsup, in position, it's certainly worth a raise. My opponent called and drew 2 cards. I bet pot, more than likely I am ahead, but my hand is easily overtaken so I'm making them pay to draw. Opponent called and drew one. As before, I'm probably still ahead but it's getting less clear, I bet pot again, and my opponent check raised all in. I now know I am behind. I have 6bbs left. If I fold, the stacks will be 6 big blinds vs 54bbs. I decided I had a better shot at drawing to a better hand than overcoming those odds, but I think that was a mistake. I drew one card, ditching my queen, but I think that was a mistake too. What was my opponent check raising all in with? I can't imagine it was worse than a T9xx badugi, so even if I hit a perfect card it was unlikely to be a winning hand. I also wonder if my bet sizing was wrong too, had that forced me into the position? I didn't get that perfect card on my last draw and the game was over.

But I was pleased enough with 2nd. I could have, so easily, been knocked out at the start of the final table, I could have played my last hand better in a number of ways, and the winner had played well throughout the tournament, so it was a fair result, 2/99 - won $529.84

Now, more than ever, I'm looking forward to the big badugi tournament at the end of the series!