Sometimes, it's not your night

Sixteen runners showed up for the weekly Tuckfard Open. I couldn't get anything going, so I just tried to survive. When the blinds were 40/80, I had drifted down to 1035. Heroneus raised to 240 and I was happy to see ♠A ♥A. Would you slow play, raise or just go ahead and move in? There is no right or wrong way, I think. I raised to 600, an amount I thought he might call. We can get the rest of it in on a later street. This folded back to the villain, and he moved all in! Sweet, or at least I thought so. Then his hand was revealed: ♦A ♣A! It's not over -- four cards to a flush could come, but, no, we split the pot.

Then, when the blinds were 50/100, I held ♥Q ♥J on the button. Everyone folded to me and I raised to 200. Armon407 called from the small blind. He had abused me all night; I hoped it was my turn. The flop was ♠Q ♦3 ♣5 -- perfect! Arman checked and I bet 200. After some thought, he called. The turn was the ♠3. Arman checked and I had 605 left and moved all in. Arman called and turned over ♠K ♠J for a flush draw (or a king), but the river was the ♣6 to move my stack up to 2110.

I folded two more hands and then picked up ♠K ♠10 and limped in for 100. Bambam was short-stacked with 585 and moved all in. It folded back to me and I called. There was 845 already out there (counting the blinds) and it cost me 485 more. Bambam's range is fairly wide because of his stack size, and, sure enough, he showed ♥8 ♥7. The flop was nothing to help either of us. The turn was the ♣8, unfortunately, and I didn't improve.

I was able to chip up a little bit. I had AQ and raised and everyone folded. I had a couple of other hands that I was able to win the blinds. When the stakes were 100/200, I had 2905. I was the big blind and had ♠7 ♦7. Shockerkitten had 1125 and raised to 400. Heroneus called and everyone else folded to me. I went ahead and moved all in. If Heroneus had a hand stronger than mine, he would have raised. I was willing to play against SK. He thought for a few seconds and called. His hand was: ♠A ♠3. I was roughly 66% to win. The flop was: ♥K ♥10 ♣5. Good, no help for him. The turn was the ♣9, sweet. I was then 93% favorite, but the river was the ♦A!

That was an ouch. Instead of having a comfortable stack of 4630, I was down to 1780, and the blinds weren't getting any lower. When they were 100/200, my stack was 1380. RedneckTuckfard raised to 600 and I moved in with ♥A ♥8. Everyone else got out of the way and she called and showed ♥K ♣K. I turned an 8, and that gave me two more outs, but not tonight -- nh, gg, GL all.

I stuck around and watched. It came down to arman407 and Heroneus. On the last hand, they were both all in and arman407 had Heroneus covered, but barely. He had AA and Heroneus had KQ which didn't improve. So, congratulations to arman407. Also, to Heroneus for second and SuzyQ500 for third.