Positional Poker Play

I recently won Event # 4 of The Poker Trivia Tour through Railbirds. The event was Fixed Limit Hold’em with 29 players. The money was at four people, and the points for Player of the Season started in sixth place. The following hand took place with 15 players left – still a ways from the final table of 9. I was around 8th place in chips at the time. My game up to this point may have been considered over-aggressive in position by others at the table. I also had a great feel for the other players at the table, and I had lost very few chips without a distinct thought process going through my head. In the following hand, my check on the turn was in order to avoid a check-raise bluff that would force me off of the hand. The call on the river was with the distinct impression that my opponent was betting a missed draw. Decisions like these won me this tournament. It was very gratifying.


Full Tilt Poker Game #9854486311: PTT Event #4 (72078327), Table 3 - 200/400 - Limit Hold'em - 15:27:40 ET - 2009/01/04
Seat 1: Mr Shug (5,070)
Seat 2: crazee55 (690)
Seat 3: FRENCH RAP (2,910)
Seat 4: houndawg37 (3,710)
Seat 5: seaurchin1 (2,635)
Seat 6: edwin232 (3,210)
Seat 7: edly68 (4,195)
Seat 8: CgCook38 (2,900)
FRENCH RAP posts the small blind of 100
houndawg37 posts the big blind of 200
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CgCook38 [Td Ts]
seaurchin1 folds
edwin232 folds
edly68 folds
CgCook38 raises to 400
Mr Shug folds
crazee55 folds
FRENCH RAP calls 300
houndawg37 folds
*** FLOP *** [9c 3h Qh]
FRENCH RAP checks
CgCook38 bets 200
FRENCH RAP calls 200
*** TURN *** [9c 3h Qh] [Kd]
FRENCH RAP checks
CgCook38 checks
*** RIVER *** [9c 3h Qh Kd] [4h]
FRENCH RAP bets 400
CgCook38 has 15 seconds left to act
CgCook38 calls 400
*** SHOW DOWN ***
FRENCH RAP shows [Ad Tc] Ace King high
CgCook38 shows [Td Ts] a pair of Tens
CgCook38 wins the pot (2,200) with a pair of Tens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,200 Rake 0
Board: [9c 3h Qh Kd 4h]
Seat 1: Mr Shug didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: crazee55 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: FRENCH RAP (small blind) showed [Ad Tc] and lost with Ace King high
Seat 4: houndawg37 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: seaurchin1 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: edwin232 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: edly68 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: CgCook38 showed [Td Ts] and won (2,200) with a pair of Tens