Satellite Revenge

A month ago I found myself in a predicament very late in a WSOP main event supersatellite on PokerStars. We were only a few away from the seat, I was short, a player with an even-sized stack moved all-in in late position, and I had pocket aces in the small blind. I tanked for almost a minute and then called after considering the pros and cons of calling versus folding. I was a lock to win the seat if I called and won, and likely to win it if I folded. The math dictates that I should call if the chances of the aces holding up against the pusher's range are higher than the chances of winning the seat if I fold. I didn't quite compute it at the time, but it turned out I was supposed to call. After I called, my opponent rivered a straight with queen-ten offsuit and I lost out on the seat.

I've played a couple more satellites since then with no luck. Today in the Stars $650 satellite I was able to build a chipleader stack (including cracking another poor soul's aces with 65s all-in preflop) with about 100 players left, 24 of them getting seats. I got switched to a couple bad seats and blinded off for hours until there were 30 left and I picked up my favorite hand, king-ten suited, on the button and shoved in for about nine big blinds. The big blind, who had about eleven big blinds, thought for a very long time and called with ace-queen. The flop gave me no help but a king on the turn followed by a blank on the river and I had doubled up and locked up the seat.

A few hands later I did this for the first time in my career:

PokerStars Game #16716195525: Tournament #83595798, $615+$35 Hold'em No Limit - Level XIX (3000/6000) - 2008/04/14 - 00:52:59 (ET)
Table '83595798 49' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: MrTile (350624 in chips)
Seat 2: txhammer (37898 in chips)
Seat 3: TravestyFund (103064 in chips)
Seat 4: Sage Phantom (51962 in chips)
Seat 5: throwinphins (11557 in chips)
Seat 6: teacuppoker (62624 in chips)
Seat 7: rivermanl (56360 in chips)
Seat 9: moledaddy (248413 in chips)
MrTile: posts the ante 600
txhammer: posts the ante 600
TravestyFund: posts the ante 600
Sage Phantom: posts the ante 600
throwinphins: posts the ante 600
teacuppoker: posts the ante 600
rivermanl: posts the ante 600
moledaddy: posts the ante 600
teacuppoker: posts small blind 3000
rivermanl: posts big blind 6000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Sage Phantom [Ac As]
moledaddy: raises 10669 to 16669
MrTile: folds
txhammer: folds
TravestyFund: folds
Sage Phantom: folds
throwinphins: folds
teacuppoker: folds
rivermanl: folds
moledaddy collected 19800 from pot
moledaddy: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 19800 | Rake 0
Seat 1: MrTile folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: txhammer folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: TravestyFund folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Sage Phantom folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: throwinphins (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: teacuppoker (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: rivermanl (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 9: moledaddy collected (19800)
____

A few minutes later it was over. I'll be playing in the main event this summer courtesy of Pokerstars, though I will try to avoid wearing their gear if i can help it. I think I will also have ten nights at the Palms or something. It may go to the highest bidder.