You would think someone would be happy that they made 4 final tables in one week. I am not, I played about 34 tourneys this week, and I only made it to the money 20.5%(7). I am not down any money, but I would hope I could place more often. I have about 6 or 7 tourneys where I came 15 places or closer to the money. The reason I am upset is that my best tournaments I didn't make the money or when I did I got horrible beats. I know it's the nature of the game, but it has become so frequent I don't know what to think.
I am not proud of my first place finish. Although I played very well up to the final table, I made a huge mistake with 6 players left. Ran my KQ into AK and luckily with the blinds 1.5k and 3k, with a pitiful short stack 2.6k my T6 beat A5 to double up. By the way, the reason I won this hand is because the big stack raised instead of limping and giving other the chance to beat me. Next hand JT vs A9 and I double up again. Two hands later AJ vs KK and I flop two Jacks. Like I said I can't be proud of that. That put me in the chip lead, and then the cards fell into place. I got AA and KK in the big blind to take short stacks all in. Heads up I got lucky once again. About 15 hands into the match I raise with Q4s and I got called. Flop comes 244. Beautiful flop for me. He checks and so do I. Turn is the Q. He checks and so do I. River is a 9, he bets pot size. I raise half of his stack, he pushes all-in. He had A4. Now I was destined to win this, how many times did I get lucky???
Sometimes is not how well you play, is how lucky you get. You need luck in this game no matter how skillful you are. My 5th place I took a horrible beat. The player pulled a Kanter on me. Five-handed and blinds 1k-2k, he limps and I raise to 6k with AdJd on the button. He is the only that calls. Flop comes Ac 9x 3c. He checks and I bet pot (16k). He cold calls. The turn is 8x. I push all in for 31k. He has 32k and calls my all-in. He has Tc 8c. The river brings Th and just like that I lose a big chance to win a big one. By the way I did get lucky in the final table with 9 players. I pushed UTG with Ac 6h and I was shortstacked. The same player called me with Ah 9h. I rivered a four-flush to double up, getting very lucky. Maybe his calls were based on that. I am not sure. I just dislike that I got unlucky like that.
The 7th place I was shortstacked and there was nothing I could do. The party poker 8th place was bad because I misplayed AK. blinds 1k/2k, I had 20k and there was only the big blind as the sb had just been eliminated. I don't know what went through my head, but since this guy was the chip leader and was getting lucky left and right, i decided to mini raise to 5k, to attract action. He calls. Flop comes J 5 5. He bets into me and I jam. He had Q 5. I should have pushed preflop. Big mistake on my part, can't blame the player.
I know this has been a bad beat post, but I need to vent. I had several tournaments where I was doing well, and I would take horrible beats. Some of the hands:
PP $5 Rebuy - I was playing well, but dumped 75% of my stack on a bluff. I have to work on this, my reads online are not as good as live, and I have to learn to bluff less when opponents bet into me or call my continuation bets. This leads me into becoming a rock for the next 30 minutes. Until I see QQ in the big blind, and I have 2 limpers with good sized stacks, blinds are 200/400. I push all-in, one folds and the other thinks. I start saying call me with your lower pair... Yippie he did call me with 88. $@#%%@#%$ he flops the set!
6k FT Guarantee - I was controlled and playing extremely well. Blinds are $120/240 and I have JJ in the small blind. I had about 4.5k in chips and to my right there was this player who survived many all-ins in the past 40 minutes. He was super aggressive, but always seemed to hit the hand that doubled him up and got him back. He had about 3.2k in chips. Player before CO, raises to 540. Aggressive player reraises to 1.2k. I call and the other guy fold. I put him on AK and I figured if the A or K didn't flop I would move all in. flop comes all rags. I push and he thinks for a long time and calls with AQo. No draws!!!! Rivers Q. Unbelievable.
Two PS 180 Hands. 12 players left before the money, one player min raises UTG. I push all in with JJ. I needed to double up to make it to the money. He ponders and calls. He called 3/4 of his stack with QJo. But he flopped the Q. Great call buddy!
In the money, I have a quick problem thinking straight and dump 4k to a short stack with QJ. The min raise preflop was the correct call. The check call his all-in was horrible. I had nothing and he didn't have much either K9. but nothing came through. So I have 9k in chips, my M is of 5 and everyone folds to me and I have AQs. I really want a call from the chip leader who is on the big blind. So instead of auto move all-in, I let the time request pop-up and then I push all in. He thinks for a good 15 seconds and calls. I loved it... QT. Flop comes AKx -x - J. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
There are 2 things I need to improve. I need to let go of hands on later streets if my continuation bets didn't work. I am 90% of the times beat. Improve my reads on hands that I raise and then get bet into. Learn when to let go of the hand or reraise is a crucial skill.
