Decent Score

Tonight was a strange very strange night of poker.

It started off with one of those evenings when nothing whatsoever was happening. No double ups, no pocket pairs, no str8, no flushes...nothing.

On a full ring it is mighty hard to do much when nothing hits...either bluff a lot (which I do only sporadically) or watch yr roll dwindle.

I was three-tabling at Bodog, both $25 and $50 tables and can't remember the number of times I was forced to top up. I was pleased to be just $50 down.

At 8pm, I saw a tourney with a decentish overlay and decided to have a go. It was a $7 + 70c, $1,500 guaranteed. There were only 188 entrants so there was a $230 bonus put in by Bodog.

I played with two other cash tables open and played ABC poker to start with. I doubled early with Qs, then went back to even with Qs again against a short-stacked 9s.

I didn't get Aces once but hit TPTK to bust an aggressive foe, and kept busted smallstacks when I had them dominated. I remembered I could play tournies last Sat in the Pokerstars $10 run, and this time I made it count.

I busted a similar size stack with 10 8s, flopping two pr to my foes A10 TPTK and I was suddenly 2nd biggest stack with three tables left. It then went a bit wrong as I got too aggressive and got caught twice raising pre with 72o and a5s. Had to fold to pushes and I was suddenly back in the pack.

However, every time the chips went in I was favourite and luckily they were standing up.

One from the final table I had my first HUGE stroke of luck. Five left on my table and I'm third biggest, I rose in MP with 5s, my foe in the BB who I knew was aggressive, re-raised. It was either push or fold, I push, he calls with the powerhouse hand of 10 7s. A ten on the flop and I am suddenly small stack, a flush draw on the turn for him before a nice 2-outer 5 on the river.

So nice when it happens to me for a change.

The final table was very slow going and was being dominated by one very, very large stack who was raising pre every third hand.

My miracle 5 had put my back into the top five, with roughly the same size stacks as 2nd through 5th. I then went v v card dead and folded, folded, folded.

With seven left I had a premonition that i would make it to the last four against the three most aggressive foes.

I then had my second big break. I call a minimum raise from the BB with A7clubs. Four see the flop which is a beauty J63 two clubs. The SB (who just has me covered) immediately pushes, I call, two folds and he turns over j7 for top pair. Turn blank, river Ace for another big pot.

Soon we were four-handed, then three-handed and again the big stack, who had had a roller coaster ride but was still being very aggressive.

It was tight but I went card dead again and busted out with A5o v JKo, J on flop and IGHN.

The prize was $175, my first three figure win for some time and profit for the night.

More of the same please...but I'm gonna keep playing at least one tourney while playing cash from now on.