Oh the Horror of the Bubble
September 24, 2007
The APL Big game was as billed a big game with 130 players ponying up $150 + $15 to go up against the areas best. This will be a short recap as Im mentally drained and exhausted.
I played very well: tight and aggressive and I mixed up my bets and playing style and trapped extremely well and I got paid off. I will say I wasnt reading as well as I usually do live. And Im not sure if my sinus problems of the week impacted my thinking. Sometimes I felt like I was on auto pilot. I mentioned to Snake I needed a second wind and wished I could have him step in as a pinch hitter. He looked at me, smiled and said..you are playing great you played in the WSOP, you can take it down.
And I tried. I was never a big stack but I stayed ahead of the blinds and was average stacked most of the time. 13 paid but the real money was top 5. After 8 hours of poker I was a little below average 15-16 left and I was in the small blind with KK. Big stack raised to 20k UTG($2500/$5000 blinds no ante). Dude moved all in to his left for about 59k. I put him on AK.. I didnt really consider the big stack as a threat, he could be raising with anything and had been on a roll. I Pushed in and got insta called. Sure enough the bigstack (brandon) had AA and the other dude did indeed have AK. No case K for IG and IGN short of the cash after playing my heart out. The bottom cash of $265 for places 10-13 wasnt what I was after. Had I doubled thru both dudes I would have had over $100,000 and in good position to take home the big cash.
Tournament poker is grueling. My expectations were high and Im going to be carrying this with me for a few weeks Im sure. I mean I know I will run Kings into Aces a gazillion more times in my poker career but to get that close to the brass ring only to have it snatched away really hurts. But I played to win and have no regrets over misplayed hands etc.
I did win the last longer over Trent, Ray and Lex pocketing $60. Thanks to Ray and Lex (who scored some nice cash game $$$ at Rays expense with two boats over sets) for railing me thru to the bittersweet end.
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