THE SUNDAY BRAWL: 71 / 1723

I got off to a strong start and at one time was second overall in chips. I was very active early on, inducing opponents to play back at me on a couple of occasions when I had strong hands. One player put me all in on the turn when I held an overpair which was good; another pushed a double gutshot draw after I flopped a set. The rest of my chip stack was ill-gained: I had a pair of eights and the other guy had a pair of kings and was betting as if he had kings, but I still didn't believe him. There were two spades and two clubs on the board and also an inside straight draw for me. He made a pot-sized bet that committed him to the hand but I had a gut feeling that he had flopped a spade draw with two overs and was just going with it. I tanked for awhile and came out raising, figuring that if I was wrong, I could still get lucky with an eight or six on the river. As usual, my gut was wrong and he showed KK. I lucked out and caught the six to make my straight and bust him, moving me into the top three early in the event.

This is a knockout tournament so every scalp I collect is adorned with forty bucks. The event cost $256 and by the time my scalp joined the pile, I had vanquished eight foes to the tune of $320. When I had $14k, I was in rarified air at my table with a license to steal at will. When that table broke, I wound up at a table with three other guys over $10k and was forced to slow down a bit. I was still managing to chip up as all the big stacks were to my right, enabling me to pressure the tiny stacks to my left.

When I was around $17k, the poker gods pulled a fast one on me, letting me flop bottom set while a moderately big stack flopped top set. He played it real goofy too. He was out of position and merely check/called the J92 flop. The turn was a ten and when he checked, I checked behind him. I had an inkling that something was amiss and I thought maybe he had just filled a gutshot with KQ. I figured if he has JT or J9 then I will get paid off on the river anyways but if he has turned or is about to river a straight, then I can keep from doubling him up. The river was a blank and he checked to me a third time. This was a strange but effective decision. If he knows my cards, then it is the obvious play, but I'm not sure how he could be so sure I was betting after checking the turn. So I bet for value and after pausing for effect, he came back all-in. I never really considered folding. He only beats me with JJ, 99, or KQ and I couldn't imagine he would check any of those hands on the river. So I paid him off and shortened my stack quite a bit.

I built my stack back up to $17k and beyond but the pivotal hand came when I got JJ under the gun and misplayed it badly. I raised of course and was called in the two hole. The flop brought three babies and I bet my hand. He flat called and the turn was a queen. I checked and called his $4k bet, thinking he might be using the queen as a scare card with his 77-TT. The river paired a baby and I checked once more. He bet $10k which screamed value bet but I went with my gut again which had me believing it was a Jamie Gold style stab at a pot he's got no business raking. He showed QQ, which made perfect sense. He played the hand as if I might have aces or kings, as I might by raising from the one hole. Once he caught his queen, he was hoping I had aces or kings and bet accordingly. I wish I had figured that out on the turn. That queen was sent by the poker gods to save me money but I ignored the message.

Losing all those chips in that hand really colored the remainder of the event for me. Once we were approaching the payout, I was so short that I decided my best strategy was to simply fold my way into the money and then try to get lucky. So once the bubble burst, I did a good job picking my spots and staying alive. Then suddenly I got a couple hands in a row and chipped up all the way to $65k before disaster befell me. I had been fairly active with a nice run of cards when I woke up with AA. I raised, was re-raised by 99, who was re-re-raised by TT. I was high-fiving the wife in anticipation of my stack climbing past $100k but the niner hit the flop to quell my excitement. I escaped the hand with $36k remaining after busting the guy with tens. He was my eight and final victim.

I hate to lose that pot but at least I'm still alive. Not long after though, I am looking for a hand to go with and I find tens on the big blind. There is an early raise from a monster stack and an all-in from middle position. I still like my tens enough to go for it, which I do. The monster folds, leaving me up against 88 with a good shot at doubling up plus some. I escaped the flop but not the turn. The 8 came to end my day. Once you get unlucky twice in a row, it is usually death - I survived the aces getting cracked but once the tens were cracked, I was out of chips and out of my chair. My 71st place finish was good for $585.