Changing things up

This weekend the PQ and I decided to change things up a little.  Instead of playing poker on Saturday we decided to play a tourney on Sunday afternoon instead.  Maybe we were hoping to improve our results or maybe it was just a factor of her being sleepy on Saturday afternoon and me working some OT hours.  I did drop by the Poker room on Saturday after getting out of work (my work is only a mile or 2 from Derby Lane) and played a little Omaha 8OB.  Had a little fun though I didn't get to play long before the table broke.  I made a few dollars and didn't feel like playing any holdem so I headed home a little bit ahead.  Nice for a change.

Sunday we headed over there for the 4pm tourney.  6000 chips and 20 minute blinds so you get a bit of play but you can't waste too much time.  I took down a couple of hands without showing and also got into one with 85 of clubs.  Flop was 10-5-5.  Oh yes.  The big blind leads out and a guy 2 places to his left and I both call.   Turn is a 3.  Nothing scary, the big blind checks and I'm wondering how I want to play this when the guy left of the big blind bets out for 500.  Now I'm a little concerned because the only thing I can put him on right now is another 5 or a big pair and since he didn't raise preflop I really couldn't see that.  So I just call.   River is a harmless queen and he bets out another 500.  I really thought about raising to 1500 or 2000 but decided just to call.  If he does have a 5 with a better kicker he is definitely calling there.   The big blind flipped over a 10 and the other guy flipped over a 5 with another 8 so we split up the pot while I breathed a sigh of relief. 

I had chipped up to a bit over 9K when the 3rd level started (75-150) and the poker gods decided to really uck with me.  I had been watching the woman in seat 7 and she was not a tourney player at all.  She was used to cash games and would stay in on almost any pair against raises.  She had sucked out on one guy by calling a good sized raise with 3rd pair and catching trips but she had also managed to give it all back plus some and was down to a bit over 5K then.  I look down at AK off in middle position and raise to 525.  I get 4 callers including the woman in the small blind.   Flop is nice K-7-6 rainbow.  It's checked to me and I bet 1500 which is about 3/4 of the pot.  Everyone folds but the woman in the small blind.  I can see she has 3300 left and I figure on the next card I will put her all in as I'm sure she has a pair and I'm also sure she is behind.  Next card is a 3.   She looks at it and then says "I'm all in".  That made me pause for a second.  Did she play 4-5 and hit a straight or maybe K3.  I would put either past her after watching her play but I decided to call her anyway.  I flip over my AK and she shows K...................2!!   Really?  You think I'm betting this much without at least top pair and a lot better kicker than 2??  My joy is short lived as the dealer burns a card and puts a 2 up on the river.  Fuck me. 

Very next hand I look down at JJ.  Seat 9 is under the gun and pushes all in for 1800.  It gets folded to me and I push all in for 3600.  Everyone folds to the big blind who thinks for a couple of beats before folding AJ.  My opponent flips over A8 and I'm feeling pretty good about my chances, especially with one of his outs gone.  Of course one of my jacks are gone too but I don't need to improve.  The dealer burns a card and then flips over KKK.  Oh boy, I can see it now, the fourth K on the turn or river and I lose to this clown and his ace.  The turn is a J.  Unexpected but no help with the 3 kings on the board.  Still I only have to dodge the last K or the last A and I add back some of the chips I lost the previous hand.  Of course the river is the last Ace.  3 outed and 2 outed on the river in successive hands.  WTF, did the poker gods think my name was Lightning??

After that it was a struggle to survive.  I won a small pot to move up to 2200 then got KK under the gun.  I pushed all in and got 3 callers.  The flop was AQ8 and I figure my day is done now but no one bets.  Turn is a low card and the river is a blank as well.  One guy to my left bets and is called and I'm packing up my stuff but no, the guy to my left has QJ and wins the side pot and my KK takes down the main pot for a quadruple up.   So I'm up to 9K at the break which leaves me better than I was but not as good as I should be and a little below the average stack.  After the break nothing went well but I hung in there.  Got a break when I made trip sixes to beat a pair of 8s but my downfall came when my KJ was beaten by Q3 and I went out 13.  Just once I'd like to be the big stack going into the last table or 2 instead of being short and struggling to get to average.  But that was not how the gods saw it today.  Maybe another day will be better. 

I got one week more of work before I take a vacation.  I am taking not just one but 2 weeks straight away from work.  I need it.  The first week the PQ, the daughter and I are driving up to Pensacola to help my niece move in to her college along with her sister and mother.  From there, we are going to New Orleans for a few days of fun and games, just the PQ and the daughter and myself.  We were looking to spend some time in Biloxi at one of the Harrahs properties but could not get a great deal on a room there (one day free but $150 after that) and so we checked New Orleans which is only an hour further down the road.  We've never spent time in NOLa and Harrah's only has a limited number of rooms at the hotel but they have deals with other hotels around the casino so we will be staying for free at the Hilton right across the street.  If we had gone to Biloxi we weren't planning on taking our daughter as there isn't really anything for her to do there and she is still too young to gamble but NO is another story.  The PQ and I will do some gambling but we'll be doing other things too and we'll be able to do it all together.  The daughter has always wanted to go there so this will be fun for her hopefully. 

Well that's enough for me.  Time for bed as I have a lot more overtime to work this week to get ready for this vacation.  Stay lucky all you gamblers.  And pray to the poker gods for forgiveness, perhaps sacrifice a goat or a lamb or even your first born.  I may do all 3 except I'll probably have to substitute my 3rd born as the first born can probably take me.  The way my luck is going, I must have really offended them.  Those sacrifices may not be enough.