My crack at 2k

I played a $100 entry poker tournament on the cruise just for fun. Figured there are a lot of people on a cruise that have money to spend, know a bit about poker but don't really play so I'd have a good shot. Blinds started at 25-50 and doubled every 10 minutes. We started with 1500 so is was going fast. 5 heats of 10 per heat. Top 2 at each heat makes the final table for a chance at the grand prize of $2000. Second place paid out $1000.

First day, I started in late position and got A-K. I raised 3x the BB and almost everyone called. Cheap flop I guess. It came up 6-8-9 and got a couple raises so I folded. Second hand, I got K-Q suited (or something like that). I raised 4x the BB this time and got a couple callers. A low crappy flop. I raised again. Got called again. Turn paired up something so I checked, they raised, I folded. Now I'm short stacked. I changed gears and started playing really tight for a bit to let the players go at it. When the table got down to about 4 left, everyone played tight going for the final spots and I started playing really aggressive stealing tons of blinds. I ended up being chip leader with 3 left but with the blinds at 1600-3200, the money just went around the table. I ended up coming in second with a $100 payout and a seat at the final table.

At the final table, the first hand I played was a 6-8 suited where I was on the big blind and I called a 150 bet. The flop came up 6-8-9. Everyone checked to me, I opened for 200. The guy beside me reraised to 450 all in. The guy beside him (the one that bet preflop) called (I put him on an overpair). I called and so did the guy beside me. We checked it down and sure enough, the guy that bet preflop had J-J. The guy that went all in flopped the nut straight! Jerk. I had the odds to call either way with a 450 raise to possibly take him out but still this took half my chips away.

Same strategy then. Play premium hands only unless it looks likely that I can take a blind but the blinds being so low, it wasn't really worth it. I stole a couple pots here and there but basically I just hung in there until there were 4 players left. I was short stacked and I knew that two of the others at the table were tight, conservative players. The guy to my left was an aggressive player when he has any kind of a hand. I get dealt an A-3. By now, the blinds were getting higher and I was in danger of being blinded out within a couple rounds. So it was now or never. At the same time, I was counting my chips, I noticed the two conservative players seeming uninterested in their hands. The aggressive player didn't notice what I was doing and had put in his call to the blind out of turn. When I said all in, he tried to take his blind back! The dealer said he couldn't and the two others folded.

So heads up, I have an A-3 to his 2-3. I'm a big favorite. He's the chip lead so this isn't going to hurt him much but I'll be close to the other two with this win. Flop comes up with a 2! Nothing helps me and I'm knocked out there. Stupid 4th place. A good read. Good time to put in the money. But I lose on luck.

The guy that ended up first in my heat won the tournament. A super tight, "don't get involved" player that basically checked his way into the finals and won on a river draw. I'd have easily beaten him. $2000 gone.