Friday Night I Crashed Your Party

Friday night was a night that started full of promise and ended in disappointment.

I started the evening by playing some SNGs with my old boss on FT. Nothing to exciting other then I took a first in one and a second in another one while bubbling in an 18 player event.

In the 18 player event, I didn’t have a lot to work with most of the time but had a small rush near the bubble to put my second in chips with 6 players left. As we got down to 5 players I’m still in second place until a double up the shorty when my AQ is no good to his A7. This almost crippled me but I chipped back up with aggressive play when life repeated itself. Now on life support, I push each of the next 3 hands and get back to respectability. I eventually get QQ and push only to lose to the same guy for the third time when his K10 is good. I was just unlucky in this situation and would play it the same every time.

In my victory, we have 4 players left, one being my old boss when I see this AA in the SB. UTG calls and my old boss raises 3.5X. Now I know he has a hand so how do I get all his chips. He will fold to an all-in if he thinks I have him beat but I don’t want the third player in. I min reraise hoping to get heads up or take the pot and all fold. My old boss later told me he had JJ. A bit later my old boss raise all-in as I’m looking at JJ. He still has a nice stack but I’ll still be second in chips if I call and lose so I call. My jacks hold up and I knock him out. At this point I run over the table as the remaining players passively play for second place.

In the third game I couldn’t get started and played with a short stack for almost the whole game. I got cards when I needed them and balls when I had to have them. The key to cashing was sitting on the SB with 1000 chips, blinds at 100/200, and pushing with 93 off suit. The BB blind had around 2000 and waited a long time before folding to my raise. This was the third time in a row I had bought his blinds so I showed the bluff. The next orbit I pushed again and he calls with QJ. My pocket queens hold up and he is all but done. The next hand saw me take 2nd when the chip leader called two all-ins and knock out those players. All in all, that was a lot of work for a $5 SNG.

A little later I jumped onto the Midnight Madness and ran into a wall. I saw AK twice early, both from late position and had to give them up when the board missed and an overly aggressive player pushed me off my hand each time. Tight is right became my mantra and I eventually saw AQ suited and pushed with an M of 4.5. The BB wakes up with QQ and I figure I’m done but an Ace spikes and I more then double up. I sit tight for a while and eventually triple up when I get KK and two callers. A king on the flop and I call two pushers. As we approach the bubble I’m in serious need of chips and I’m rewarded with pocket jacks. The blinds are now serious and my M of around 6 needs help so I push and get called by AJ suited. A jack on the flop and I’m good as gold except for the two diamonds. The turn gives us both a straight draw and the river completes the straight. The only problem was that the river was also a diamond and the end of my tourney. I know that JJok says jacks are OK but I don’t believe him.

I was really frustrated after that beat and jumped on an SNG to calm myself down. It was really early on when I get KK UTG +1. UTG calls and I pop it for 240. All fold back to him and he raises to 500. I don’t put him on anything better then I have because only a fool doesn’t raise with pocket aces so I push. He has aces and I’m done.

I don’t think I would ever slow play aces like he did there but that’s OK. I know I’ll get my money back because that really isn’t the right play to make. He eventually bubbled and didn’t cash.

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I was hoping to play some cards when I go to San Diego this upcoming weekend but I think my itinerary will be full. If I play at all it will only be for maybe three hours and I’m not sure that’s worth the time considering the other things I can do out there. We’ll see what happens.