so i got to the office by 4pm and played a cash game. same story. up and down. wont bore you with the details. i was down $200 by the time it was 7pm. i know i said i wouldnt play anymore of these damn tourneys but i tried again. tonite was the $300 NL event. but tonite, i was gonna just go for broke. no more of this tight conservative style that is recommended for tournament play. i was gonna just play my normal cash game style. and if i bust out early, oh well, i have been doing that anyway. mite as well have some fun. so i limped into a lot of pots early when the blinds were just 5-15 and stole a lot of small pots against people that were playing conservative tournament poker. i built my chip stack to about 3000 by the end of the first break. then i got moved to another table. continued to play aggresively and was doing well. but as we all know, i made two costly mistakes and i was out. - first mistake: tony (aka "how i survived jesus furgeson on day 1 of the WSOP") raised it to 3xBB. i called with KQ of spades. flop comes down Kc-8h-3h. he bets out a decent amount. he could easily have AK and my kicker would get me killed. but i call anyways. turn comes out Kh giving me top set. he pushes all in. does he really have the other last K? oh well, i call. i cant lay down my top set. nope he does not have the last K. he has Ah-9h for the nut flush. and now im crippled down to 600 in chips. in retrospect, should i have even called with KQ to a raise in a tournament? you are just asking for kicker trouble playing this hand. if it wasnt suited, i probably wouldnt have called. then i flop top pair and i am in kicker contemplation. should i throw my hand away to a bet? maybe i should have. with KQ, if you dont flop two pair or the flush or straight, maybe just throw it away. or i coulda raised him to find out where i am. if i raised a good amount, he surely woulda thrown his hand away. a tournament vet like him isnt going to risk most of his chips on a draw. but i just called. when the K of hearts came and he pushed all in, i shoulda thrown it away. what else is he gonna push with? i called on the flop telling him i either have top pair or the flush draw. so when the turn comes improving both of those hands and he still goes all in, of course im beat. he must have AK, full house, or the flush himself. but i cant even throw away two pair, how the hell am i gonna throw away top set. im just not good enuff yet. - second mistake: after being crippled, i managed to get my chip stack back up to 3000 after a series of all ins and suck outs. i put a massive bad beat on someones pocket AA with just AQ when i hit runner runner Q. horrible. anyways, i am back up to 3000 but the blinds have gone up and i am slightly under the average chips stack. once again tony raises it 3xBB and i call with AJ. calling a raise in a tournament with AJ is questionable, i know, but i needed to make a move. flop comes down J high and he bets. im hoping he had AK or lower pockets so i push all in. he thinks for a long time. he tells me he has pretty high pockets. he asks me if i flopped a set of J's. or am i slow playing AA or KK. basically he is telling me he has QQ and is seriously contemplating throwing it away. i guess thats why he is a better tournament player than i am to be able to even think about laying it down. i woulda called in a heart beat. well he finally calls and im out. two stinking mistakes and im out. i think i am officially dead money in these thing. i suck. i really want to play in a big tourney with more starting chips and slower rounds but the bankroll wont afford that so ill have to wait. if i had more chips, i definitely would have been able to get away from the AJ. anyways, so back down to the cash games. up down up down. usual. i only have one hand to discuss. i had about $1200 in front of me and picked up KK in late postition. 5 players limp in front of me so i raise to 6xBB to $30. i have been raising frequently and showing my usual crap cards so i get no repect and ALL of them call!!! the pot is already $180. great, please no ace on the flop. nope. flop comes down 6-5-4 rainbow. the only other aggresive guy at the table opens up with $100. i am strongly feeling that he is trying to steal the pot hoping that everyone played high cards. if he had flopped a set or straight, why not get a check raise in cuz im sure to bet as usual. next guy reluctantly calls and i put him on a straight draw. everyone else folds so i push all in. original bettor is like dayam and really thinks about it and i know i got him beat. but he says lets gamble and calls his remaining $300. the next caller also is hesitant and at one point holds his cards ready to muck but i guess he felt pot commited and liked the huge pot so i he called his remaining $300 too. great. the pot is about $1500 at this point. we all turn over our cards. first guy has 7-6 for top pair and open-ended. the second guy turns over 8-4 suited for bottom pair and a gut shot!!! are you fuckin kidding me? i understand the gamble by top pair and open-ended but bottom pair and gut shot for $400!!!! i told you i get no respect for my raises. these guys called 6xBB raise with 7-6 off suit and 8-4 suited. who do they think they are, me? jk. well the turn comes K giving me a set and killing any chances of them winning by hitting two pair or a set of their own. all i have to do is avoid the 8 or 7 and one of each is already out there. just avoid 6 cards with one to come. yes baby, send it!!! but nope, 7 on the river and the fuckin idiot with bottom pair and gut shot wins it all. i wouldnt be as pissed if the open-ended guy hit his but the fuckin gut shot. i myself woulda called with the top pair open-ended but even stupid me wouldnt call with bottom and gut shot for that much money all in. i was fucking steaming after that loss. a $1500 pot to a gut shot with one of his outs already out!!!!! although the hand only cost me about a quarter of my chips, i never recovered from the tilt and by 5am i am exhausted and i leave the cash game up only $200. i am attending a friend's grad party today so no poker for me. i really need a break anyway. - $200 early cash game- $300 tournament + $200 later cash game - $300 loss for day running total for vacation: $0 (dead freakin even again!!!!!!!) on a side note: notable stars at the tournament: phil hellmuth, can kim hua, michael mizzrachi. dunno what these guys are doin here playing a $300 tourney. maybe there are here for the main event on sunday that is $2500 buy-in. but isnt even that small time for these guys.

Source: EY400's Poker Blog