OK, this one isn't exactly like a huge beat, except that i can't get there on the river:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t150 (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

saw flop|saw showdown

SB (t4033)
BB (t1122)
UTG (t5351)
MP (t2085)
Hero (t8208)

Preflop: Hero is Button with K, J.
2 folds, Hero raises to t400, 1 fold, BB raises to t1122, Hero calls t722.

Flop: (t2319) 5, T, 8 (2 players)

Turn: (t2319) Q (2 players)

River: (t2319) 6 (2 players)

Final Pot: t2319

Results in white below:
BB has 9h Qc (one pair, queens).
Hero has Kc Jc (high card, king).
Outcome: BB wins t2319.

Which is followed up by this hand, two hands later, against the same guy:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t150 (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

saw flop|saw showdown

MP (t4183)
Button (t2244)
SB (t5201)
BB (t2085)
Hero (t7086)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with J, J.
Hero raises to t400, 1 fold, Button raises to t2244, 2 folds, Hero calls t1844.

Flop: (t4713) K, 5, T (2 players)

Turn: (t4713) A (2 players)

River: (t4713) 3 (2 players)

Final Pot: t4713

Results in white below:
Hero has Jc Jd (one pair, jacks).
Button has 3s 3h (three of a kind, threes).
Outcome: Button wins t4713.

This summer has led me to one conclusion: tournaments are stupid.

Full Tilt Poker Game #2870798131: $55 000 Guarantee (21385599) Table 27 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:20:37 ET - 2025/07/06
Seat 1: Dungz (2 600)
Seat 2: Tony Pisser (1 175)
Seat 3: Shady Marlin (2 840)
Seat 4: potroast (2 900) is sitting out
Seat 5: AcesCrshMshin (3 765)
Seat 6: Randomizer2 (2 580)
Seat 7: anjlewis (2 950) is sitting out
Seat 8: MountainJay (5 205)
Seat 9: TheAssassinato (2 985)
AcesCrshMshin posts the small blind of 15
Randomizer2 posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #4

Holecards:
Dealt to Tony Pisser AJ
anjlewis folds
MountainJay folds
TheAssassinato folds
Dungz calls 30
Tony Pisser raises to 120
Shady Marlin folds
potroast folds
AcesCrshMshin folds
Randomizer2 folds
Dungz calls 90

Flop:
742
Dungz has 15 seconds left to act
Dungz bets 240
Tony Pisser raises to 1 055 and is all in
Dungz calls 815
Tony Pisser shows AJ
Dungz shows J4

Turn :
2

River:
4
Tony Pisser shows two pair Fours and Twos
Dungz shows a full house Fours full of Twos
Dungz wins the pot (2 395) with a full house Fours full of Twos
Tony Pisser stands up

SUMMARY:
Total pot 2 395 | Rake 0
Board:
74224

Seat 1: Dungz showed J4 and won (2 395) with a full house Fours full of Twos
Seat 2: Tony Pisser showed AJ and lost with two pair Fours and Twos
Seat 3: Shady Marlin didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: potroast (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: AcesCrshMshin (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Randomizer2 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: anjlewis didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: MountainJay didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: TheAssassinato didn't bet (folded)

Another at this ugliness on PokerHand.org

Didn't make it far in the Stars $320 though I had some wild swings early on. Tripled up with a straight draw in a 3-way pot, then couldn't get AQ to hold over AT on an ace-high flop in a reraised pot. Then won with pair + flush draw over TPTK, then drifted down for an hour or so until I lost 33 to TT on a 652 flop.

I finished 2nd in the FTP 6-max $109 rebuy, though. Spent a lot early but it was worth it because I was able to win occasional big pots after the rebuy period (and given the great structure the big pots were a whole lot more BB than usual). So I got a big stack and was able to crush my way through right up until the final table bubble, where things fell apart a bit. I backslid a ways to become a short stack with 5 people left but doubled up twice and finished second in the end. Kinda disappointed with not winning an event, but it was a nice score all the same.

More later. Probably no live poker until the main event.

It occurs to me that I don't blog enough. This is a problem not just because it deprives you, the reader, of many interesting hands and stories (not just about poker, but the life of a player), but it also means I have a hard time shaking the rust off my writerly ambitions. Writers write, amirite?

So I'm going to try to hold myself to writing something every day, even if it's a relatively mundane day. At least this way I can get back into the swing of things, and soon enough it will be no effort at all, and my talents will blossom and flourish with the expertise and craft of a Shakespeare, or Proust, if you will.

Anyway, today will be a relatively uneventful day-- I think I'm going to play some online tournaments for the first time since Sunday-- the Stars nightly is the $300 and Full Tilt now has their Wednesday $100 6-max rebuy, and I simply can't pass that up.

Here's how I got the chip lead going into the final table of the UB $530 last night. It's the final table bubble, and again, villian is BelowAbove.

Below's aggression is his signature, but it can be used against him. Observe:

Hand #44016452-260 at Sun830pm75K-001 (No Limit tournament Hold'em)
Started at 02/Jul/07 00:11:43

ehendrick is at seat 3 with 23855.
wza33 is at seat 5 with 3880.
Legiao is at seat 7 with 15565.
Tony Pisser is at seat 8 with 40965.
BeL0WaB0Ve is at seat 9 with 59925.
The button is at seat 8.

ehendrick posts ante (125).
wza33 posts ante (125).
Legiao posts ante (125).
Tony Pisser posts ante (125).
BeL0WaB0Ve posts ante (125).
ehendrick posts the small blind of 600.
wza33 posts the big blind of 1200.

ehendrick: -- --
wza33: -- --
Legiao: -- --
Tony Pisser: Ac As
BeL0WaB0Ve: -- --

Pre-flop:

Legiao folds. Tony Pisser raises to 3000.
BeL0WaB0Ve re-raises to 8000. ehendrick folds.
wza33 folds. Tony Pisser re-raises to 18000.
BeL0WaB0Ve goes all-in for 59800. Tony Pisser goes
all-in for 40840. BeL0WaB0Ve is returned 18960
(uncalled).

Tournament all-in showdown -- players show:

Tony Pisser shows Ac As.
BeL0WaB0Ve shows 9c 6h.


Flop (board: Kd Qh 2c):

(no action in this round)


Turn (board: Kd Qh 2c 9d):

(no action in this round)


River (board: Kd Qh 2c 9d 4s):

(no action in this round)




Showdown:

Tony Pisser has Ac As Kd Qh 9d: a pair of aces.
BeL0WaB0Ve has 9c 6h Kd Qh 9d: a pair of nines.


Hand #44016452-260 Summary:

No rake is taken for this hand.
Tony Pisser wins 84105 with a pair of aces.

I can elaborate more as needed, but the key idea is this: Below doesn't like to give up on any pots he think he can win. Knowing I know he's going to be trying to run over the bubble, my raise to 18,000 looks to him like I'm taking a stand vs. his aggression, but am still leaving myself a playable stack if he comes over the top and I fold. He would expect me with my legitimate hands to 4-bet all-in or maybe flat call something like AA/KK. The small reraise looks like the weakest play I can make, which is precisely my intention.