TOUGH LUCK

I have not finished in the money in a tourney for weeks. Today brought another couple of hard luck tales. I earned a free ticket to the $6000 guaranteed tourney. I was making slow and steady gains while over 100 of the 675 entrants were eliminated. Finally, I joined a multiway pot from late position with QJ suited. The big blind made a modest raise, which suggested to me that he had something very strong, since he wanted more money but not necessarily fewer opponents. The flop came 6JQ. The raiser checked, which indicates strength. I figure he's got KK and he is hoping somebody will make a stab at it. It checked around to me, so I took the bait. I went all in, figuring he will join me with his high pair. Oops, his pair was JJ. I was pretty well doomed to be eliminated on this hand, whether I went all in then or later. I least I got two more cards to hope for a queen, but alas.

I paid $10 for a chance at a $320 Main Event ticket. I am getting to where I don't care to put much money into a pot early in a tourney, but I found myself joining a pot from the small blind with AT. The flop came TT9. Needless to say, I ended up losing the hand to 98 when a J came off on the river. This knocked me down to about $1000. I worked hard at being patient and inched my way back to $1700. After the hour break, I got nothing to play for a very long time, and I was very patient as players were eliminated around me. Finally, I waited out my desperation and started getting good cards. I won every hand I entered, and suddenly I was in the hunt. The winner got a ticket and second place got $230 or so. The blinds were $400-$800 and I needed something to happen, but I didn't want to force the action too much because the leader was so out in front that he could stand to go all in with me at the slightest provocation. I got AQ in the big blind and he had already limped in, so I went all in. He joined me with A6 and I doubled up.

At the two hour break it was down to three of us. The leader had $65K, I had $16K and the other guy had $13K. Obviously, the two short stacks were going to sit back and hope the other guy went up against the big stack. The first hand after the break I got KK in the big blind. I am happy about this, but much to my dismay, the big stack folded, and the other guy had not yet returned from break, so he was folded automatically. I was still cursing my bad fortune, when I was dealt AA on the very next hand. I decided not to raise, so that I could get the big stack involved. The flop came 7KQ. I checked. He bet only $800, the minimum, so maybe he had nothing and was trying to steal it. There were two hearts, so with hope that he had a piece of it, and I could feign longshot flush draw, I came back all in. He called with K2. I was grinning. A win would give me $32K to his $49K, which would put me in the hunt. Of all the cursed luck, he hit his deuce on the turn, and the river was not to be for me. Two hours; zero dollars; very upsetting.