Tournament Disaster and Weekend of Tilt

Results since last post
Tourneys:
Heads Up +19
1 Table -110
2 Table -22
4 Table -350
5 Table -22
Multi -44

Total -529

Ring Games:
1-2 NL -243
3-6 limit +188

Total -55


As you can see from the title of this post, my weekend of poker did not go well.

The tournament at Jeff's started with 4 tables of 8. 2000 in chips and 25-50 blinds. I happened to get seated at a table where I knew a couple of the players who were decent so I decided to play ultra conservative and look to value bet when I could. I absolutely did not want to steal any pots in the beginning. It just didn't seem worth the risk.

Things were looking up after about the third hand when there were 3 guys in a hand. No raises before the flop, no bets on the flop and turn. The river is a blank and one player bets about 1/2 the pot. It looks like a steal but who knows. Another player calls. The first bettor had Jack high. Ok he took a stab and lost, I can get on board with that strategy. The caller turned over Jack high with a worse kicker! Wow! Maybe I can make some money on this table.

Later I was dealt pocket 8's and I called after a couple of limpers, hoping to flop a set. Chris raised on the button. Everyone folded except me. The flop was K-7-3. I check and he checks. The turn was a 5. This time I figure I am good so I bet about 1/2 the pot. Surprisingly Chris calls. We have played each other in past tournaments so I feel like he knows I am a good player. The river is an Ace. I am in no mood to play a big pot so I check and he checks behind. Now I am ready to rake in the pot and he turns over King-Jack. Huh? I am still wondering why he checked behind on the flop and only called the turn.

A little later, I got back above my starting chips when I rivered the nut flush against Steve's straight. Then my cards went stone dead. Nobody at my table was really making any progress. They seemed to be just shifting the chips around.

Finally I was down to around 8-9 times the blinds and I was dealt Ace-King offsuit. There was a small early raise and I reraised all in. Everyone else folded and the initial raiser called with A-10. Maybe this is where I make my move. A ten hits the flop and I fail to improve.

I rebuy for $100 and get moved to a different table. I am to the right of Brian, who plays up to 60-120 in the casino. I don't think he is that great a player, but I do know that he is better than most in the tournament. I am busy getting blinded down when the break comes. Now I can add another $1000 which I do. I look around at all the different chip stacks and it looks like the highest is only around 4,000. So if I can get up around 2,000 then double up, I will be in the thick of things.

The first or second hand after the break I am dealt pocket 8's in early position. I raise 3x the blind and Brian is my only caller. The blinds were high enough, that my only real move on the flop was going to be all in. I figure about 90% of the possible flops, I am going to move in anyway because Brian probably thinks I have a high pair.

The flop is 6-7-9 rainbow. Perfect! I move in and Brian can't get his chips in fast enough. He has pocket Aces. So preflop I am 4-1 dog. After the money goes in, I have 10 outs times 4 for a 40% chance. I'll take it I guess. Well I finally get lucky and my 5 hits on the river to crack his Aces. Brian was the chip leader too, so he was not very happy.

Now I have some room to maneuver. I try to steal the blinds with K-9 suited from the cut off. The big blind moves all in and I fold. Another rotation and again I raise with Ace King. The big blind moves all in. I have him covered by a good amount so I call. He has Ace Queen. Queen on the flop and no help for me, so now I am short stacked again.

It was down hill from there as I became totally desperate after another all in loss with Ace King. My final hand, I had pocket tens and lost to someone with pocket Queens.

In reviewing my play afterwards, there really wasn't much I could do. The pocket 10's were the best made hand I had the whole day. I never had anything better than a pair except when I rivered the straight against Brian or the rivered flush against Steve. There was never a time when I could set any traps to let the bad players fall into them.

I played a couple of winner take all $20 sit n go's after the tournament and busted out in the middle of both, so the total day was a loss of $390.

On Sunday I was supposed to to to Curtis' house and play poker and watch football. Since I was so disgusted with my play the last time I was there for the National Championship game, I decided to fire up Full Tilt and play a couple of tables of short handed No Limit with 1-2 blinds. I was trying to remember Phil Gordon's advice from the book I listened to in the morning. It didn't help.

Every time I had a decent hand, someone would raise a big amount representing at least two pair or a set. I on the other hand could not seem to flop a set to save my life or any other hand better than a pair.

Tilt was in full force when I a called a 2x raise from the button with Ace-9 suited. The flop was 10-9-3. I checked and he bet about 1/3 of the pot. I decided he's bluffing and I am tired of being pushed around, so I triple his bet and raise. He reraises me to put me all in for about $40 more. Out of frustration and not rational thought, I call. Amazingly he shows pocket 10'
s for the nuts. So that was a quick $250.

I get to Curtis' house and there are not enough people to play poker. During the boring second half of the game, I fire up a SNG at Party Poker on his laptop. Early in the sit, I get 4 queens. I win a few hundred but don't double up. A little later I am dealt 10-9 suited utg. I decide to play a little loose and call. Nobody raises but there are 4 players in the pot. The flop is 9 high. I fire out a small bet to see where I am at. The button vastly over bets the pot and goes all in. I am tempted to call, but decide it's too early to risk 1/2 my stack with a pair of 10's. He shows 9-7 suited, so I could have been in a commanding position.

Then, the cou de gras of my bad luck. I have Jack-7 on the big blind. No body raises and the small blind completes. The small blind is the chip leader. There are two 7's on the flop so I have 3 7's with a Jack kicker. I slow play the flop and check it through. The turn is a blank and the small blind bets small. I raise. He reraises me all in. I think I have him and call immediately. He has the case 7 along with an Ace kicker. Fuck!

I play a few more sits at home and eventually score a second place. Then I fire up the FCP site and win another $120 to stem the bleeding. Overall, a very bad weekend. I tried to explain to Michele why I was so bummed and I don't know if she quite understood.

I was really looking forward to the tournament on Saturday. I felt like I was hot going in, and I was going to win. I played the best I could and the cards did not fall my way. After that, I really wanted to score a win against my friends on Sunday, but didn't even get to play. So basically I was frustrated and the money loss stung a bit as well.

I guess I'll stick with Full Contact. I can't seem to lose there, lately. (Hope I don't jinx myself).