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That is why dogs are the best.

I played in the Casino AZ $130 NL tournament last night to tune up for the tournament at Jeff's this weekend. 170 players, 2000 in starting chips, 20 minute levels. Blinds started at 25-50.

My first table was very passive. Lot's of limping preflop and not a lot of betting after the flop. So blind stealing was out since it was very rare that I would get to open a pot in late position. There were usually at least 2 callers before it got to me. However it was a good strategy to put in a raise preflop and then a continuation bet after the flop. I did this about 3 times and never got called. One time I checked the flop and then bluffed the turn. I was called so I figured I was done with the hand. He checked to me on the river and I just turned over my cards. I won with Ace high as he had a busted straight draw.

It was one of those weird sessions where every time I folded a marginal hand (one you could play under the right circumstances) the flop came up huge. I also seemed to be dealt Ace-little a lot. Well I was slowly chipping up and then was dealt KK in the hole. I raised to 400 after one limper came in for 100. He called and it was heads up. The flop was nine high and he bet 100 into the pot. It was a weak bet, but I wanted to make sure he made a mistake if he had a straight draw. He only had 800 left so I put him all in. He turned over Ace-9. My Kings held up and I busted him out. I looked around the table and noticed that I was the chip leader by a couple thousand now. Tonight might be the night.

A few more hands go by and I am dealt AA. Utg raises the 200 big blind to 500. It's folded to me 2 off the button and I reraise to 1500. Everyone folds to the initial raiser. He does what I am dreaming of and goes all in which is really just calling my bet plus a 200 raise so 1700 total. The pot has 3700 and it will put me in great position if I win. He turns over 33. Way to overplay that worthless hand!

You all know what's coming next....The guy next to me said, "Ha I folded an Ace". I said, "It would be better if you told me you folded a 3." The flop was safe. So was the turn. The river was another ugly 3 and he wins the pot. A hit to my stack but nothing too terrible.

The next hand I am dealt KQ suited. Its folded to me and raise to 600. It's folded to the big blind (pocket 3's guy) and he calls. The flop is A-3-9. This time he bets out 600. I look at him trying to get a read. I ask, "You don't have pocket 3's again do you?" He smiles. I lay it down and he's nice enough to show me his Ace.

Now that I've blown off 2300 in chips I get more bad news in that my table is breaking. I get moved to another table where a guy in an ASU hat has at least 10,000 in chips and another old guy has just about as many on his left. The blinds have gone up to 150-300 which means I have just over 10 BB left.

Of course this is where I go card dead. One funny moment is when I am blinded down to about 8 times the big blind and 3 off the button. The ASU hat limps in, weakly I feel, and it's folded to me. This feels like a time to move all in and steal the blinds. Unfortunately I actually look at my cards first and they are 10-5. So much for that idea and I fold. Well it ends up as the 2 blinds and ASU in the pot and the flop is 10-10-5. I think they all check it down and then I announce, "I'd play this game much better if I didn't look at my cards. I had 10-5. I felt like I should move in because you guys were weak, but I couldn't do it after I looked at my cards." The very next hand I was dealt KK. ASU had limped in again. This time I raised to 1000. It's folded through the blinds. ASU asks me if I looked at my cards this time and I said I did. He folds and tells me he had an Ace. That would have made a great angle if he had called.

Eventually I was blinded down and went all in with my last 1200 with 9-5 suited. I was called by Queen Jack and he hit his Queen on the flop. Suprisingly there were still about 70 left.

Overall I think I made the right decision almost every time so I can't really complain about how I played. Just need to be a little more lucky.