2008: The Year Of The Fish

Bahhhh... That's all I can say. Trying to build up my bank roll, playing in multi-table tournaments on Full Tilt, my last few outings, I've played solid. But being a middle of the pack stack going late into tournaments, you've gotta take chances here and there, and hope luck is on your side. Well, my last 3 tournaments that I've got into a money finish, I missed the big money because I can't seem to win a friggin' tossup. One tossup to lose a good portion of my stack, then another one to knock me out. Gross.

In the last 3, I've had 6 tossups late in those tournaments and lost ALL of them!!!! When is the other side of the coin gonna hit?!? A few times, I was the lower pair vs 2 higher cards, and the other times I was the higher cards that couldn't hit on a pair... AND to add insult to injury, my last tossup, I had A-J versus 8-8, I FINALLY get the ace to drop, and he rivers me with an 8 on the river.

Oh, and in the only other tournament I went in, an $8.80 multi-table tournament, I couldn't hit a hand against loose agressive players, then put in a big all-in raise with top-pair after 4th street, and the big stack calls me and hits on his flush draw on the river. Brutal... Totally bad poker play on his part, which he admitted to. That's poker (sigh)

And the bank roll drops to $14.05.

I guess all I can do is hope the universe will even itself out at some point and the percentages will eventually tip in my favor. Adios 2008, here's hoping for better luck in 2009.

WELCOME TO BAD BEAT CITY: Population: Me

Although I haven't managed to place in a Hubble Free Roll yet, I decided to try my luck in some of the cheapy buy-in tournaments on Pokerstars.com. I entered a $1.10 buy-in tournament and was playing quite conservatively. No decent cards are coming my way so I decide to splash the pot a little bit. Rookie mistake. Discipline, U-E discipline! I come out of it with about half my stack, but manage to get some decent wins afterward to get up to starting stack size of 1500... Unfortunately by then, the average stack is about 5000 and the blinds are comin' up on me like a bat outta hell!

So finally, being dealt K-K, I decide to take my shot, short stack vs. short stack (the other dude has me covered ever so slightly). I'm all-in, we show down our cards and I see he's got J-6. And that's when the "That's Poker" gods took over:

Flop: T J A
4th: 3
River: 6

He beats me with 2-pair.

Ouch. Not impressed.

After that horrible defeat, I entered a 50 cent buy-in tournament and placed, scoring 96 cents!!!! Probably could've done better, I was on fire early, but made one huge mistake, calling a dude when I had 2-pair with a straight draw on the board. He did end up having the straight and I lost half my stack. Oh well, live and learn. But on the positive side, progress has been made!