Busy Weekend (Long), Melted Felt

I played a ton of poker over this past weekend. It went okay. My bankroll dwindled but I was playing more tournament poker so that was expected. On the luck front, things are starting to turn. It's not a flip. More like making a U-turn with a semi truck. I did a really good job of logging hands to share with you guys, so here they are.

Bugsy's used to hold a $10k guaranteed, $50 buy-in tourney on Sundays. Now they hold a $25 buy-in, $1200 guaranteed tourney. You know, because it's just as good of a deal. Anyway, I'm dumb and shelled out for it because I have been playing small little Bugsy's Bonus Points SnGs for Tournament Tokens. I missed the first 45 minutes of the tourney because my parents were in town and were going to take me grocery shopping. I figured even if I miss the entire tourney, I come out like $75 ahead because now I don't have to buy groceries. When I got back, I had only lost 450 chips from original 10k starting stack and I was only around 3.5k behind the average stack. I was doing well and had steadily increased my stack up to around 24k when the average was 20k. I got involved in a couple of hands where I had to fold and was down to 18k. Then I was dealt QQ UTG. I raised it pot and had a shove from MP. I quickly called and was excited to see ATcc until the flop rolled off Ad 6c 7c. Let's hear it for skill. I busted somewhere near 17th place.

I also played a $5 MTT at Bugsy's. The first notable hand I was wrapped up in was with AKo. I raised it from EP and had 5 callers. The flop peeled xQQ and I shut it down as first to act. Everybody checked and we took another Q on the turn. I still checked figuring somebody who was sitting on their trips just hit quads but everybody checked again. The river peeled the case Q and I checked like a tard. As soon as I checked I said out loud "What the f*** did I just do, I have the nuts?" There were 2 more checks and then a guy bet half the pot. Still reeling from my own monumental stupidity, I just called the bet. Everybody else folded and I scooped the pot when the other guy showed 99. Not raising with the stone nuts is probably the stupidest thing I have done at a poker table in the past 3 years. This coming from a guy that has dumped his entire 4-figure roll several times in that span and this is still the stupidest move that I have made. I raked a big pot later several hands later when I raised from MP with AQcc. I had one caller in LP and we took a great AKT flop. I bet pot and he called. The turn was the nifty Jd putting 2 diamonds on the board. I bet pot and he moved in. I beat him in the pot and he showed KJo. I faded the river and busted him from the tourney. Then I went cold for the next 3 levels and dwindled to obscurity. The tourney skill that I don't possess in the slightest is picking off pots when I'm at an active table with a moderate or smallish stack. Everybody else was going to war and I just sat and let myself get screwed. When I finally did make a move, I whiffed and was crippled. 2 hands later I moved in with 84ss UTG and got called by KK. Go me, no money.

I also played several $1 tourneys at FTP. I busted pretty quickly in a couple of them from a combination of being stupid and getting housed by luck, but I did go deep in a couple. There are 90 people in each of these tourneys, and at $1 you get every sort of idiot known to man. In my first notable tourney I got smote in the early goings with AA vs 33 on a KK3 flop. I did put in bad, but the fun part of the hand was the 3 on the turn to totally ice it. In the next tourney, I actually put together some decent play. In the first level I flopped a straight flush with J9ss and got paid. The flop rolled QT8sss and I checked from 1st position. There was a bet in MP in the multi-hand pot and I raised it pot. He called, presumably with the As and I prayed for another spade. The turn was a blank, he checked and I bet about 3/4ths pot. He called and we took another blank on the turn. At this point I only had about 800 left of my 3kish starting stack and I put it in. He folded and because of all of the callers I more than doubled to over 6k. I hovered through the next level and then dropped JJ to AKcc AIPF on a 9c 6c Ah flop. I doubled that guy and halved myself. I continued to dwindle when I got tough with 55 at the right time. I was in the SB with blinds at 50/100 and it was raised to 300 from LP. I called and a limper in MP called. I checked the T72 rainbow flop as did the guy in the middle. The original raiser overshoved and I thought through half of my counter before calling. The MP dude folded and the OR showed AJo. Turn blank river blank and I was back in the hunt. It turned out just to delay the inevitable. The same thing happened here as did in my Bugsy's tourney. The table got active and I went cold. Eventually I took a stand with AJ and it turned out poorly as I ran into KK. I blanked and busted in 26th. I moneyed in my final try of the night in what turned out to be a roller coaster. Right out of the gate I was dealt a tough one. I had 56o in late position and limped into the 4 handed pot. I liked the 34J flop. It had 2 spades. The first player to act led out pot, one of the other players called, and I called in position. The turn was a 7s putting 3 spades on the board. The first guy led out 1/4th pot, the 2nd guy called, and I raised it about 4x the bet. The first guy called and the second guy moved in. I pitched after a few seconds of whining. That hurt me quite a bit and I kind of sat around. I decided to go out blazing instead of fading out and was dealt A4dd in EP and raised it up. I got one caller and we took a K74 flop with 2 diamonds. I CR'ed AI and was insta-called by Q7o. The river was the 2d and I still wasn't back to average but had some breathing room again. About a level later I doubled again with QQ vs KT AIPF to get a decent stack rolling. I really took off 2 levels later after sort of floating through. I was dealt KK in the BB and just flat called a raise from UTG. The flop came KQ4 with 2 diamonds and I decided to risk it up and trap. I checked and the guy bet 1500. I moved in for my 4k total and he called showing ATo. I faded the J and doubled to around 8k. The very next hand I had 44 in the SB. There was a limper up front and 1 small raise late so I called as did the limper and we took a flop of A9T with 2 hearts. The raiser bet 120 into the nearly 1200 pot so I called and the limper folded. The turn was the glorious 4c and I checked again. He bet pot this time, I moved in and he insta-called with AQ. Woops. Thanks for the double to 16k and a spot in the top 5 in chips. I lost a few small pots over the next level when the following pot came up. I was dealt KThh on the button and it was folded to me. I raised it pot and the BB called. We took a T56 flop with 2 spades. The BB led with a pot bet and I raised it pot and he called. The turn was a 2s, he checked, I bet pot and he folded. That put me into 2nd chip position with 31 left. I got really active for a bit and had to slow when I doubled TT with my JT. He moved in from the steal position and I called from the button after some thought. I made him for Ax and liked the 60/40 flip. The case T came out on the flop and I was done for. That knocked me down to 8th of 19 which wasn't the coolest thing to happen on the money bubble. I made it into the money and with 17 left I got wrapped up with KJdd. I raised it preflop and he just called. The flop came 233 rainbow and he shoved into me. I called because I was getting 2.5:1 and figured him for Ax at best and I was right when he showed A8o. However, I blanked and was next to last in chips. I decided not to let myself blind out for my last little bit and just got shove happy. I shoved my way to the final table and ended up finishing 6th or 7th for $4.

Today so far I'm +1 on $10 HU at Bugsy's but I got wrapped up in a $5 rebuy for $25 and a $1 PLO8 rebuy for $4 with no money from either. I busted 38/81 in the rebuy claiming 1 bounty so I'll get $11 worth of tourney tokens so it wasn't a total loss. In the $1 PLO8 I busted 9/30 falling 4 short of the money. I'm feeling better though as things are starting to turn. I actually cracked KK with A3cc AIPF in the $5 rebuy and I'm forcing myself to be a lot more focused and it's paying off. Hopefully I'll start logging some actual winning sessions in the near future. You know, before I'm broke.

I'm also adding a link to a site called Melted Felt. It's a fake poker news site that is pretty hilarious. It gives me some relief when the bad ones start to pile up, so give it a look. If you read this entire thing, you're a champion. Peace.

Bugsy's: $270.53
FTP: $18.47