T23

With only three tournaments remaining in the season, and myself perched precariously in second points position - I was as ready as I could be. I really felt in the groove as I had fun for the first half hour playing an occasional hand, but mostly trying to guess what other players were holding. I was surprisingly accurate a few times, and of course way off on others. My game has definitely risen a level or two since the days when all I did was play my own cards in the hands I was involved in, and zoned out in hands when only other people played.

Mid-game is when I really hit my stride and became chip leader, with a couple of perfect reads and two flat out steals with all my chips in the middle.

The one I remember well involved the player to my right, who is the contender with me for the second place points lead right now. He's a solid player who (like me) likes to see flops. With the blinds starting to hurt it was folded around to him, he flat called. In the cutoff with K2, I popped it and got the button to go away. The flop came two suited rags and an ace. I had no draw - nothing. Villain checked and I bet out half the pot. After a pause he flat called.

The little voice inside my head put him on a flush draw. It wasn't really a conscious thought, I just knew that's what he had. The turn came, not a third club. He checked. I immediately went all-in. He went into the tank. He had me covered, but if I had him beat he would be crippled. I know for a fact that he was on a missed draw, and he was pondering wether or not to take the 2 to 1 odds to try and hit a 4 to 1 flush (which probably wouldn't even be the best flush, in his mind). Now he may or may have not had a piece of the ragged flop, maybe middle pair - but I knew if he had an ace he would have either bet the flop or check-raised it. A long slow flat call after my bet with a made high pair or set would have been very tricky, even for him, and dangerous with a flushing board. He was on a flush draw, and knew he couldn't call. K2 takes it down.

After that shining moment, the game continued and the blinds grew and grew. With another steal or two, as well as aggressive betting with legitimite hands I continued to have most of the chips; but everyone else was playing well, and the difference between my stack and the next biggest (that would be the season leader in chips) wasn't that great.

Then the season leader decided to go all in with an open ended straight draw (out of position) and was called down by a set of nines. Blank went the river and all of the sudden the player to my left (the 9's holder) had doubled up to what was looking to be a prohibitive chip lead over the rest of us.

Good news, the season points leader was gone. Bad news, the guy he paid off was to my left with nearly twice my chip stack. My stealing days were over, but I had enough accumulated wealth to basically coast to the final three, as the monster blinds - like Stephen King's Langoliers, consumed the two remaining wannabe's stacks. I still managed to steal blinds every few rounds, to keep the monsters at bay myself, and when I cashed I was ready to go to war.

The chip leader played brilliantlly, using the power of his stack to leverage out the aforementioned short stacks. The gentleman to my right also stayed frosty and kept ahead of the escalating structure. When it got down to just us three, I was barely in second place, but I knew because the blinds were HUGE, I had to use my entire stack to get any respect and/or have a chance to have a legitimite hand hold up.

I pushed all-in several times in a row, each time with legitimite starting cards for three handed play, my opponents wisely folded, and I got to collect monster blinds. Then I started running into absolute rags, which I still managed to steal with once or twice (just to keep my head above water). At this point, the chip leader was pumping up the aggression and his stack was a mountain.

I knew I only had two moves every hand, with the blinds starting at nearly a quarter of my stack - it was fold or jam. I looked down at q9 suited. Looks good to me! I clicked the all in box - to my horror the player to my right (tricky second place guy) went all in. I reached to unclick the box, but in a nano second my electronic chips slid in and cards were up. This was only the first or second time that tricky had been all in on pre-flop since we began three handed play. He had always checked or called a smaller bet, I didn't expect him to actually catch anything when I had two beautiful perfectly playable suited cards!

I should have known better and NEVER have checked that box.

BUT, in retrospect, with the blinds the way they were, if he had pushed all-in and I had had time to really think about it; I likely would have called him down any way. I was last in chips at this point. And I probably would have put him on a middle pair; he had been playing tight pre-flop, bringing the hammer only after the flop hit and/or he was in position. He was unlikely to risk it all as first to act with just a couple of face cards. He was also smart enough not to waste a premium high pair, he would have likely slow played AA, KK, or QQ. (At least I would have). A middle pair would likely be the best hand pre-flop, better to get the chips in and go after the hefty blinds, if some sucker calls with AK or worse, tricky is still the favorite.

As I said, in hindsight, I think a call by me was ultimately the correct decision. Pre-flop I was about 45% to win, if I had won I would have been close to even with the leader and tricky would have been crippled. If I folded, I relinquished a quarter of my stack - yes, the blinds were huge.

Of course once the decisions were made, the flop, turn and river played out in appropriately sick fashion. I spiked a pair on the flop - he hit a two outer on the river to make three of a kind. I was a bit dissapointed, but I knew he had the best hand going in.

Overall, I was VERY pleased with my play. Right now the race in points (for big money at the end of the season) has really tightened up. If the points leader bombs out again (please go all in on a draw again! Please!) Then one of us (myself, tricky or chip leader last game) has a legitimite shot at the big prize. I would also be ecstatic to get the second place money, and happy enough to get third. I'm a bit fearful of falling out of the top three, but with only two tourney's left I can't let myself think that way.

I have to stay focused and aggressive. And most of all have fun and enjoy the competition; if I do finish out of the money I only want to be able to look back and say that I played to the best of my abilities. In a sit-n-go that is designed to end in under two hours, I can't put the world on my shoulders - luck will definitely be a factor.