Dave Irish

In my first buy-in since the Main Event satellite a week and a half ago, I managed to take 4 bounties in the TI Head Hunters.  This profit of a fledgling $75 marked my first profit in two months in a tournament.  Before the main event started, I had won three straight tourneys.  During the entire duration of the WSOP I failed to net ANYTHING.  Now that it’s gone (excluding the final days of the main event) things seem to be recovering again.

One showdown in over an hour of play.  Nearly doubled my starting stack in that time.  Just. Great. Play.

And then I flop KJ3 with KJ against KJ and 33.  Down to half the starting stack.  I start chipping up again.

Then my 55 flops QJ5 against QQ.

There just is no other way to put how awful the last 5 weeks has gone.  I have nothing left to say other than “Good Luck” to those in the Main Event.

Yesterday was attempt 1 of 2 to Sattie into the main event.  It was all going my way as I was dodging huge hands, playing TAG, and winning the pots I entered.  I had chipped up to 20k from the starting 6k just as level 4 started.  I was cruising.  And then, another player cost me.  You see, he went on tilt.  He got cracked once and lost a post flop race and found himself raising 1100 of his 6400 with A,9 off.  When I made it 5k out of the small blind with JJ, he forgot (or didn’t care) that he had declared I was the tightest player at the table and pushed the rest of his stack in.  He spiked an ace on me and took me from being halfway to the average stack when the bubble burst to being just over the average stack again.  The very next hand I had JJ slapped by 3,3 quadding on me and I was just an average stack.  I hung on for two more hours in push/fold mode before I got it all in with JJ and ANOTHER player called off his whole stack with a raggin ace.  This time it was Ace, 5.  He flopped a lovely 7,5,5 on me and rubbed it in with an ace on the turn AND an ace on the river.  I was crushed to two big blinds and got a chance to more than quadruple up with Q,8 vs. AK and TT but couldn’t manage to win it and busted once again on the first instance I was all-in, called, and covered.  That really was it for me.  That was the one.  Until that ace speared me, I had made two huge folds correctly and dodged two other big time bullets by playing tight and smart.

I am now left with one final attempt.  Today.  1 pm.  All I ask is for one time this entire summer, I play a tournament in which I don’t get coolered or bad beated.  That’s all I ask.

Trash Tuesday Tuesday was no where near the amazing game found last week.  It was a nit-fest and I should have realized there were SEVEN other games going and switched to one of those.  I couldn’t get my money in good.  Slap!

I had a REALLY tight image, so when this hand came up, I was made a move that was quite out of the ordinary.

The game is 2/5 NL with a mandatory button straddle (which acts last even if there is a raise and the blinds act after all non-blinded hands have acted)  I’m UTG and limp with A,T.  Four others join, and all the blinds complete, along with a button check.  The flop brings T,7,3 rainbow.  It checks to me and I bet out $40 of my ~$500.  It folds to the cutoff who flat calls.  The button then looks around, then down at his cards, looks at me, and makes it $140.  It folds to me.

Now this is a REALLY tricky situation.  One thing I’ve noticed from watching cash games on TV (like High Stakes Poker) is that most players miss the first sign of a very bad scenario.  Raise your hand if folding was the first thing that crossed your mind.  **Raises Hand**  Go ahead and call me a fish.  But with all attacks aside, how on Earth can the button raise here without having me crushed?  He sure as hell didn’t check his button with AT or KT when everybody came limping along.  And he’s not raising an early position bettor AND a call with just a ten in his hand.  There’s just no way.  And what’s up with the cutoff smooth calling???  His range includes 9,8 along with some weaker Tens and a flopped set.  Nothing else really fits.  All three of those can call me on the flop.  So with the button seeing all this (and he certainly was an observant player) his raise indicated that he flopped two pair.  His preflop check indicates garbage hands including all those flopping two pair on this T,7,3 flop.  Another thing crossing my mind is the cutoff’s flat call.  If he has a set, I’m doomed.  If he has a weaker Ten, then I’m in all that much worse shape against the button’s very likely two pair holding.

I fold.

Cutoff folds.

I’m left with no knowledge of any turn, river, or other players’ hands.  Now we can just theorize about it.

Wednesday, I begin my two day trek in securing a seat for the main event.  Satellites run at 1 pm and 8 pm for $1060 buy ins.  It’s time to put up or get left out of the Main Event.  Without a doubt, this will be my biggest fight I’ve put up since Day 2 and the Brandon Cantu battles from last year’s Main Event.