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.

UB $530. I was chip leader going into the final table.

Hand #44016431-20 at Sun830pm75K-Final (No Limit tournament Hold'em)
Started at 02/Jul/07 00:24:37

ehendrick is at seat 0 with 16530.
BeL0WaB0Ve is at seat 1 with 32935.
Legiao is at seat 3 with 21245.
jack 9 is at seat 4 with 15785.
spiker123 is at seat 5 with 32560.
Kingdan23 is at seat 6 with 56090.
NoraFlum is at seat 7 with 15860.
ungarprodg is at seat 8 with 49780.
Tony Pisser is at seat 9 with 61715.
The button is at seat 8.

ehendrick posts ante (150).
BeL0WaB0Ve posts ante (150).
Legiao posts ante (150).
jack 9 posts ante (150).
spiker123 posts ante (150).
Kingdan23 posts ante (150).
NoraFlum posts ante (150).
ungarprodg posts ante (150).
Tony Pisser posts ante (150).
ehendrick posts the small blind of 800.
BeL0WaB0Ve posts the big blind of 1600.

ehendrick: -- --
BeL0WaB0Ve: -- --
Legiao: -- --
jack 9: -- --
spiker123: -- --
Kingdan23: -- --
NoraFlum: -- --
ungarprodg: -- --
Tony Pisser: 9s 9h

Pre-flop:

Legiao folds. jack 9 folds. spiker123 folds.
Kingdan23 folds. NoraFlum folds. ungarprodg folds.
Tony Pisser raises to 4100. ehendrick folds.
BeL0WaB0Ve calls.

Flop (board: 3h Qc 9c):

BeL0WaB0Ve checks. Tony Pisser bets 4800.
BeL0WaB0Ve calls.

Turn (board: 3h Qc 9c 7c):

BeL0WaB0Ve checks. Tony Pisser bets 9000.
BeL0WaB0Ve goes all-in for 23885. Tony Pisser calls.


Tournament all-in showdown -- players show:

BeL0WaB0Ve shows Ac 7d.
Tony Pisser shows 9s 9h.


River (board: 3h Qc 9c 7c 2c):

(no action in this round)




Showdown:

BeL0WaB0Ve has Ac Qc 9c 7c 2c: flush, ace high.
Tony Pisser has 9s 9h Qc 9c 7c: three nines.


Hand #44016431-20 Summary:

No rake is taken for this hand.
BeL0WaB0Ve wins 67720 with flush, ace high.

I finished 7th for about $17,000 less than first paid. That might have gotten me unstuck for Vegas.

Just another example. I've never been through a stretch this long where I felt I was playing really well and just not having any reults to show for it.

So today's story...

...after getting into the $1500 NL as an alternate and waiting two hours to be seated, I get crippled early when I run 44 into AA in a huge pot. After coming back to an 8x stack, I lose AKs to AQo AIPF.

-I lose most of my stack in the UB $129 bounty tournament with KK to JJ.

-I spend $1400 in the Stars $109r, because I get all in with AK vs 88, AQ vs 99, and 88 vs 99 all in the first hour, and then lose AK to JJ in the 2nd hour.

-I run AT into AJ in the blinds in the FTP $163. Then after I come back I lose AQ to JJ.

It's at the point where I completely expect that I will lose any time I am all in and the cards are turned over. I no longer look forward to races because I've won something like one of them in the last month. Yeah, one. I'm not kidding.

Maybe I'll write about some interesting hands later, but this is just weighing too heavily on me right now. I don't even want to think about poker.