DUBLIN BELLYBUSTERS

Okay - this post is therapy coz after the shit I just suffered I need some catharsis. The 28K tonight was my tournament. I played my best poker ever. I was super-tight early on, didn't have much to play with but from the introduction of the antes onwards, I ripped through the gears and accumulated like crazy. As the bubble neared, I had the chiplead and was raising every unopened pot. I made squeeze-plays with J2 and Q6. I amassed a stack of 160K - almost double the guy in 2nd. Then the misery started....

I had JJ in mid-position and got reraised by the BB with A9 for all his 55k in chips. He turns an ace. I fight my way back to 140K over the next half hour. With the blinds 2K/4K, I raise to 10K with AK in EP. I get called by a semi-shortstack (42K) with 99 in the SB. The flop comes AAJ. He donk-shoves into me, I call and he turn-rivers a flush. I play  more good poker and then I have to make a huge laydown after I check two pair on the flop and the turn river brings a 4-card flush. He showed the nuts so I saved myself, losing the very minimum. (He also had flopped 2nd pair so i reckon he wudda stuck around for the turn.) I am back down to 90K and am 10th of 60.

I decide to get a bit more patient as I feel my table are primed. The chipleader limps for 8K UTG+2 and it is folded around to me in the BB with A9. I check. The flop comes QJ10. I check and he bets 12K. I call. The turn comes another J. I check and he checks. The river brings a K and I have a little think. There is 56K in the pot and I have 68K left. I decide to check figuring that he might bet to represent the ace and even if he has it I'll get a chop. In other words, I may as well try to induce the bluff. He shoves his stack and I insta-call. He has 45 and I am back up to almost 200K.

I move tables which I am happy about. I immediately raise up 3 of the first 5 pots. The 3rd time I do it, I am re-raised all-in but a short-stack. I am getting about 1.9 to 1 pot odds and even though Q9 is the best of the three hands with which I had raised, I opt to lay it down. The very next hand, I have AQ in EP. I raise it up to 22K and am re-raised by a guy with 85K. I call. He has AJ. The board pairs twice and we chop. I should have 350K and the chiplead again but instead I have 260K. An orbit later, I make a raise to 20K with A9 from the button and again a short-stack reraises all-in. He has only 70K so I call and he tables 66. I miss and am back down to 190K. Next hand I have 99 in the SB. The blinds and antes are worth 25K so when it is folded around to me, I shove into the BB who has 80K. He calls with 33 and flops a 3. I wanna fuckin' vomit! 30 left and I have 110K. I am 11th.

A few hands later, I decide to play my A9 a bit funky from the Cut-Off. I figure it will look odd to the table as I have always opened for a raise and I don't really wanna put 20% of my stack in to make a raise as I will have to fold to a reraise and I definitely don't wanna shove my stack so weak. It is foled to the BB who checks. The flop comes A98. Bingo! He checks. I bet small, he mini-raises and I just smooth call. The turn comes a 4 and he shoves. Insta-call and he shows 89 for a worse two pair. Cooler for him! Yay for me! So I am back up over 200K - sitting pretty in 4th. Even though I feel I should have more, I know I am still well in the running.

Well from there, the bad-beat machine went into overdrive! I lost a 90K pot when my KK was cracked by A5 all-in preflop. I lost a 120K pot with AQ to A10, again all-in preflop. I was down to 90K (16 of 20 remaining) with the blinds huge at 8K/16K but stole my way back to 140K before the following sick hand:

It is folded around to the blinds. The SB with 200K raises to 42K. I have 55 and figure it's time to gamble. I reraise all-in for 140K. He insta-(and I mean insta)calls with 84. He flops and 8 and I roar in pain. WTF-OMG-FUCK-SHIT-DONKEYBALLS!

First place got $6650 and for 19th I got $104.75. Woopdeefrickin'doo!

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