Res Ipsa Poker

There is not much skill to these BBT3 tournies, unless you count patience as a skill. I’m still trying to figure out the right frequency for stealing when the blinds get huge. Of course there is always the chance of running into a big hand end bringing things to a crashing halt. Unless of course you can master the art of the suck out. I haven’t won a lot of tournies, but the events where I have done well have always included winning two or three hands where I was [a] dog.

-- biggestron

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Things are getting a little better. Still not good, but better. I haven't mastered the art of the suckout, but I have been winning some of my coin flips. That by itself makes a huge difference.

Still, I got completely owned (er, I mean pwn3d) by Tuscaloosa Johnny in last night's pot limit hold'em edition of the Riverchasers. He read me like a book. Let me set it up for you.

We're better than two hours in, about 35 players left. I just chipped up to a hair over 10,000 and into 6th place after busting a guy. I drop about 1500 trying to pick off a shorty who ends up having KK, so I'm at about 8500 chips. Blinds are in the 300/600 range.

I get a decent hand in middle position. I don't remember exactly what it was, but it would have been AJo, AQo, KQs, KJs or QJs. I raise. Johnny is a couple players behind me, I think on the button (otherwise in the blinds). He re-raises. I fold, not wanting to commit more than half my stack preflop with a potentially dominated hand, coinflip at best. (I think it was QJs).

Next orbit. Same scenario. Exactly the same. I have a marginal hand - which as it turns out I should not have raised duh - and wish to steal. TJ squeezes, I grumble and dump it. I am too loose and then too tight.

A couple orbits later, I'm hanging on with just under 4000 chips. The blinds continue to go up and my M is at about 4. I fold and I fold and I fold. Junk. I need a hand.

I get one. KK. Middle position again. I try to mimic my previous actions exactly. I raise.

Right on cue, Johnny reraises.

How about that, I got action on a monster.

I'm thrilled to jam in the rest of my stack.

Okay ... not so much when he flips over AA. Of course.

No help and I'm out. Not a bad beat - there were certainly a lot of those, but not this time. Definitely a setup. I wait and wait and wait for a decent hand and I run it right into freaking aces. Jeez. I think this is a terrific time to go off on vacation.