7/7/06 $2,500 No limit

A flawlessly played tournament as far as I’m concerned – my tournament play is really coming around, and I’m very excited about it. I literally played five hands, which were the following: 1) After folding every single hand for the first 40 minutes of play, 3^rd position limps for 25, and I make it 125 with AcQc. After a think from seat 10, he grabs chips to raise, but then decides to call (he was in almost every pot, but not too aggressive, to give a little background information), folds to the limper, who calls. Flop: A,Q,9c. Check, I bet 300, quick call, fold. Turn: 6c. I think for about three minutes, then decide to move all-in for his last 1,200. I figured if he has an ace, he will think I’m bluffing and call me, if he’s drawing, I can’t give him a free card, and if I bet any less it would look too much like I was trying to get paid. I thought an all-in looked the most suspicious on my part, and in retrospect I would have done the same exact thing. Unfortunately, however, he insta-calls with a set of aces, and no flush on the river for me. Now I’m down to 800 or so. I fold a couple rounds, then I pick up Qx,Jh in the BB and there are three limpers including the SB, I check. Flop comes Ah, Qh, 3h. Checks around. Turn: 4h, check, I check, 50 from David Matthews, folds, and I call. River bricks, check check, I take it down with the second nuts. I couldn’t bet, because I know this guy is pretty wild and might take it away from me on a bluff. A couple more rounds pass and then I pick up A3o in the big blind and three limpers, including the SB are with me. I check and the flop comes AQ4 with two diamonds. I pick up my 700 in chips to go all-in, but then decide to only bet 100, to which everyone quickly folds their hands. A couple more rounds pass and then I pick up Q7o in the SB and throw in 25 for the call after three limps (the BB wasn’t that aggressive, so I thought I might get away with seeing a cheap flop here). Flop: Qd,Td,8. Wow, what a tough decision….I have 600 in chips at this point, but I’m likely going to get called my many hands here if I go all-in – a situation I want to avoid at all costs. However, I do have the top pair, which at this point is a monster for me. I immediately picked up my chips to go all-in, but showed some restraint after a little think and decided to check and see what happened. The BB fired out 200 and David Matthews quickly called, folds to me. Man, oh man. I guess I fold. Turn came a 9, 400, called. River came a 4, check, check. BB shows Q,T, David shows 9d6d. NICE!! “Hell yeah! I folded a Queen!!” “Did you really? Wow, nice fold guy”. The very next hand middle position limps and I’m on the button with A7o and immediately decide it’s time. I shove, the SB folds in disgust and the BB quickly folds, however the limper apparently didn’t get the memo that I was playing tighter than his little sister’s….well, tight, and decided to call with 3,3. I was so pissed, and still am! No help and I was eliminated. Even if I won the pot, I think I still would have been upset at that guy. He’s not even playing poker, he’s just there to hopefully flip some coins and sit at a table with a guy he saw on T.V….. so unreal. What I learned? I’m a bad ass at poker, and sometimes it doesn’t matter how you play, only how the cards fall.