They say, that when you fall off of the horse, that you should get right back on and try again. That's what they say. And what they say is sage advice.
This evening, in an attempt to drive away a hard core case of the blues, I played in 4 tournaments. One multi and 3 SnGs. The multi I will recommend to anyone wanting the experience of a freeroll with a wide mix of experience at your table. Mostly in-experience, mind you, however this freeroll has daily rounds until November 20th and has a prizepool which could land you on an episode of Celebrity Poker Showdown if you win the whole avocado. Head over to Bravotv.com for the details. Caveat - it's flash based and clunky. But it's free.
I busted out of that one fairly early when I overplayed my AK. I then went over to Stars, about that time Heather buzzed for a group chat - my apologies for declining - I wasn't fit for company this evening, I would not have been an asset to the chat. Instead I found a $20 SnG and (oh I hate to say it 'cause I really despise the term but there's no other way to put it) donked my way out of it in last place.
I steamed over to another $20 SnG - I'll keep this one short - I bubbled. Well, with my attutude further soured, I considered shutting down for the night. I wouldn't say I was on tilt. Certainly I was steaming - more of a doggone it steam rather than a godammit steam, though. I considered another $20 SnG but then reconsidered. I decided to ramp it up a bit, and went for a $50 SnG instead.
This one took a while. The table was cautious and tight. I played patiently - something I've tried to make a habit when playing SnGs - be patient in the first rounds and avoid situations where I'm facing a decision with marginal holdings. I took down the first 3 pots which gave me some room to be extra patient - that's always good.
About midway through, though, and down to 7 players I bled some of that back - bringing me to shortstack, less than 10X the BB. I stole a couple of blinds and a couple of pots in there that brought me back up - but I was still vulnerable. Meanwhile a couple of the other stacks found themselves in push or fold mode and the table dwindled to four in short shrift. I was third in chips at this point. I then managed to double up when my KK held up against 55.
The four of us danced with each other a while more and then the shortstack was gone. We were now three - and I was the shortstack now. I shifted gears and started putting the pressure on when I had the button. In the blink of an eye, one opponent was gone and we were now two. My sole opponent had better than a two to one chip lead on me, but I didn't let that intimidate me. I pressed hard. I was getting good cards for heads up, for the most part. I did indulge one flagrant steal attempt with the hammer - but he came back over the top and I had to believe him. I let it go.
I doubled up on him in a hand where I had him dominated. I gave a big chunk of it back a couple of hands later. The last hand we had a showdown of QT-suited (me) vs. J8-off. He called the BB and I raised to 700 (blinds were 100/200 + 25 ante). He cold called the raise. Flop came Jh 6s Th. I bet out 700 and he pushed. Here's where I made a bad decision - I called. I was more than 50% positive he'd hit the jack. But I was looking at my paired ten, heard the siren's song and could not resist.
The poker gods were forgiving, though, and gifted me a ten on the river. I'm happy with the win - but I've given myself a sharp slap on the wrist for that call. None-the-less, the win lifted my spirits, not to mention bolstered my Stars bankroll.
I ended up having a nice ride on that cranky ol' horse. I just kept getting back on and we eventually came to an understanding. In the larger picture of life, too, that's important for me to remember - keep on getting back up when I'm knocked on my butt.
I hope y'all have a nice week.
