It's a toss up

Well after my 3rd yesterday I continued to pound away at the tournies.

First the good, I won a 180 man tourney, which was a great feeling as always. I really had to play my best game at the final table since this was a dog fight the whole way and there was never a clear favorite or a major chip leader.

Now the bad, I played two big tournies last night. The first was the Party Poker Friday Special tourney with a $200 buyin. I was playing a great first hour and had almost doubled my stack in the first 30 minutes. Then I lost a medium pot when my A9 ran into A5 and he hit a 5 on the turn for two pair on a Ace high flop. Then my QQ ran into ace rag and he spiked an ace on the flop and I was back down to about average for the tourney still up on my starting stack. Then I pick up KK on the CO and there's 3 limpers. I make it 7 times the BB and the guy in the SB repops it to 17xBB. I don't lay down KK preflop as too often people are on a worse hand and if I run into AA then I figure that's just unlucky and move on. That being said I go all in for a little more than 60xBB and he insta calls with AKo and hits an A on the turn. My horrible luck for the week continues.

My next big tourney was a $30 rebuy on Poker Stars. I ended up spending $180 total after my rebuys and addon. I had a decent stack after the rebuy period and was feeling good. The first hand after the rebuy I pick up AA in the SB and get a guy to go all in with JJ and double up. Couple rotations later I get it again and take out a medium stack when he decides to try and play K4s against me (343 flop K turn - my AA makes a better two pair). Then things take a turn for the worst. We are down to about 45 people and top 36 make the money (36th already pays out 175, which would let me be about break even).

I'm below the average stack but in no major danger. I play A9 and end up doubling up against against a big stack who had KT after the flop came ATx. So I'm back up much better than average sitting about 17 out of 45.

A medium size stack pushes from EP and I have AQ in the SB. It costs me about half my stack but I think I'm good and call. He shows KQ and spikes a K on the flop, bye bye half my stack (this would have put me up to top 10 in the tourney).

I work my stack back up a little and am sitting about 27 out of 38 (2 more to the money). I get AJ in the SB and the big stack at the table raises from the CO. He had been raising a lot and I had been waiting for a hand to push over the top and figured I was good here and he probably wouldn't even call. He thinks for about a minute and finally calls with AT... ten on the flop and I'm out in 38th. Once again winning this pot puts me top 10.

Ok, this got much longer than I wanted it to. There are some easier ways to post hands I'll look into so that I don't have to try and explain them from here on out but until then this is what we get. I'm trying to be happy about winning but it's tough when I win the small one and take the horrible beats in the big ones. I'm out of town til Monday so have a good weekend all!