Good impluse move...Friday madness at charity poker

Been working a ton of hours at main job the last couple of weeks (last day off was January 2 - next day off is next Friday, the 21st), so the poker playing has been lacking. The limited time I am playing online, still on the bad side of variance in SnGs, although cash games are going alright...me thinks there is a trend there.

Worked my basic 11-12 hours on Friday, then at 8 headed home, but was trying to decide if I wanted to play in Four Aces 9pm $35 tourney...after hemming and hawing the entire 30 minutes from downtown Detroit to Roseville, I decided to play.

Felt very comfortable at this table from the get-go (58 players), as I was able to see a lot of flops for cheap - whether or not I was hitting on them wasn't necessarily important, because I was able to gather some reads/tells on a few players that would come in handy later on.

Lost about 1/4 of 20K starting stack, much of it when a lady UTG with A-3 limp-called my 3-bet of K-K, and flopped an ace...then told her husband, who wasn't playing, what a great call she made, heh. That's poker...annoying, but part of the game. I took a couple of blinds, then got a loose-passive calling station to pay my A-Q off with her Q-3 when we both flopped a queen, and I get over 24K after this hand.

My big hand that helped set me for a good run happened late at the 100/200 level. Popped to 800 with 9-9 in MP, and got 4 callers. After a flop of K-2-2, checked around to me - feeler bet of 2,200 got 1 caller, and at this point I am about 95% certain I am beat. Luckily, the other player in the hand game me a chance to take a free card when he checked the turn, and the money card of 9 hits the river to give me my boat. With about 8.5K in the pot, and me knowing my opponent paired his King, I am almost certain any bet is going to be called, so I bet out 8K, which gets the attention of a few players at the table. After hemming and hawing for a minute, player makes the crying call and turns over K-10...and is shocked (along with rest of the table) to see me turn over 9-9. Huge pot gets me to 40K, and looking good when the break comes in 20 minutes.

The next round is rags, and the right before the break the craziness ensues. I raise in late position (300/600) to 2.2K with A-J...just really hoping to take down the blinds, but get 4 callers. Flop is 9-2-J (2 hearts), and after it's checked around to me I bet out 5K - this gets 2 people to put the rest of their chips in the middle, then a raise of 1.3K from SB comes. The BB asks he can raise, or if he can only call...based on rule BB and I can only call. I am pretty sure I am ahead, and 2 people are drawing to flush/straight, and the others have flush draws...so I don't like my chances.

Luckily for me, BB and I end up checking it down, and I feel lucky to get out cheap when BB rolls over his flush that he made on the turn, and eliminates 3 players...2nd best hand for me, and I miss out on a huge pot.

After the break the player I hit my boat on was outside bitching to his buddies about the hand...I like being on this end of the "bad beat" story, that's for sure. Mike (BB from previous) hand were talking shop, so to speak, and after he asked why I bet so much with a boat on the river, the conversation went like this:

"Because I knew I'd get a call"
"That's it? You didn't think he'd fold for that much?"
"Do you think that dude can fold 2 pair there?"

I got a laugh and shake of the head that said, "But of course, duh!" Mike stayed away from me at the tables the rest of night - gotta love a little respect once in a while.

Get back from the break, and just played pretty steady poker with the rather crappy cards I was dealing with, and got my one knockout of the night when my A-Q took out a shorty, and won a nice side-pot when a loose-passive player limp-called my pre-flop 3-bet with A-2 and folded after my flop bet. Sitting at about 60K in chips here.

Watch some craziness happen before the 2nd break, watch us get down to 15 players...and then make 2 pretty good laydowns considering the stage of the tournament we were at. Laid down 7-7 and A-K facing early-position all-ins from tight players, and was feeling good seeing 9-9 and A-A flipped up as other players doubled these players up. The problem with me calling here was that I was at risk of busting out, and figuring that I was behind, decided to wait for other opportunities.

Started playing the final table bubble with more aggression, and chipped up to 105K - just under the chip average. With blinds at 10K/20K in a couple of hands, time to look for a double-up. We did a mini-chip so 6th-10th would get their $35 back, and action was on. Before I was required to play a hand, watched 3 players bust out. First 2 hands in the blinds were winners after taking them down post-flop, and soon I was sitting at 165K. After 2 players busted to get us past the original money bubble, the chip leader (with almost 500K) wanted to get out of them, and proposed a 5-way even chop.

I am not the biggest fan of chops, but I am not a big opponent of them - and quickly decided (well, at least after the other 4 players were for the chop) that guaranteed me the equivalent of 2nd place money was good enough for me. $240 for a $35 buy-in is a process I'm happy to repeat again and again.

Not often that I get to go an entire tournament without ever being at risk of elimination at any time during the tournament...whatever my problems are in my online game, they're not there in my live game, for sure.