Some respectability

I brought a little respectability back last night, but not too much ...

I like to warm-up by playing a few $1 tournaments to get my head in the right space before moving on to the $2 and $3 games. This started things off well last night when I won one out of the four I played. Another two I got close to cashing in so it was a bit of a confidence shot considering how bad I've been doing for the last few days. I went in to heads up facing a sizable chip deficit which I'm used to by now. I got rubbish cards early and just folded but I had to take a stand and did so with ace ten off when he had raised from the small blind. He turned over king 6 suited and I caught an ace on the river to take down a good size pot. I now had the lead and we both got it in again, me with ace 8 off and him with ace 7 off. I turned a straight and it was over.

After grabbing some sushi with friends, I came back and fired up the normal games. It didn't start well as I got knocked out very early in my first 4 of the $3 45 mans. I cashed in my 2nd attempt of the night in the $2 180 games but was disappointed not to have made the final table. I had a good stack for much of the tournament but lost a decent pot when I rivered two pair but it gave someone else a flush. I was out shortly after that in 13th.

Shortly after that I got a 4th in a 45 man. Again, disappointed to not have gone further as I had a good stack throughout the late stages. I failed to raise with an ace in the small blind when everyone else had folded. I flopped middle pair, he flopped the nuts with junk cards and I bet on the flop and turn before giving it up. That crippled my stack and I pushed with pocket 4's in the small blind, he didn't need much more to call and did so with 3 9 off and of course turned the 9 to send me packing.

Most frustrating was to end the night with a bubble in a 45 man. I think I folded every hand on the final table just waiting for some players to knock themselves out but unfortunately people who pushed with average hands ended up winning and surviving. I was annoyed the big-stacks were so tight but probably more annoyed at myself for not pushing and stealing a blind that would've got me in the money.

So all-up another losing night cashing in just 3 of 18 tournaments. Bankroll is sitting around $500.