The Super Bowl of bankroll swings....

It was a brutal weekend on the virtual felt and NO ! I do not owe anyone a $1 or $2 for bad beat stories. This is my place to get this crap off my chest and I’m going to do it.

I decided to work on NLHE SnG’s for the weekend. The vast majority being single table 6 max. I played 12 and had one win and one second place finish. The second place was the result of a set vs. set confrontation that I can certainly live with. I had ten bubble-boy finishes. TEN !!!!

What made these so aggravating was the way in which I ended up getting them all. Not one was due to stellar play by my opponents. In six of these games, I was in with made hands such as straights, sets, flushes or at worst, TP ok K. In these particular six games, there was a push into my made hands by the short stack at the table, or a short stack call with no hand what so ever. Not that it was the worst of the beats all weekend, but one of them went back to back like this;

Bam-Bam = $4,800 and posts BB $400
Villian 2 = $2,000 and posts SB $200
Villian 1 = $2,200 button

Bam-Bam = hole cards Qc-Kc
Villian 1 = folds
Villian 2 = calls
Bam-Bam = Bets $800
Villian 2 = calls $800

Flop = 7c-3c-Kh

Bam-Bam = Bets $1,000 (TP solid kicker + 2nd. nut flush draw. 3 handed)
Villian 2 = calls and is all in

Bam-Bam = shows Qc-Kc for a pair of kings.
Villian 2 = shows 2d-Ac for A high (he's beat if I show any Ace, and I’ve already shown strength?)
Villian 2 = nh
Turn = 8c
River = Jc

Bam-Bam = shows a flush King high
Villian 2 = shows a flush Ace high
Villian 2 = wins the pot with a flush Ace high

Villian 1 = SICK !
Villian 2 = sry bad beat
Bam-Bam = it happens (damn hard to type this, but I hate the ranters)

Bam-Bam = $2,600 and posts SB $200
Villian 2 = $4,400 button
Villian 1 = $2,200 and posts BB $400

Bam-Bam = hole cards Ac-Ad
Villian 2 = folds
Bam-Bam = Raises to $1200
Villian 1 = raises to $1,800 and is all in
Bam-Bam = calls $1000

Villian 1 = shows 4c-7s…… (if you can explain this play, I’ll listen)
Bam-Bam = shows Ac-Ad

Villian 1 = holy %#!*
Villian 2 = OMG !

Flop = 4d-As-Ks
Villian 1 = nh vgg gl both
Turn = 4s
River = 4h

Bam-Bam = Shows a full house, Aces and fours
Villian 1 = four of a kind, 4’s.
Villian 1 = wins the pot and Bam-Bam is a crippled stack due to obvious poor play on his part.

This is just how the weekend went at the single table games for me. It was pretty frustrating and I was getting damn close to firing the mouse across the room a few times there. Since Pebbles was near or at my side for most of these hands, the mouse was fairly safe from my building temper.

I decided to jump off the single tables and test the waters of a 45 player MTT instead. Pebbles response to that, “yeah, stay away from the 5 idiots and go search out 44 of them instead.” She had a point, but I ignored it anyways. I waded my way through the field and posted a 4th. place finish after running out of skill, when I ran my K-K into 9-9 and we all know, who can compete with Gretzky?

This run of decent poker play, had me convinced that perhaps a 90 player field would be more to my liking. The look on Pebbles face said it all, but bound and determined to succeed, I register for a 90 player MTT despite her obvious disdain for the idea. Once again I manage to avoid being beaten up too badly during the event, and I managed to make it to the final table. As we got down to four handed, Both of the short stacks made their all in pushes into my BB. I am holding As-Kh and have to give serious consideration to the possibility of taking them both out. I decide to fold and let one of them get eliminated first for certain. They both hold pocket 10’s and chop the pot with two pair. 10’s and Kings! ( I self administer a smack in the head about here somewhere)

They both push again next hand and I have nothing to fight with and I’m forced to fold. The BB let’s them go at it and we lose a player to get to 3. I am middle stack and feel really good about my play. “I think I’m going to win this thing!” I say out loud. How I don’t recognize that confidence as the kiss of death, is beyond me. I ran so card dead that even Carson wouldn’t believe it. 6-2, 7-2, 9-2,10-3 etc…. The blinds were huge and the play 3 handed is quick. I made one play from the button with the 10-3 off suit and had a raise and re-raise come in from behind me. I folded away my little play and had pretty much run myself out of chips to a third place finish. Of course when I go in with a last gasp desperation hand, holding 8-8, The 10-K that calls me hits both cards just for good measure. I finish the event in 3rd. place and don’t really feel too bad about that.

The single table games kicked my bankroll in the nutz all weekend long. But to wade through these 45 and 90 player MTT’s back to back, gives me a little hope that I am improving somewhat in the NLHE MTT’s that I love to play so much. We’ll see.

Don't forget about tonight at the TuckFard Open if you've got $3.50 just lying around doing nothing. The crowds are slowly improving and I know they'd love to see you make it out if you can. All the info is on the banner to the right, or you can stop by HERE if you want as well.

My sincerest thanks for dropping by….