Trip Report Summary from the HPT Main Event cross posted from 2+2

out in level 3. some preliminary notes about the tournament: the structure was beyond horrible - i glanced at it a few weeks ago and for some reason thought everyone started with 30k but it was actually 15k with blinds going to 200/400 at level 3 (200/400, 80 minutes in). so on average, 80 minutes in, you will have between 40-50 blinds and can play one hand past the flop. when i found out how shallow it was going to play i decided to kamikaze early and accumulate which proved to be difficult since the tournament was oversold and they put 11 people at each table (!). also no iPods or phones were allowed at the table...mmmkkk. some hands i was involved in -

i raise 45cc in MP to 300, caller on btn and bb. flop K53 one club. i bet some chips and both fold immediately because if i raise early i have AK am i right?

i isolate MP limper in CO with T9ss to 400 (still in first level, blinds 100/100). flop JJ5 no spades. he checks i check planning to do stuff on later streets. i figured he was never folding for one bet and it would be easier for him to lay down his 66 when overcards came although in retrospect if that is my read maybe just building the pot to take it down on the turn and river is a better line. turn 8r giving me OESD, he checks i bet 3/5 pot he calls. i was going to bomb pretty much any river above a 7 except for a jack and ofc a jack rolls off. he insta donk bets 2k into 2.5k or something on river (lol live players). i considered just jamming since i think 99 percent of old people bet turn with a jack but getting people to fold boats even if it is the 8th nuts is always a tricky proposition

i raise J9ss from MP get five callers, flop 998 two hearts i bet some chips everyone folds

still hovering around starting stack, HJ (old guy who seemed to have a minor clue) raises to 500 at 100/200, guy on BTN calls i call in BB with KTo. flop KK5 two diamonds. i check, HJ bets 1k into 1.6k btn folds i call. turn was Jd i check he bets 2k i call. river a low diamond bringing the four flush i check he overbets for a little more than pot i dont give it much thought and fold. not sure how else to play this, would like to hear other people's thoughts. i sort of thought i was beat the whole way by AK with one diamond or just a flush but old people can play pretty erratically sometimes so who knows..

bust out hand was i raise EP @ 200/400 with AKs to 1200 isolating an ep limper, guy who had reraised 4-5 times (myself once) insta calls (he looked like an anorexic Jean Robert Bellande except with ten dollar sun glasses and the stench of Newports) and then it folds around to EP who calls. flop AJ8 rainbow, EP checks, i check and guy behind bets 1500 immediately. i bet this flop 95 percent of the time obviously but i had a feeling the villain was waiting to go after me because i had been raising a lot of pots, for an 11 handed table anyway. so my plan was to represent AQ/AT/KK or some other transparent hand and let him barrel me. EP folds i call. turn K i check he throws out a 5k chip and i have 8k total. i didnt really see how i could fold since with the amount he had been reraising i didn't see how he could have JJ and folding against one combo of 88 is kinda absurd (i ruled out QT since had been playing relatively tight to EP action). also if my plan was to induce action, folding after i improved AND get action seemed nonsensical. also he could be value betting a worse hand like KJ or AJ too so anyway i put it in and he tables JJ which surprised me obviously. i couldn't bink the river and that was it but not before i had to sit through the live degenerate douche pump and screaming

it is a strange experience taking the two hour drive home pondering a cooler but i am still not 100 percent this is a shoulder shrug "cooler situation" in a live setting. obviously you never fold top two online 35-40 bb deep against a reasonable player but live the ranges are so skewed because people are so afraid of busting out that it can be tough to evaluate sometimes.