Yesterday's post chronicled my venture to 14th place from 404 runners, and tonight's tournament had 418, and I managed to last to 41st.
I had some good luck and some bad luck on the way. I was totally card dead for about 30 minutes and was about 20 places outside cashing, so I new I had to double up in order to have a chance of making the money.
The night turned (in both directions) on pocket Queens, and both times I was up against AK.
My first all-in of the night came about half-an-hour into the second session, there were a couple of short-stacks at the table and I'm sitting in the SB with the ladies. An early-position short-stack pushes and this is quickly raised two positions later. I'm reasonably happy as I have them both out-chipped, but it comes to the button and he pushes. He has me covered by a couple of hundred chips, so now I'm not so confident that my Queens will hold up against 3 opponents.
I've no choice, if I want to cash I have to call. I'm not surprised to see some ragged hands from the first two pushers, but the button turns over AK and I have a bad feeling.
The flop comes down three diamonds, and there's the Ace. The only consolation is that I have a diamond draw, and hold the top diamond at the table. I'm praying for a diamond, but the turn makes the news worse; a K - the button has made to pair, but I still have the diamond redraw. I'm not even thinking about hitting a Queen, as I know there can only be one left, as another player also has one.
Miracle of miracles, the case Queen hits the river and I'm back in the game. In the past, it would have been me all-in with the AK, getting badly outdrawn, so it's nice to suck out once in a while. I did get my money in good, and was ahead pre-flop, so I suppose there's some justice.
The money bubble passes, so I decide to take some more risks and push pre-flop with pocket 9's and everyone folds, followed by pocket KK's, same story - the blinds are big enough, but with the KK you really want a call from someone after your bounty.
I don't get so lucky next time, when I pick up pocket 10's and instead of pushing I double the BB. There's an all-in from the cut-off and it's folded round to me. I have double his stack, so it's an easy call. Unfortunately he turns over the pocket rockets and, although I moan about big stacks sucking out on short stacks, I don't get that lucky, and I'm down to about 7k and just hanging on, with the blinds at 800/1600. I know I've got to make a move soon.
Amazingly, I fold pocket 8's when a medium stack player pushes a couple of hands later - maybe a bad move, but I didn't fancy my chances and waited, hoping for a better spot.
That spot came about three hands later, when I picked up the ladies again, for the second time tonight. They've been good to me over the last two days and, as spots go, it ain't gonna get much better. It's folded round to the BB, who doubles the bet. I insta-push and he seems to tank for ages. I'm hoping he was on the steal and will lay it down, but he's got me well out-chipped and it's probably a no-brainer call to try and take me out. With my stack my range could be very wide.
Eventually he does call and turns over AK, suited. It's a classic race, and the flop is kind. Jack high, with two diamonds (he doesn't have any, so he can't suck out like the way I went out last night). I'm sweating the turn and, inevitably, out pops the King. The river is a blank and I'm gone.
It's not really a 'bad-beat' as I was a 55% favourite going in. It was a coin-flip and I lost. I was happy to cash again and, thinking back, was amazingly lucky to hit a 1-outer a lot earlier, so I can be philisophical about the way this ended.
Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow to see if I can make it three cashes in a row.
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