The last week or two my tournament game has been terrible. I've been playing higher than ever before (meaning more tournaments and higher buy-ins) and I just can't seem to close in on any big wins.
Over a span of 58 tournaments I cashed for only $500 or so while the buy-ins totaled almost $12k (wow, yuck!). And then on Saturday night it looked like I might hit a big score in the $100r on Paradise. I was the chip leader for quite awhile but it a rough streak when we were down to 2 tables. When I finally got to the final table I was almost last in chips. I finally won a big coinflip at the final table, and then won a few smaller pots to get to third place or so. Then a really strange hand came up. Two to my left was a really bad player with a ton of chips. I'd watched him from 20 players and he was playing a ton of pots but flopping huge hands (he had 4 sets in the final two tables). It was folded to me on the button and I had AQ, which is a huge hand in that spot. The blinds were 4k/8k and I had about 120k. The small blind was very short, posting half of his stack in the SB. I contemplated just moving in, honestly, because I knew the big blind was going to call any raise. I decided in the end to raise to 24k and the SB folded (figure that one out) and the BB of course insta-called. His range here, in my mind, consists of all broadway combinations as well as suited connectors and smaller pairs. The flop came 556 and he checked and I decided to bet figuring he would fold most of his hands. Of course hs insta called again. The turn was a blank and I checked behind him. The river was another blank and I figured my hand now had very good showdown value so I checked behind (with about 50k left in my stack while the pot had about 120k). I was shocked when he flipped up AK and took the pot.
My opponent's play here is really strange. I would expect a re-raise from him (I would have called all in or moved all in) and I never really expected him to smooth call with AK. I guess I should consider myself lucky that he didn't re-raise preflop or we didn't flop an ace because I am going broke for sure. But that pot made it very hard for me to recover and I ended up 7th for $2300 or so.
So I woke up on Sunday ready to get a hot streak going. I played the $300 on Party and hit a few nice pots early - and had people play really bad against me in a few spots to chip up nicely close to the chip lead. Then around the bubble I got pretty aggressive and the big blind took a stand against me in one spot and I doubled him up. Then on the absolute bubble I was involved in this hand :
Seat 3: ProCappers ( $26603 )
Seat 5: SlashMcGirk ( $22250 )
Seat 6: SilverBu11et ( $18154 )
Seat 7: nsxowner ( $7677 )
Seat 9: amielle ( $3415 )
Seat 8: marcolina ( $8230 )
Seat 4: Monghood ( $17855 )
Seat 10: GameThief ( $47828 )
Trny:23210992 Level:10
Blinds-Antes(800/1600-50)
ProCappers posts ante [50].
Monghood posts ante [50].
SlashMcGirk posts ante [50].
SilverBu11et posts ante [50].
nsxowner posts ante [50].
marcolina posts ante [50].
amielle posts ante [50].
GameThief posts ante [50].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to SlashMcGirk [ Ah Tc ]
SilverBu11et folds.
nsxowner folds.
marcolina folds.
amielle folds.
GameThief folds.
ProCappers will be using his time bank for this hand.
ProCappers did not respond in time.
ProCappers folds.
Monghood is all-In [17005]
SlashMcGirk calls [16205].
** Dealing Flop ** [ 6c, 3d, 4s ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Kd ]
** Dealing River ** [ 7d ]
Monghood shows [ Qd, As ] high card ace.
SlashMcGirk shows [ Ah, Tc ] high card ace.
Monghood wins 36010 chips from the main pot with high card ace with queen kicker.
I thought it was a pretty clear call - the SB in this hand hadn't been very tight, but my table image was probably really loose. I know that if I were in the SB in this spot AT would be a fairly easy call against me - perhaps I made the right decision and just got unlucky that he had a bigger hand. But I lost the hand and it ruined my tourney. I was very short, made the money, won a showdown against a shorter stack then lost with 88 vs AQ. Again avoiding any real good money ($18k for first I finished in the high twenties for $500).
After that I made it deep in the Pokerroom $300+20. I was one of the top three stacks from 3 or 4 tables left until the final table. Then, with about 7 players left I raised in EP with 33 (I almost mucked it too, but I had a decent table image)... someone came over the top and I had to call getting about 2.2:1. I called, he had AK, but I lost the coinflip. I folded a few more hands then was dealt 77 on the button. The cutoff, an active, good player, raised to 11k and I re-raised all in with about 55k. I ran into KK - but I turned a flush draw and a straight draw but couldn't suck out. So I ended up 6th for $3300.
I also made the money in the Party $200, but just barely and lost AT vs KQ. To summarize some other tourneys I played yesterday : $100r Playa on Dise, lost all in with QQ vs 77. $100r on Stars, had 11k at the break, then ran QQ into AA for $10k after I got it to $14k. I survived for awhile, won a coinflip (wow), then lost on a re-steal from the blinds. $200 on Full Tilt, with about 180 players left I lost the following hand :
Full Tilt Poker Game #621154955: $200,000 Guarantee! (3778087), Table 47 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:32:09 ET - 2006/05/07
Seat 1: Nordberg (10,550)
Seat 2: felt2svelte (5,057)
Seat 3: Apeeln (17,600)
Seat 4: Cylon Empire (6,130)
Seat 5: MrNeverNuts (19,363)
Seat 6: MilesFromEarth (45,232)
Seat 7: NYSEGUY1 (13,470)
Seat 8: SainT-MichaeL1 (6,480)
Seat 9: dtbman (10,605)
Nordberg antes 75
felt2svelte antes 75
Apeeln antes 75
Cylon Empire antes 75
MrNeverNuts antes 75
MilesFromEarth antes 75
NYSEGUY1 antes 75
SainT-MichaeL1 antes 75
dtbman antes 75
Apeeln posts the small blind of 300
Cylon Empire posts the big blind of 600
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Nordberg [6d 6c]
MrNeverNuts folds
MilesFromEarth folds
NYSEGUY1 calls 600
SainT-MichaeL1 folds
dtbman folds
Nordberg calls 600
felt2svelte folds
Apeeln has 15 seconds left to act
Apeeln raises to 6,000
Cylon Empire folds
NYSEGUY1 folds
Nordberg has 15 seconds left to act
Nordberg raises to 10,475, and is all in
Apeeln calls 4,475
Nordberg shows [6d 6c]
Apeeln shows [Qh Kd]
*** FLOP *** [8s 4h Ad]
*** TURN *** [8s 4h Ad] [9h]
*** RIVER *** [8s 4h Ad 9h] [Kc]
Nordberg shows a pair of Sixes
Apeeln shows a pair of Kings
Apeeln wins the pot (22,825) with a pair of Kings
Nordberg stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 22,825 | Rake 0
Board: [8s 4h Ad 9h Kc]
Seat 1: Nordberg showed [6d 6c] and lost with a pair of Sixes
Seat 2: felt2svelte (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Apeeln (small blind) showed [Qh Kd] and won (22,825) with a pair of Kings
Seat 4: Cylon Empire (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: MrNeverNuts folded before the Flop
Seat 6: MilesFromEarth folded before the Flop
Seat 7: NYSEGUY1 folded before the Flop
I might not normally play here but I felt like he didn't have a pair with the huge raise from the BB. I also thought that maybe I was dominating a week ace - again I just couldn't have my hand hold up to get a stack going. In the $200 HORSE I lost all of my chips in limit holdem with AJ vs AT when AT hit a flush on the river... in the $200 WSOP qualifier on FUll Tilt I lost with AK vs KJ.
Anyway, I hope I start running better soon. I'm on my way to the Bahamas today to play in the PAradise Poker Conquest which is a $5k buy-in. I'm not sure if I start Tuesday or Wednesday -
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