Trials and Tribulations

Decided to play in those “welcome to party poker” $1 lotto tourneys. There were over 200 players in both. The first one I went out at 130. I was crippled when I was out kicked on trips (89 vs J8), then with the blinds getting high, losing a big race.

The second one was hilarious. It starts with a guy who all-ins every hand. Took 3 to bust him (not me though). Next I have 33 and the flop is KK9. He calls me to the river and loses! Wtf?

People bluff off their entire stacks too! With no pair and no draws!

I actually saw a flop with QTo. You have to get in there in the early rounds or you miss out on the zombies. Not my style really, I still can not even limp with J6o.

In a half hour, 25% of the field is gone. Its just level 2! Players are throwing around chips like there’s a fire on the table and the chips somehow put it out. With all the dead money, I fall below average stack size despite not losing a single showdown. But my M is high, so I am not going to panic. I check and notice the wife is still in it too.

Now I get cold decked for a while as I watch more suicides… Even so, my Q is only .9 and the M is still high at level 3.

Then I lost with AJ vs. AQ. Did not play it well. No I have to get in there and double up. Still no panic though.

Then I flop TP and bet it, but on the turn, my lone caller goes all-in when the Ace falls. Bluff or not, its hard to make that call at PP. All-in usually means greed. Nice place to bluff though. Never be the caller with only a pair. I am now in trouble at a Q of .5. I retrospect, I should have called this in this type of tournament based on the M and Q I was left with. I got too used to playing the PP cash games.

I fold the hammer… oh the embarrassment. Wife has a Q > 1 right now.

Very cold deck and now my M is about 10. I fold 52o. Table move. Break. Wife Q of 1.5 First hand after break? T5o

Now I sit here desperate after laughing at the players. Ugh. Tried to make a move and ran into QQ. On life support, yet still fold A3o when the next hand is BB. I get 85o and then 72o. I have one rotation left…

96o, A6o… my least favorite hand, but here it seems appropriate… I can’t outdraw J7o and I am out. 104th. The wife is still going strong with a Q of 2!!

UPDATE: I thought she was going to be out after her KK ran into AA, but she worked it back up!!!

UPDATE UPDATE: she finished in the money. Ironic considering she got her ass handed to her in her first cash game today. Lost $40 of her $50 stake. She was very distraught. Wife’s winnings for the $1 tournament? $1.74
But it meant much more to her than that.