Tournament poker...

For some reason I keep writing blogs and then never posting them. Maybe it is a sign I shouldn't even try and blog. Well here is one I wrote a few months ago.

I got third in the Cpmg fall classic. Not happy about it at all. Early on I lost a race to Joe (the donkey who won). I had 88 and I raised and he shoved with Aj. He flopped trips. Whatever. One race down. No big deal. Get to the final table and i am up and down. At this point i have a major headache and i just want to be done. These headaches are out of control lately. When we get on the bubble it is me, Joe, Jason, Colin, Randy and Tina. I refuse to chop, but because of my headache I just really want it to be over. Tina shoves about 8 big blinds from the button. I am small blind and have A8. I think for a minute and decide her range includes any two broadway cards so I call. She has a10. Oh well... I like Tina I am glad she is still....oh wait there is an 8. Sorry Tina. Bad suckout. I think I have to call in that spot. It was 51,000 and I had over 220,000. Woohoo we are in the money.

When we are five handed, Jason, who started the day 2nd in chips and started the final table with a really big stack, was bleeding chips. He almost called off his stack with a gutter ball and one over. He eventually laid it down after calling the clock on himself. I could see that Jason was not handling losing some chips very well and he was in desperate mode. Although he still had plenty of chips to play. I raised from small blind with A6 c. He shoved from the big blind. The was he did it just screamed, I am weak please fold. I decided to call. He had 67 o. Sweet. Flop is 89q with 2 diamonds. Ugh. It is never easy. Turn brings another diamond. Of course he has a diamond. Now he wins with any 5, 10 7 or diamond. The river was a blank. As Colin pointed out, he had too many outs. Jason is gone in 5th place. I am glad I got his chips.

I lost a good chunk of chips to Randy in a hand that made my head throb even more than it already was. Randy angle shot me by checking out of position and then shoving after I bet. Data gave him a one round penalty. I appreciated that, but what a db to make that move. He says he limped the button and then just called my raise with QQ. The flop was q66. I had pocket 99. If he really had QQ he may have gotten more chips from me by playing it straight. Whatever.

Colin and I got into a big pot where he limped the small blind and I raised from the big blind. I knew that he was going to ship it on me. I felt it as soon as he limped. He shoved. I snap called with kk. He had 22. Sweet. Domination. Flop 23A. Fuck me. I was pissed. (not at Colin but at the situation..for people who don't understand all of the work that goes into this game they don't understand me so don't judge me- more on that later). Anyway I resuck out with a chop. The board runs out 45. I am saved there.

I used a move on Joe when we were three handed that worked perfectly until Colin got in the way and Joe sucked out. Joe and I were playing a cash game together a few weeks ago and I picked up a betting tell on this guy and I told Joe about. Everytime he did it after that we pointed it out to each other. So I bet that way from the button. Joe ships a lot of chips in the middle. I am itching to call and I only have a9. Colin then shoves from the big blind. I have to fold now. Joe flips over kj o and Colin has a10 (don't remember suited or not). Of course Joe flops a jack and takes a decent sized pot.

Two hands later I am out of the tourney. Small blind I have 1010. I raise and Joe calls from the big blind. Joe has not folded many hands at all. He called a raise earlier from the big blind with 34 o when we were 5 handed. He does not like to fold. Anyway flop is 853. I bet 60,000. Joe goes all in for over 340,000. I know I am good here and I call. He shows a8. No way he is ever folding top pair to me. He couldn't believe that he was beat. Of course the river comes an ace and he has me. I was really upset. I had him exactly where I wanted him. I knew he would shove light and I would pick him off. I was very upset at the cards. If I win that pot I think I win the whole tournament again. Oh well that is poker.