Unreal!

Why do the $5 SNGs at FTP laugh in my face?? I was cruising along pretty well in one thanks to pocket kings holding up against 77. I went on a dry run, then picked up a few hands and built back up pretty well. At this point I get 6 J off, and call a min-raise in the big blind. The flop comes J-high, and I fire a pot-sized bet. The preflop raiser calls real slow, so I've got a pretty good feeling that he's currently beat, and the other guy calls all-in for less. The turn is a Q and I put it all-in, and the preflop raiser calls and shows KQ. So he had drawn out on me and never should've been in there after my flop bet. The all-in for less had hit trips 9s on the flop, so I wouldn't even have taken the pot, but why doesn't anyone know how to play poker?!

The next hand I pick up AK and w/blinds at 50/100, I make it 500 to go from the small. Fresh off his triple-up, set of 9s dude calls me. The flop misses me, but comes paired, and this guy stuck out as a terrible player from the beginning, so I go all-in because I'm feeling pretty strongly that I have him dominated. He calls, and shows pocket 3s! So I'm racing, which I'm OK with, and as it were, the turn puts 6s and 4s on the board, and puts me in a massive lead. But what's the river?? You know its one of the last two 3s.

This guy was the guy w/7s that I beat with my kings. I over-raised them to like 5x the BB because I was scared, and he calls there. Luckily I held up. Then he calls a raise w/99 and hits trips. Then he calls another 5x BB raise w/33 and beats my AK w/a miracle card on the river. Aside from the fact that we were racing the whole way, why does a dickwad like that that is madly in love with pocket pairs get to live on, and I'm now on the rail??

So I hopped in another one, and I'm already way down after calling a min-raise in the big and hitting top pair on the flop and running into aces. Looks like I'll be down to $10.50 here in just a matter of time, with 6 consecutive non-cashes.

I wish I could just jump in at like $5/$10 and the parallel tournament level, where people know how to play poker and I can know where I'm at more than half the time. How can this kind of ridiculous terrible play repeatedly beat me and destroy my tiny bankroll over and over?? I should be cashing like crazy on these re-res, but instead, they put on a suckout clinic whenever they're in a hand with WindBreak247. Its really depressing.

Update: After busting out of the SNG I was in when I pushed w/A6h and lost to AJd, I naturally hopped in another one because I'm a glutton for punishment. With blinds at 25/50, I get K9 in the BB. There's 3 of us to the flop, and it comes AK9. I go ahead and bet 100, and get called, and raised to 200, and I call and so does the other player. The turn is a blank, and I check this time. I'm losing here to AA, KK, AK, A9, or 99, and the preflop raise by the player tells me he's at least got an ace. I'm very very afraid of A9 because of the lack of a preflop raise, but I was mentally pot committed and there was no turning back at this point. The two pair curse is half physical and half mental. I think the other player has an A as well, but not a very good kicker. Anyway, after I check the turn and the weak player next to me checks, the third guy bets 560 into an $800 pot. I call quickly, and the weak player calls very slowly. The river is another blank, I check again, weak checks, and strong player puts all but $5 in. I re-raise all-in, and weak player drops. Sure enough, the strong guy's got A9. So, my reading ability is there because I knew right where he was at, but I guess I need to be able to get away from that hand. He obviously played it exactly like you need to play A9, but for all I know I'm up against some idiot w/A10, A8, or something like that who is in love with a pair of aces and an average kicker. I dunno...I guess I need to get away from it, but I'm so freakin screwed up up on these tables I'd have hated to have him dominated there and not cash in. I guess still alive is better than blogging about your sob story beat.

Anyway, I just proceeded to bust out of that tournament when my AQ off ran into AA and a flopped flush. So here I am again, staring down the barrel of a $5 bankroll at FTP and relegated to the $1.25, 45 person tournaments. I guess the good news is that I get to play 4 of 'em, and hopefully with them playing as a mini-MTT as opposed to a SNG (which I obviously suck at), maybe I've got a shot.

Until tomorrow...

Originally Posted 8/20/2006