I won!!

It's been quite a long time since I actually won a table. Had plenty of 2nd's & 3rd's at SNG's, but eventually made the breakthrough tonight, largely thanks to hitting a Straight Flush, during heads-up play.

I'd made a steady start and after winning a couple of decent pots had more than doubled my starting stack and was sitting on about $3,500. There I ended up almost card dead for about 30 hands, perhaps winning one or two sets of blinds (which were still ony 30/60).

As players dropped out others chipped up and when we were down to one player was on $2,000, myself and another player were on $3,500 and the chip leader had just shy of $5,000.

4-way action lasted ages, and my stack was dwindling as the blinds crept up to 100/200. The big stack eventually bust out the shortest player to take a commanding lead; but I'd made the money and was reasonably happy.

There was a lot of folding the blinds 3-handed when I picked up AK on the button and the shortest stack of about $1,000 pushed with A3. The flop came down A-K-x, and I was almost safe. The 3 hit the turn to make things a bit nervy, but it held up. The stacks were about $7.5k v $5k, so I wasn't in bad shape.

I've played a lot of PLO heads-up recently, but was out of practice at NLH, but we battled back and forward and the stacks stayed pretty much the same. I made one move, with 5s-6s , when the board came down 5d-Xs-Xs, for middle pair and a flush draw, and got my opponent to lay down top pair.

The hand that really set me up for the win came when I limped with 6d-Td from the button and saw a flop of 4c-5h-8d. I didn't feel as confident pushing, so made a min-bet and was called. The turn was the 9d giving me a flush draw as well as an inside straight draw.

I min-bet again and was just called. The river was delightful - 7d, not just completing the straight, but the straight flush. I min-bet ($300) and my opponent min-raised to $600. I waited a few seconds before raising to $1,200, praying he had made a flush and was going to push. He only called and turned over 8s-5c, for two pair. I was left wondering if he had pushed on the turn, would I have called for my tournament life; guess we'll never know!

That hand turned the tables, and I was in a decent chip lead. I folded a couple of marginal hands when my opponent pushed all-in, but eventually all the chips ended up in the middle; me 5-5, him A-2 suited. And thankfully it held up.

It's nice to be back on top of the podium for a change.