On Tuesdays, I feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall! I played very well last night. I played very aggressive which paid off well and I was lucky enough to get cards when I really needed them in the early stages of the tournament. By the time we were down to 20 players I was already at 24,000 in chips, double the average. As usual, this is where the short stacks start playing bingo and I wasn't getting any cards to play and knock them out with. I just had to sit and be patient. All of a sudden, in the space of 10 minutes we went from 17 players to 11 players. One more to the final table. The last man fell 10 minutes after that and I started the final table (4th final table in a row) with 19,500 which was slightly below the average.

I played 2 hands on the final table!

Hand 1
A kid pushes his stack with A 7 offsuit. I have KK and I loose.
Hand 2
I push with A K offsuit and the same kid has KK and I loose.

See ya Thursday!

As I sit here and write this blog I wonder..... When the fuck is my luck gonna change!?

I was the first one knocked out today with the nut flush draw against the bottom set. I took the rebuy (which I split with Carl as I doubled him up). I played well today, bluffing at the right time and stealing when I had to. I was pretty card dead so I had to do the best with what I had.

I finished at the break with an OK chip stack of 10,800. The first half hour back (after the break) I played 2 pots and all I got were the blinds. Then, in the cutoff, I get AK. Hollywood Sammie, who has 5300 in chips, raises to 1200 (blinds are 200/400) I re-raise to 3200 and everybody folds to him. He thinks and calls the extra 2000. He has now committed just over 60% of his stack. The flop come 8 9 10 rainbow. He goes all in for his remaining 2100 and I have to call because I am getting over 4.5-1 for my money and if I hit I think maybe I am good. Imagine the anger and frustration I feel when he turns over 8c9c. What the fuck is he doing calling my re-raise. If he goes all in preflop I would have said nice catch and got on with it after he hit, but because he just calls my raise, my blood boils. If he missed was he going to fold for the remaining 2100 and leave himself extremely shortstacked?

I am down to 6000. I raise the next 2 hands in a row and get no callers. The first hand I had AJ and the second I had AQ. I play super aggressive for the next hour and reach the final table with 8,000. The blinds are 600/1200 so I am in a little bit of trouble. 2nd hand in I get 77 and go all in, the player immediately to my left comes over the top for 20,000 and I think I am dead. He shows KhQh and he doesn't catch so I double up. I win another pot shortly after and I am up to 24,000 in chips.

20 minutes later (blinds are 1000/2000/200) and I get QhQd UTG. I raise to 7,000 and the player to my left (again) goes all in for 15,400. Everybody folds and I call the remaining 8,400. He has AhKc. The flop comes 3d 2d 7s. Nice!. The turn comes the 8d and now I reduce his outs to 4 cards because if either the Ace or the King of Diamonds comes, I make a flush. Yep, you guessed it, the Ace of clubs comes on the river comes and I am crippled again.

Down to 4,700 on the button I call an all-in with Ad6d and triple up, with the blinds and antes. Then I get 10sJs and I decide to push. I get called by the guy on my left, again! this time he has QQ and I don't catch up. I finish 6th with no money (top 4 get paid) and a big feeling of dissappointment, again....

Not really an exciting tournament. As usual the Tuesday tournament brings me no joy. Made a bluff on the last hand before the break and was called by a donkey with 10d8d on a flop of 2c3c5c. I had AcQd. There was a raise before the flop of 600 and there were 4 players in the hand. I was in the small blind and everybody checked the flop. A ten comes on the turn and I bet out the pot. One caller. The river comes a brick and I basically put the other guy all in. He thinks for about 2 minutes and calls. I finish at the break with 4200.

I build my stack gradually and make the final table with 13,000. I play, and fold, my blinds and on the 4th hand I get AdKd in the cutoff. Nick, in late position raises to 2400 (blinds are 400/800) and I go all in for 10,800. He calls with JJ. I miss and finish 10th.

Tournament Date: 11 June 2007
Buy-In: $450 + 1 optional rebuy/add-on $200
# of Players: 25
# of Rebuys: 23
Prize Pool: $14,600

Doubled up in the first 10 minutes of the tournament last night with 44 in a J 6 4 flop. Bone bet 500 on the flop (5 callers preflop for a 200 raise) and I called, everybody else folded. The turn paired the Jack which was the perfect card, Bone bet 1500 and I though for about 40 seconds and min raised to 3000. He went all in for the rest of his stack and I beat him into the pot. He showed J K and a brick hit the river. Nice one Cyn!

I finished at the break with 23,000 and took the add-on to start level 5 with 33,000.

Nothing really excited happened for the next 4 hours. 13 players left and I get moved to the other table. I have aroud 30,000 in chips and I decide to start playeing aggressive. I raise 3 hands in a row and steal the blinds on the first 2. The 3rd time I have AK and I raise to 7500 (blinds are 1000/2000/200), the big blind goes all in for 11,000 and I call. He turns over A8 offsuit and of course he hits the 8 and doubles up. I am down to around 18,000. 2 hands later and a couple of bust outs later, we have a final table.

I am very short stacked at this point. 18,000 and the average stack is 48,000. I find AJ off UTG on the second hand on the final and I push. Dean calls with AK and I get lucky on the turn when I spike a Jack.

I raise a few times and stayed at about 40K for a while. Made a bluff and got up to 60,000. 5 Players and we make a deal, instead of $12,000 to 1st, $2,000 to 2nd and $600 to 3rd we do $10,000, $2,000, $1,000, $1,000 and $600. I was in the money. I got blinded down to 32,000. On the button I raise to 31,500 with 4d5d. Manny, on the big blind, thinks for about 3 minutes and decides to 'take one for the team' and raises me all-in. I think for about 15 seconds and decide to put my remaining 500 into the pot. He shows A 10. The flop come J K 5. I'm ahead! Q on the turn ends my dream when Manny makes the straight and I'm drawing dead. 8 hours of playing and I loose $50.

Congrats to Dean for taking it down.....Finally.

Boring!!!

Only 21 players showed last night. Got lucky in 1 hand with 10 10 v's JJ and spiked a 10 on the turn. Got to the final table and lost just under half my stack with QQ against Ace rag. Pushed with A 9 offsuit and ran into 55. He flopped a set and I finished 8th. Oh well, theres always next week!

Had some fries with ketchup and sweet and sour sauce with a friend and went home!