For the past two weeks, I’ve been too busy to play as many games as I had been for most of the last year. It happens.
I’ve also been running pretty poorly, so in the process I’ve lost about 1.2M chips, and it’s soured my mood considerably. “It’s only a game.” Sure.
I won a SNG last night, for the first time in about 2 weeks. Last week, I don’t think I even moneyed once, the week before I did, but didn’t win a single table. Horrendous. Been running fairly good in league play though.
This game, though, I freaking earned.
Here’s the last hand of 3-handed play, where I eliminated the #3 finisher:
From there, the HU contest goes on for EVER. Ten pages worth of hand history, at 10 hands per page, so roughly 100 hands of HU to decide this one.
Most of it was preflop folding, but it was a dance. We were both playing very tight, looking for a chance to make a big play. I started out the underdog, stacks about 17:9, me with the small pile.
First comeback, a flush draw that failed, but came out OK. Opponent called with a straight draw, I rivered top pair, but I had High Card either way:
@Barredapollo took me twice in back to back hands for 4800 chips apiece, leaving me reeling on the ropes, and I thought I was nearly out, and when I made my 2nd comeback on KQ, hitting a full house, beating a flush.
Hand #529869287 · Replay Poker ← I had AQ, 66J flop, K turn, I can’t call a pot-size bet with 1 card to go to see if I can hit Broadway. Felt pot-committed, but laid it down.
Hand #529869366 · Replay Poker ← A6o, I pair the 6 on the flop, too many overcards, not able to call the shove, drop another 4800 chips
Hand #529869497 · Replay Poker ← This hand was SIIIICK. KQs, I shove, he calls, flop 9KQ, for 2 pair, but he flipped up JT and has a STRAIGHT. Turn another King to give me a boat, which rescues me. River is a 3rd Spade, giving him a Flush, but it can’t catch up to my boat. What a hand!
It had ups and downs, I think I had to make 3 comebacks before I managed to get the win.
Barredapollo comes back with a couple of huge hands where he hits a full house and a flush, back to back, to get nearly all the chips away from me.
Hand #529870047 · Replay Poker ← 77 vs K2, flop 272, I think I have the better of it, and am surprised by the pocket 7s. Oh no!!
Hand #529870252 · Replay Poker ← I try semi-bluffing a pair of 2s with a flush draw, and miss, while barredapollo hits his flush draw, on two higher cards. I was outclassed the whole way here.
All my hard work, and my luck, and this is how it ends? Not yet…
The final turn coming on a king high club flush I hit on the river, with the 3 of clubs in my hand, and went all-in. This play should not have worked, but I was super lucky my opponent didn’t have a club. I had seen 93 about 3 or 4 times too many in this HU exchange, and when it came again, I complained that if I saw it one more time, I was going to shove it. Little did I know that I would be doing so THIS HAND, when the river 9 filled my 2nd worst club flush. I had all but told my opponent my hand, and he’s holding 94, probably thinking he’s good to call my 93 as a result. I go all in hoping he has no club to beat my flush, and fortunately it goes my way. This was such a dumb play on my part, but it worked.
It was all over the hand after that. QJs, I raise, he shoves, I call, he misses the board, I hit top pair Queens. One more spade and he’d have made a flush, but that’s the game. I realize QJ isn’t the best hand to call a shove with, and I was lucky to hit while he missed with K3s. Ugly, but a win is a win.