I found myself half way through day 2 with a OK stack. I went into Day 2 with 25,000 chips at 200/400 ante: 50. The only way to describe the hand I am about post is to describe my table and opponents in detail.
I am in the 5 seat, directly across from the dealer, and I have the best seat on the table. To my right are the biggest stacks, they also happen to be the oldest players at the table. I am usually the oldest player! (like I was on day one, at 37, I’m old in poker.) To my left: an internet pro, live tournament pro/former Brazillian soccer player Paulo Rink, FTP pro: Scott Clements and FTP pro: Paul Sexton.
I have the overall Day 1 chip leader two seats to my right, James Dainelsson. I googled him the night before, I could not find anything about him at all. If someone asked me, “what would you want to the day 1 chip leader to be like?” I would have said, make him like:
James Danielsson
The first hand of Day 2, James was UTG with is 208,000 chips (Day 2 average was about 48,000). Blinds: 200/400 ante: 50 and James raises to 3000.
BOOM 3k, no problem. What is even more amazing is that he got re-raised out of the SB to 13,500 by a 87,000 stack and he called.
Flop was 
SB bet out 15k, and James Called.
Turn: 
and both players checked.
River: 
and the SB fired off 20k in this huge pot.
Final board: (may not be 100% correct but for all intensive purposes it is.)
James called w/
and won. The SB showed a busted gut shot flush draw. 
Now the big stack was even bigger and everyone looked at each other like, “WOW BUCKLE UP!”
On to my hand.
I chip up after a level and half and start this hand with 35,000 in chips. I have yet to tangle with the big stack. It is obvious that everyone is jumping into pots with him as he never folds to re-raises and will get it in on the flop fairly easily. Well after being at 250,000, he is now “down” to 180,000 to start this hand.
Blinds 250/500 Ante: 50 (pot 1200).
James the big stack raises to 1200 after one fold and I look down at:
FINALLY! BUCKLE UP ITS DOUBLE UP TIME!
I make it 4400 to total. I guess this could be debated and I was told by one player I respect that I should consider just calling to give one of the tight agressive players a shot to squeeze lightly with the big stack likely just calling.
I kind of agree but, for that moment, raising was my line. James does not have a big pair, he was over-sizing his preflop raises with pocket pairs when he open raised. His normal-size raise from early position is likely some ‘playable’ hand. Meaning a range of any two broadway cards, or any suited 2 or 3 gapped broadway card or suited Ace, (T9s+, QTo, ATo, A9s, etc.)
I was hoping to just get it in on the flop against the big stack as he never folded to a re-raise (thus my bigger raise size) and would get it in light vs shorter stacks.
Back to the action: two quick folds and Scott Clements (26,000) calls in stride. What I mean is he called quickly, no thought about it at all, and I sort of quivered in my seat knowing I had him beat but knew he could complicate this hand.
Scott knows me from some mix games tournaments a few years back, surely noticed how tight I was playing as well. His range is TT-KK, AKs, that tight, in fact he has QQ and JJ most of the time. I am pretty sure he folds 99 and AKo, all AQ combos surely hit the muck.
Back to the big stack and he calls.
3 players to the flop. (14,400):
And I think, “whatever you do dealer to put a Quee…”
F@&K ME
Thats the worst flop I could imagine. I would rather have a QJT flop as it would be easier to get away from, granted a dry Q-high flop would suck but this has all of it. All of Scotts range and a good chuck of James range as well. Before I even really see it, the big stack looks at me and says, “how much do you have?” I quickly answer 30,000, and he bets out 20,000.
Well he’s got a piece. He might have two pair, he might have 
, he has all sorts of combos that have a pair plus a T as well. He likely does not have the nuts, as weak player just check the nuts, but he could have it as he would over bet the pot to “protect” and there is a flush draw out there.
I look left at Scott and ask, “how much you do have left?” and Scott says, “about 22,000″ and I tank a bit, and decide that Scott was seeing a flop cheap to dodge a Ace or K flop w/QQ or JJ, as he knows I made a big raise vs this short stack to get him heads up with a strong hand.
I folded.
I will post the results later this week, but I discussed my hand with MANY top NL and tournament players, and the hand made for quite a debate. In fact, I received emails talking about it this week, nearly 2 weeks after I played the hand. Most of the tournament players fold, and a lot of cash players fold but a portion of the cash game players ship it in.
The hand was also the #1 topic of discussion in Vanessa Selbst new podcast “Tournamentality” on DeucesCracked.
and James the big stack had 
5
K
, obviously a terrible card. Now the villain fires off 3200 in stride, I think for a bit. Against a lot of tight straight forward players I can consider folding this turn. There is reasonable suspicion that he could still be barreling on a bluff, he was too aggro with his big stack to give him full credit here, so I called.
