Played the Bounty Brawl tonight. Started out slow. Didn’t get much cards. There was a lot of shoving around at my first table, but it quieted down fairly quickly. But the survivors all had big stacks that dominated me, and the rest of the table filled in with fresh meat, so I had a hard time of it.
From there, I do OK, and then get rebalanced to a new table, where I do even better for a while. I’m still not getting great cards, but occasionally I get some cards I can play, and steal blinds some, win a pot here and there. Big pot on Broadway.
https://www.replaypoker.com/hand/replay/479088150
Then I lose some hands and am setback about to where I started. I get playable cards, open raise, get called, miss the flop, it’s not a good place to bluff, and I bleed chips. Losing with hands like AT, KT, AJ, AQ, AK, and folding a lot of nothing hands. My mood is that I’m not doing well, but I’m right in the middle of the leaderboard, folding well and winning one big pot, and apart with the bad luck with the painted cards, and I’m not losing huge hands there, that’s just fine. Eventually one of these will hit for me and make back more than what I lost. And maybe it wouldn’t hurt to raise a bit more with these hands and steal the blinds some.
Then I manage to take a big pot with trip Queens, and after that I’m actually close to the top of the leaderboard.
https://www.replaypoker.com/hand/replay/479088836
When I notice this, I chill out and I’m fine. This is just a patience test and I’m passing as long as I don’t put pressure on myself to get into a hand, win chips, and knock players out.
I lose a couple hands, but nothing big, and I’m still in the top ten.
Then the 1-hour mark comes, and we take our break. When play resumes, I’m dealt 74o in the BB, and I’m thinking well I’ll just fold here. The big stack at the table limps, and the SB calls, and I misread and think the big stack raised, so I fold to no actual pressure, then the flop comes and would have given me a straight, 3-7. The betting on this board gets intense and if I’d just limped to the flop I could have taken a huge pot, destroyed the big stack, and knocked out one of the other players.
https://www.replaypoker.com/hand/replay/479094709
A short time later, I get AKo, and raise up 3BB, which at this point is 2400 chips. I’m the big stack, and called by the 2nd big stack, the flop misses, and it’s a dry flop, 864 rainbow; he checks, I bet to try to close the hand, and he comes over the top and jams me; I can’t call, and have to fold. No idea what he had, may have been a bluff for all I know, or could have had a pocket pair, maybe even hit a set.
https://www.replaypoker.com/hand/replay/479092545
A few hands after that, I fold Q3 from middle position, thinking it’s not a good place to try to play that. I think someone raised to 2BB, or maybe everyone limped, I don’t really remember. What I do remember was the flop giving my dead hand trip Queens, and then improving to quad Queens on the Turn just in case I still wasn’t confident in my kicker. Again, the betting is ridiculous (especially for a three of a kind board that hit no one else!) and I could have cleaned up here.
https://www.replaypoker.com/hand/replay/479097149
Not long after that, I’m dealt A4s, decide to play it, flop 433. The turn is a 5, and I’m hoping for maybe a Wheel straight, and that my opponent doesn’t have a 3. It’s the big stack again, and the river is a brick. He bets to put me all in, I obligingly call, and he’s got 53 for a full house.
https://www.replaypoker.com/hand/replay/479097435
Worst of all, I’m out 16th, and the first 15 places are getting money in this one, so I’m out one before the bubble, where I’d had a very healthy stack and was in the top ten before I busted, and had missed several opportunities that would have made me #1 on the leaderboard by a large margin. I managed to knock out all of one player in this tournament, so got back a paltry single bounty for my troubles.
I’m not emotional about this, it’s just sometimes you screw up and make moves you didn’t mean to make because you misread or aren’t paying close enough attention or hit the wrong button accidentally. It happens. I guess mentally I’m not all here tonight, and it’s good I only played in two games.