Key hand in a 90+ person 275 buy in tournament.

This was such a long tournament yesterday, it has literally took me all day to recoup from it. I am hoping to get these blogs out at least once a week now. I'll be more than likely discussing a hand that I have played well or could have changed something.

We started the tournament at 10am, which is so stupid. No one wants to wake up that dam early to play a poker tournament. Being what it was, we had a good field some how and it will be the last one at that time! It better be at least! Anyways, moving through this tourney took all day and took a lot of composure from me to keep my cool as I suffered devastating beats through out.

Finally at around 9pm we hit the last 14 players. I'm sitting with a good stack, about middle of the road with about 110k chip stack. Blinds are now 2k 4k with a 200 ante. This was the key hand that vaulted me into a great position to move on in a big way though the rest of the tourney.

I am the BB, this crazy fishy guy limps +2 brings one more limper in the cutoff and the SB comes along as well. Pot size now with blinds antes and limps sits at 17,400. I look down at 7s7c, I ponder and know that this is a great spot to check and go. See the flop multi-way for zero cost, and have all the implied odds I can dream for here.

Flop comes As 3s 7h. BING! SB checks, I'm checking this flop for 2 reasons. Yes I know there's a draw heavy board, but I know how my opponents will play the hand out from simple reasoning from sitting with them so long. The crazy guy leads a smaller bet, like I had thought he would. He bets 6k, into a pot of 17k(which by the way to me was screaming weakness). Now when he bet his hand I didn't care what he was doing I was paying close attention to the man on his left, waiting to act. I watched as he saw crazy betting and moved right to his chip stack, a sign of strength! Which in this hand is a great thing to pick up on. He makes a standard size raise to what I believe was 21k, which was almost spot on with the pot. I read him for no weaker than AJ, but a very good chance he had, A3 suited due to his limp pre-flop. SB folds, action to me.

Knowing all this, I want to get the money in now and not have the crazy get great odds to draw at something really stupid. Here is the reason this play works so well. I ponder and think that If I make that big all in push right now, this guy is going to read me for a flush draw and snap me off. So that's exactly what I do, I over bet the pot and move all in. Crazy guy folds, and Mr. Ace rag, snaps me off. I flip my set over and he tables Ad 3d. I fade the 2 outs and now am in great position for final table!