Tournament Date: 23 June 2007
Buy-In: $350 + 1 optional rebuy/add-on $150
# of Players: 38
Prize Pool: $15,500

Made a very bad decision to play in this tournament today because I was extremely tired and knew that I wouldn't be able to focus and give this tournament the attention it deserved. However, I did double up on the 2nd hand. I raise in the small blind to 225 with AQ and got 1 caller, Josh, who had limped under the gun. The flop came K J 7 rainbow and I checked and so did he. The turn was a brick and we both checked again. The river was a 10 which gave me the nuts. I bet 250 and Josh min raised to 500. I instantly went all in and Josh instantly called with 8 9 offsuit giving him the dummy end of the sraight. REBUY! (for Josh).

2 hands later I got QQ. I raised to 300 and Carl reraised to 1100. As we were horsing we checked it down and he showed 99 and I win. I am upto 21,500 in chips in 5 minutes. Then I began to feel tired. I folded for about 20 minutes, playing the odd pot here and there, drank a Red Bull, which I think I am immune to, and then I started thinking about how nice my bed would be at this point.

I lost a big pot a few minutes before the break which crippled me. I have 62 in the big blind. 2 limpers, small blind completes and I check. The flop comes A810. The UTG limper bets out 1,000 (into a $1600 pot) and I call. The turn comes the 8 and I check. The UTG limper bets 2100 and I raise 5,000 more, he goes all in for another 5,200 and I call. He has K3 and I am drawing dead. I loose most of my stack and I finish at the break with 6,300. I would like to add that the UTG limper was a very loose player who didn't seem to know what he was doing and I did not put him on spades, I didn't even put him on a big Ace, just Ace rag. How wrong was I?

I took the add on and started back after the break with 16,300. By this time I had completely lost interest in the tournament and wanted to go home to bed.

It took me all of 12 minutes to throw my chips away. The final hand I had 88 and went all in for 7,200. Chubs called me with 10 10 and flopped a tight. I felt kinda relieved because I didn't really want to play at that point and if I had won that pot I would have had to.

An expensive ($500) lesson learn't tonight about playing when tired or not in the right frame of mind.

The fucking sourness continues!

I finish the break with 6,000 in chips and the small blind, I fold. 2 hands later, in the cutoff I have Q9 and I limp. I make a flush on the river and I am up to 8,500. 2 Hands after that I have QQ. UTG+1 raises to 700, I just call and Ottavio goes all in for 3500. The origional raiser calls and I decide to see a flop. 773. UTG+1 bets 2500. I am confused but deduce that if he had AA or KK he would have reraised Ottavios' all in to isolate. I think for about 2 minutes and push all in for my remaining 5,000. He shows 99 and Ottavio shows 10 10. I am in great shape to win a 20,000 pot. Straight away n the turn a 9. Fuck! I'm out.

“You need to think only about making good decisions, hand after hand, session after session. The wins will come when they’re ready to come. Winning isn’t your job. Making good decisions is your job. Winning is the eventual result of making good decisions consistently.” - Mike Caro

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.