So I'm a rec player and have never plunked a lot of money to enter a tournmament but I made it through a $400 satellite event to qualify for a $3,500 seat to this event.

I showed up for the noon start and the tournament directors made a crazy decision to start the tables 3 handed. WTF...is this normal?

On the second hand of the tournament one of my opponents donates half of his 20K starting stack to the other in a very fishy manner.

Blinds are 75-150 Villain 1 turns top 2 pair (QK) and drops a 5K chip on the felt. It's a bizarre amount and he claims that it was an accident. But Villain 2 doesn't seem bothered by it and calls w/o hesitation. The river card comes and 2 more 5K chips hit the felt within seconds of each other. Villain 1 tables his 2 pair and Villain 2 mucks w/o even a shred of visible disappointment. This is strange and I'm stunned by it.

Twenty minutes later and we've been joined by a fourth player and both I and Villain 2 are eliminated in the following hand.

Villain 1 limps for 150 with Ks8s UTG
Villain 2 limps for 150 with 2c4c on the button
Small blind folds
Hero checks in the big blind with 4d8d

Flop comes 2s4s8c

Without seeking it out, I have been presented with top two pair on the flop. I am first to act and make a pot size bet of 600.

Villain 1 has been presented with top pair + king kicker and the second nut flush draw. He raises to 1,500.

Villain 2 calls with bottom 2 pair.

When it comes back to me I re-raise to 3,000 and Villain 1 calls. Villain 2 then decides to re-raise all in with the remainder of his 10K chips !!

What the f*** have I wandered in to? I can' at walk away from my hand and Villain 1 is willing to put 2/3 of his stack at risk in pursuit of his flush draw. He hits it and it's over for me quicker than an old Mike Tyson fight.

I'm not sure what I would do differently. If the flush draw doesn't come in, I'm sitting with a 50K stack 30 minutes in.

It hurt a lot to lose like that and I'm pissed at the tournament directors for the short seating setup which contribute to weird early action. The whole thing felt scripted.

I understand you were looking for a longer experience and probably haven't played much shorthanded poker feeling a bit uncomfortable, but you got it in well and if you're trying to make money then this is a dream scenario. Show up an hour or two in if you want to avoid shorthandedness, the reason they do it like this is because you can't just create new tables consisting of people that were together in the registration line, and most people just don't show up on time.

lol so if you would have won the hand would this be a thread?

There is something to that, especially if you are playing way above your normal buy-in level. Playing full ring with a somewhat shallower stack is somewhat easier than playing short handed with a deep stack, especially if you're not used to playing short handed.

Definitely not

I would have been too busy playing poker.

Tldr...probably fold pre...is not against rules and will Def reduce ur variance...

P.S. Going forward make it a point to seek 2pr+...this will guarantee that the poker gods won't deliver...

I would have liked u r chances too (given you could see their hole cards pre.)

Madcuzbad

Life is scripted.

So you lost $400 with top 2?




Just sayin' to keep your perspective.

This hand should actually inspire you to want to play more MTTs, not less