From Satellite to Chip Leader: A Day 1 Among the Poker Elite in a $26,000 Event

I am a mid-stakes MTT player.

Frankly, I have no business going toe to toe with the poker elite. But you know what?

I did just that.

Today, I’m going to share with you key hands from my unlikely run. My rising to the occasion, and my occasional choking under pressure.

Hands from Day 1: Welcome to the Big Leagues

We’re about an hour and a half in. Slept well. I’ve had my coffee. I’ve gone to the gym. Since I qualified off a 1k satellite, I’m just here to play my best and enjoy the moment.

Hand 1 – First Impressions are Everything

Big Blind with Ks Qs.

Villain (seemingly aggressive) who looks like a pro (or who just has a lot of moola) opens from the Lojack. I look down at the beautiful Ks Qs. We’re playing very deep as far as MTTs go: 170bb effective.

I could 3-bet. I could call. I imagine both are fine. Given I’m not well-versed in very deepstacked play, I elect for the chicken move. “Cluck-Cluck-Call.”

Flop: As Js 9x

If there is any tournament you want to flop a royal flush draw in, it’s going to be the biggest buy-in of your life. I check, planning to check-raise vs a small size. But like I said, he’s aggro and chooses a larger size of around 70% pot. I could still check-raise but… I have one bullet.

Fine. Call.

Turn: 5x.

Ok. I called his big bet. He should slow down sometimes. Check.

He chooses 150% pot as his bet size. Sigh. I don’t get to do any raising now. Call and pray.

River: 4x.

Check-fold? Check-raise bluff? Lead big? Block?

I choose the worst of the options, going for a 25% block, praying I run into his flop and turn bluffs. He won’t have it. He raises 4.5x the size of my bet.

Oops. Off to a bad start. Down to 3/4 starting stack. Breathe. Collect yourself. Execute.

Hand 2 – Working Out Value Thresholds

A pro who sat down not too long ago opens Under-the-Gun (UTG). This is the same level, so we are playing over 100bb deep. Action folds to me on the Button with AQs.

I go for the flat-call. Big Blind overcalls.

Flop: AJJ rainbow

Big Blind checks. UTG checks, but remember that UTG checking doesn’t mean weakness. They’ll have some check-raises, check-calls, and check-folds. This is near the top of my Ax one-pair class but I also have a reasonable amount of Jx.

This deep, I’d like to focus my pot building around my trips and check my top pairs. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a pure bet.

I check too.

Turn: offsuit 6.

Big Blind checks. UTG goes for a delayed c-bet of 75% pot. I call.

River: Tx.

UTG bets 1.5x the size of the pot. Doesn’t feel amazing. I don’t think I get to do anything but call so I do.

He has a bluff. Thank God.

We are back, baby!

In fact, we are now over the starting stack.

Hand 3 – Bluff turned Value turned Bluff Catcher

Famous pro opens UTG. I flat Qc 8c on the Button. Big Blind comes along.

Flop: KJT two-tone but not my suits.

Big Blind checks. UTG checks.

Having a Q with no showdown value makes for a good “start bluffing” candidate. If we face a raise, we can call. We’re only in trouble versus AQ when a 9 rolls off.

I bet 33% pot. Big Blind folds. Pro check-raises 3x the size of my bet. This was always a possibility and a Q is a good card.

Call.

Turn: Ax bringing a double flush draw.

They check. I check.

River: Tx. Flush draws brick.

They go for an overbet (125%-150% pot). The board pairing is annoying but this is definitely not a fold.

I flick the calling chips in. They show 55.

I think to myself, “some people are too rich.”

I win a bunch of other hands. No at risk all-ins, just small-to-medium sized pots.

Hand 4 – How to Become Chip Leader in 150 seconds

It’s the end of Day 1. I peaked at 3 million, then lost some back:

• a bad hero call in a 3-bet pot where I called out their hand before calling
• one where I couldn’t find the fold with a flush

I’m down to 2.2 million but up from the 500k I started with. “Can I just sell my stack for 100k?” Not sure that’s how it works. No huge blunders since the Ks Qs hand and that bad hero call. Table seems to think I’m half decent, leaving me alone.

Table breaks and I’m moved to a new table. Not my favorite since now I have to figure out what everyone is doing and how people will play versus me.

I get sat in seat 8 with my 80bb stack. Seat 7 slightly covers me. Looks like he has been dominating his table since everyone else is sitting on around 30bb.

One orbit in and we’re in the blinds. BTN folds. I think, “Let’s play nice. It’s the end of the day. No need to go crazy.”

He chooses violence, opening 3.3x from the Small Blind.

Now, there should be some ICM implications here. We’re both deep which means he should be opening a little more polar.

I look down at Tx8s. Playable. Call.

Flop: 9s 7s 3c

If there’s a tournament you want to flop an open-ended straight draw with a backdoor flush draw in-position when deepstacked, it’s the biggest buy-in event of your life.

Villain bets 33% pot. Easy call.

Turn: brings an offsuit 8.

Fairly quickly, villain goes 133% pot.

FML. These people give no mercy. Can’t fold. Call.

River: 3x.

Villain uses his 30 seconds and a time bank (Note: In this tournament, you got six timebanks at the start of Day 1. By this hand, I have four left).

He goes all-in for 125% pot.

Sad, sad and very sad. Even if I were to bust outside the money, I would have loved to at least play day 2.

Well. He’s supposed to open the best suited stuff, something like 88 or 99+ and some trash. That’s what I think in-game.

His best hands are going to be:

• JTs
• maybe some T6s
• maybe 88
• definitely 99

TT-AA seem too greedy. He shouldn’t really have JTo, T6o and 65o, but I do. Given that I have these in my range, this should further polarize his range. He can have some 3x combos preflop but a lot of these check flop or check turn after they c-bet flop, and the overbet should remove them.

My combo has some OK calling properties too. Beats bluffs. Blocks some of his best hands. Not sure if I want him to have all his Tx bluffs (T2o, T3o) though instead.

Next, I consider the meta game. It’s the end of Day 1. I’m an unknown with a stack in a big spot which can give a pro the impression they can run me over. The timing does feel sus.

Kinda feeeeeels like a bluff. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck? I use all four time banks, taking these factors into consideration while also retelling my entire life story in black and white.

I say, “99?? Ugh. Nice hand.” Then put in the one chip call.

If there’s one tournament you want to call with a bluff-catcher for a 9x starting stack pot, it’s in the biggest buy-in tournament of your life.

!!!

He holds his hand face down in a sort of unhappy manner before quietly announcing, “your hand is good” and turning over his J4o. I’m less excited than I am relieved. A sort of softness inside, my imposter syndrome very slowly lifting.

Frankly, I have no business going toe to toe with the poker elite. But you know what? I did just that.

I am the Day 1a chip leader.

Want to get more out of your preflop calls? Read: MTT Preflop Strategy: Turning Flat-Calls from Leak to Weapon.