First Day of Blogged Poker!

In short, bad day.

Sundays are a good day for poker, any online poker enthusiast knows that. As well as your regular tourneys you are blessed with events with guaranteed prize pools for every entry level. I am no exception to the rule and had already satellited in to the 100k. Lucky because the entrants is capped at 20k and otherwise I would have left it too late.

I was playing well (Play deteriated later on in the day I think) and ended up at 24K when the average was about 10, the triple up in the 3rd hand did help though QQ>JK>A10. Then came the hand where I took a brutal hit to my stack. Blinds at 400/800 (I think), I raise to 2.4k in early MP and get reraised by a guy in MP. He shoved in his 10K, this was the 3rd time I'd seen him do this. 1st time his villan folded and the second time he had TT. My odds were 3 to 1 on my money (even if it doesn't work out like that in the way i've described it, I know thats what the odds were), I figured I was 50/50 but perhaps up against AJ/AT. I call and he flips over JJ. I don't improve. The blinds go up and hit me. In the BB, it's folded round to a limer in MP, the SB also folds. Holding Q5 I figure I can take it down now and raise 4x the BB. He calls and flop is 478 rainbow, I check knowing I am probably facing over cards but more likely a mid PP. It goes check-bet-fold. I'm at 9k, A few hands later, I pick up 22 and am about to get minced by the blinds. I push and am called by TT. I don't improve. GG me, overall. It was great talking with the FCP guys the whole way through.

I had also been registered in the 3r but that totally wasn't my day and after double rebuying twice and being whittled down, I busted out of that, likewise with the $5 5k GTD.

Now, slightly frustrated at my lack of cards and coin flips heading my way, I entered a couple of $10 SNGs. In one, 3rd hand I pick up AK in MP, 2 limpers before me and I rase to 150. Two callers in LP. Flop is 56K rainbow, I lead out for half the pot and am raised by one of the players in LP. I call, maybe thinking 666 but its more likly I am facing a weaker king. Turn is a 8 and lead out, committing myself. LP puts himself all in, committed, and fairly confident in my hand, I call. He flips over 79. Standard.
In the other SNG I am dealt queens in MP in the 5th or 6th hand. I raise 4x BB and am reraised for half my stack, I gotta call, early in a $10, more often than not I am facing JJ down to 88 and AK (although I'd like to hear your thoughts). Flop is a rainbow of low cards. Ugly. I am already committed with half my stack in the pot and put the rest in. he calls and has AA. How delightful.

During this fun I've entered the next rebuy and 3 $4 180 mans (I love multitabling). The rebuy also starts well and I find myself at 9K, I get a great start in 2 of the 180 mans but bust out of the 3rd in an ugly AQ situation. Not long after, I am dealt queens in late position in the rebuy, the action is heavy before me, but it's still the rebuy period an i'm not missing my chance to hit 20+K when the average is 5K(!). I shove and get 2 calls from the original raisers, one of them having me covered at 11k. I'm facing KK (big stack) and A9 (positioned after the KK, lol)! Queen on teh floop please? I'm out of luck and the flop lands with an ace, then to add insult to injury turn is an ace and the river is a brick. SHIP!!!.. it to someone else :( I double rebuy and am pretty much card dead. I come out of the add on period at average chips but I pick up absolutely nothing and end up pushing eventually with 33 (blinds be a coming!) and get called with TT. End of that. I admit though I think my rebuy play is less than optimal and would love any tips.

In that mayhem I've become a chip leader in both the $4s. Because QQ > KK and AT, obviously. I enter the 10pm(? you'll have to excuse me, I'm English) $5, but it's the most card dead run I have ever experienced and in 60 hands I don't get one hand over A7 and no PPs (!!!!!). I'm out of that when I have to push with A3 and come up against A7. By now I am deep in both the $4, 4/21 and 10/21. I screw up though and go out in 20th in the 2nd one when I pick up TT in EP and there is a raise UTG of 2x the BB from a player that hasn't raised much, I call (with the intent of getting away if the flop doesn't hit me or is high cards) and there is one call after me. The flop is a rainbow with a 6 being the highest card. The player on my right insta-pushes. I cringe, his AF is low and he has a good hand, but I can't let my over pair go and mae the crying-call. He flips over KK. Woops, ISAP. I
In the other $4 we get down to 11 players, I'm at 22K and the average is 29K (I think). I pick up AJ clubs, UTG +1. The table has been weak and although I've had no hands recently I've raised in position and taken down blinds and antes. Anyway, the raise is 3200, twice the BB from a player who had been short stacked but had recently doubled. I figured he range was maybe quite tight and call (although I wish I'd raised), a short stack that I hadn't notice in the BB pushes for the rest, an extra 4K, original raiser calls and I do too. Flop is Ks5c9c, the original raiser instashoves for 17k, which is now my stack. It's obvious he has a king, but I feel if I fold now I may make the FT but I'll be short stacked with an M under 7 and be under a lot of pressure. I figure I am drawing to any ace or club to go into the FT with a chip lead (where my play has been strong in the past), I call but the turn and river come 5 and 5. UTG +1 raiser shows KT (this is why I wish i'd reraised and got him off the hand preflop) and BB shows 77. I'm out, but I think I'd make that call again (thoughts on that?).

By now it's almost 4am (stupid rebuy starting so late in GMT!) and I'm tired and down $60 on tourney entries. Though up $20 in 2 NL10 tables I had running in the background (I have had one losing cash session in 4 weeks roughly). I end the day and go off to bed, questioning some of my plays and thinking I need to reread HoH1 and 2. Tomorrow is another day, well not entirely, it's New Years Eve. No tournaments for me, just getting immensely drunk, drowning my small loss (and break up of my relationship) in sweet sweet Dublin nectar (read for you Americans: Guinness Draught). Have a good night guys.