On the rise

I've put in a lot of hours on PokerStars over the last few days. I essentially played most of the weekend, just stopping on Saturday night to hang out with friends and have a few drinks. The plan was to get to the gym both days but that didn't end up happening.

The frustration for me was that despite all the hours I put in it was essentially a break-even session. I felt I was playing well but failed to get the wins that I should've or even top 3 finishes. I won a number of the Sunday Quarter Million satellites but the highlight was probably the deep run I had in $2 rebuy tournament.

There were 2250 runners and I finished 70th when I got it all-in with ace king against another players queens. I didn't mind the play because this player could have made the same move with a lot smaller hands. I would've loved to have gone even deeper because the final table money was substantial (compared to my bankroll).

It was annoying that I was cashing regularly but not finishing the job. As well as the usual $3 45 man games, I was also playing a few $2 180's and cashed a few of them but couldn't get on the final table. I finally got a win with the very final 45 tournament of the weekend which was nice considering the number of games I had played.

Last night tho things went a lot better for me winning another tournament within my first 4 games. I was then heads-up again just 3 games later but I didn't get the win against a superior opponent. I finished the night strongly cashing 4 of my last 5 games. I had a good stack in 2 of them and was unlucky to finish 4th in both of those. One of those was a $6 buy-in 45 man which I've been playing a couple of lately. I've had a 5th and a 4th as my best finishes in those so far. I think they are actually a little tougher than the $3 games but I don't think it'll be long before I get a win at that level. I'm getting deep often, bubbling a little too often but still cashing numerous times.

I think my game is improving and my aggression later in the tournament is paying dividends. I'm picking a few spots to pick up chips when I don't have a hand but realise that the other player can't call or won't have hit the board either. Its these situations that really make a difference and finding more opportunities like this to chip up will further improve my game.

Bankroll is now at US$530 and I'm working to quickly get it back over my high-point of $630 (back in August ... ugghh).