Life and Times of a Poker Addict

Okay, I normally don't double post, but seeing as how I stayed up all damn night to get this accomplished... I felt it worthy of a second post for April 16. Hell, if things go wonderfully, this might end up a three post day.

In any event, got home from downtown around 2:25am and signed on to Full Tilt. Registered for a $14+1 satellite for this evening's $50K/Piece of the Pro tournament and waited. And waited. And waited. Watched a movie. Checked back; still waiting. Played a pot-limit Omaha tournament, got a final table, still waiting. Finally at 8:01 am I was joined by the requisite nine players.

Let me preface some of these tournament highlights by saying all my poker luck was reversed in this one SNG, because I did some of the most awful sucking out I have ever done.

Hand #3, I'm in the small blind with 63 diamonds with a minimum raise from under the gun, no callers until me and the big blind folds. Flop comes A95, one diamond. I'm first to act, so I figure what the hell, I'll represent it, and I lead out for a pot sized bet of $150. UTG calls and the turn is a K of diamonds. I lead out for a pot sized bet of $450 and UTG calls me again, bringing a third diamond on fifth street. I put him all-in for his last 300 chips and he calls... turning up A10 hearts.

[Quick analysis of what I think is a pretty retarded play by him; as he leaves the room calling me gay. I called your raise... I led out at the Ace high pot... I was still betting when the diamonds came on the board... in no universe should you have felt that your A10 was good. Thanks for playing... sorry for sucking out. But not really.]

About three hands later I fold to a raise and a reraise... then a reraise all-in and the other two call. Turn the cards over and it was Jacks, Queens and Kings. Jack high flop, Queen on the turn, King on the river. I can't even make that shit up. Insanity. Someone else said they folded pocket nines, I folded KJ, so two of them hit their case cards. I've seen some good ones but this one might take the cake.

So in the first six hands half the table is gone and things slow down for a little while. I sucked out again on a hand I can't remember to get us down to three handed play. I have a 8500-3000-3000 chip lead when we start. I eventually work that to 9500-2500-1500 and then I go on a simply ridiculous run of cards. Aces, sevens, eights, KJs, AJs, Aces, deuces, Ace-eight suited. All in the span of about twelve hands. Did I get a single call? Negative, ghost rider.

So I get A2 clubs in the small blind and complete the bet, Big Blind checks and the flop is J93 with two spades. I check and the BB leads out for about half his stack (he was the short stack at 1500 or so). I thought about it for a while but decided that he would have raised a hand with a Jack preflop, so I figured he was on a spade draw and that my Ace was probably good. I reraise him all-in and he happily calls with J10 of clubs. Ouchy. Turn a four and river the five, completing the Wheel and he's out. This blogger would like that player to know that he does feel genuinely bad about that suckout. That was pretty rough, would definitely rank in the soul-sucking category.

So I start heads up play with an 11,000-2500 chip lead. This is the fourth time I've gotten heads up in this satellite with a better than 2-1 chip lead. I've finished second every other time. I decide to play somewhat tighter than I usually do heads up and let the blinds catch up a bit so I can have pressure on my opponent from both sides. Work him down to about 1100 chips when I get AQ clubs, I raise 3x his big blind which he reraises what I thought was all-in. He had min raised which left him 10 chips. Flop is 466, and I lead out for his 10, he calls and shows J2 offsuit. Brick on the turn. This is the part of the story where you expect me to tell you how I closed him out.

Au contraire, bon jour. Jack on the river.

MOTHER OF GOD, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

11,000-2500 again.

Next hand I get 10 9 hearts, raise him 3x the big blind, he reraises all-in, another 900 or so to me. My "TILT" light is definitely on and I make a rather loose call into his K9, he hits his King and now it's 9400-5100.

This can't possibly be happening to me. Again. For the fourth time in twenty four hours.

AJ. Jack high flop. He goes all-in, I call. He had J 10.

ROSSI WINS! ROSSI WINS!

As cool as the other side of the pillow, baby... no worries here...