I’ve run into a series run of losing. 2-5 outters are hitting like Barry Bonds on steroids. Just another example…

Down to 4 in a $10 SNG and I pick up big slick. I put in a raise to 3x the BB. The big blind goes all-in with A9 suited. I flop a K and he’s drawing dead. The only way he can beat me is with running nines…and of course they come. I’m out on the bubble. I was a 98.9% favorite to win that hand. Damn 1.1%…fucker gets me every time!

A quick post. Last night Bodog had a $7,500 guaranteed for $10+1, so I signed up. There were only 571 playing, so nearly $2,000 was added to the prize pool. I was short stacked most of the tournament, but as we approached the money (top 54) I finally went above average with a nice rush. From there I went up and down.

With the blinds at $1,000-$2,000 I had about 7 big bets and found 99 in the big blind. 4 other players limped in. I figured I had the best hand but decided to check and see what the flop brought. If I had pushed there was one small stack that would have to call and I thought at least one other player would call. I didn’t want to take my 9s against 2 players. The flop came 2-4-2 and I was happy. I pushed out a bet of about half the pot. The small stack called and the button raised. I pushed the rest of my chips in. I was up against A9 and 55. The turn brought a 5 and the river a 3, so I lost to a full house and a straight. I went in with the best hand and that’s all I can ask for.

Looking back, I wish I had either pushed as the first to act after the flop. I still think I would have ended up against the same two players because A9 didn’t have a choice with barely over $2,000 left and 55 had a large stack where he could take the risk. Pushing would have been my best chance at getting one of them to fold. Betting half the pot could have looked like a steal. If only the small stack would have called I would still have been in the tournament with about 5 BB and on the small blind for the next hand.

That was the end of my tournament though. 17th out of 517. Not a bad showing. I think I’m going to concentrate on some tournaments a little more until I can get through this cold streak trying to beat the 6-max games.

Tonight I installed Full Tilt and deposited $50 just in case I feel like playing the WPBT HORSE event on Sunday. I figured I might as well check out the interface, so I signed up for a $5+0.50 SNG.

Minimum raises were the norm and it was a rather tight table for the most part. I didn’t pick up any steal hands in position, so I just waited for some monsters. My first winning hand was 43o that flopped two pair. No one called my pot bet. I couldn’t slow play it because there was a flush draw on board and I needed to make sure nobody had the odds to call. Soon after I found rockets and doubled up. Not too many hands for the next few orbits and then I get QhTh in the big blind with a limper and the small blind. The flop gives me top two pair, so when it’s min bet by the small blind I bet pot. I didn’t realize it, but this left him with 50 chips and he of course bet out on the turn, which brought another queen, filling me up. He turns over Q5o. The only cards that can help him are the two tens, which would give us a split pot. Do I even need to say what the river is? A fucking ten. The player survives to live another day. I was the chip leader at that point and I could have really used that pot, but instead I run into runner runner. Maybe I used up my bad luck though.

I take a few pots here and there without any showdowns and then with 5 players left comes this hand…a loose player min raises UTG. He’s been calling all-in bets with hands like QTo and QJo. My AsQs on the small blind is looking good, so I push in. He calls of course and flips over two tens. He actually has a hand this time but it’s a race. I’m loving the flop which brings an ace and a queen. I only needed one, but that’s fine. The turn is a blank and I bet you can’t guess the river. Yup, another 2 outer on the river beats me when that fucking ten comes again.

As I look back at this hand I didn’t give the guy a chance to fold. I should have just called his pre-flop bet and he would have had an easy fold on the flop when two overs hit. Do you agree? How would you have played the hand? This just goes to show my inexperience in tournament poker.

I didn’t mind Full Tilt’s interface and after my deposit I have $50 in bonus cash calling my name. From what I’ve seen it isn’t worth my time though. Empire should have a reload bonus coming up in a few days.