MONDAY 05.12.08

Distraught over my continuing weekend losses in the big events, I entered the week wondering if I even wanted to play poker or if I was better off doing some projects around the house. Poker won out, as always, but I decided I would only play the $100 tourney at Stars where I have a decent bankroll, and not even open my Full Tilt account until my confidence returns since my roll is teetering on insolvency there. Also, after getting inside Gus' head via his book, and recognizing myself from a few years ago in his thinking, I decided to stop trying to play a mathematically perfect game and to open it up a bit by doing a few unorthodox maneuvers. If I can play a smart post-flop game then that should prove to make me less predictable to my tablemates. I have become more weak-tight over time I fear, and I need to introduce a little more aggression into my game without being totally reckless. I have a lot more post-flop experience now which should serve me well if I marry it with the more open pre-flop game that I used to play when I used to win.

So, I entered the event and played well but busted 100 of 447 to miss the money. I got chips early, then was up and down for a couple of hours, and finally, I busted out on a gamble that didn't come through. I was on the big blind with Kh-Jh. The player in first position had around half the chips that I had and went all-in. I was certainly calling if it folded around to me. The big stack on the button called the bet and suddenly I was lost. The utg player may have me beat or maybe not. If so, then it is doubtful that he has me dominated. I put him on some sort of A-4 suited type hand, or a pair of sixes. I was ready to gamble with him but now the big stack was involved and I had no clue what kind of hand he had. He had both blinds well covered and may have simply been making a move to isolate the small stack and take a gamble. I had only K-high but the fact that it was suited, I was in the blind and I was on my way to becoming a short-stack myself all conspired to compel me to call. I knew I was gambling but I had a decent hand to gamble with. The hands I was up against, however, couldn't have been worse - the shorty had K-J, the same hand as I, and the bully had Ah-Qh, the same suit as I. Hearts were no good and two of my other outs were gone which left me a lot worse off than I had expected and there was no miracle to save me.

I played another $100 MTT at night and this time finished 169 of 414. Again, I opened up my game a bit, got some chips early, then rode the roller coaster for a couple of hours. This was the hand that basically killed me, although it didn't finish me off: I raised with Kd-9d and got one caller. The flop came Qs-Jd-4d giving me the flush draw and the gutshot with an overcard to boot. I had my opponent covered by about $1500 so I decided I could push the hand and put him to the test. I bet into him but he came back raising. Okay, I guess he's got a queen. Hopefully it is A-Q and not K-Q, which gives me three kings, nine diamonds, and three additional tens. Without the kings, it is still a coin toss but with them, I am a solid favorite, so in went my chips. He called and showed me something ugly: Ad-Td. He had the exact same hand as I did only one notch better. This unfortunate turn of events took away my diamonds and kings and left me only those three additional tens to root for. The blanks fell and he won the $12k pot with ace-high. I busted soon after with A-K falling to 7-6 suited.