First game, first screw up

I was looking forward to playing again. I completed some errands before loggin on. I did a quick check at the games SnGs that were ready to go. I saw that there wasn't anyone waiting on the $10 so I had time. I quickly checked to see if a friend was on. Didn't see him so I went back to the game and took a seat. Game started and right away, I let out a groan. I had entered into a limit game. UGH!
Not that limit is bad. Just in the SnGs, I prefer no limit. Games go much quicker. Plus, you can protect your hands much easier. For example, I get A A second hand of the game. I raise it up and get 5 callers. Flop come A 9 3, two spades. Great. With it being limit, someone will stay in if they have the flush draw. Sure enough, two callers. Turn is another spade. I am sunk when someone bets out now. Great. Set of aces down the drain. I would later see pocket rockets taken out by a set of 4s.
Not too worry though. Next hand I get 10 10. I raise it up and see 4 callers. Maybe I can get my money back. Flop comes Q Q 4. I am on the cutoff and it gets checked to me. I bet it again. Only a total fool would check raise a set of queens in a low limit game. I get 3 callers. Turn is a rag. I bet it again and just one caller in front of me. Hmmm. River is a rag as well. He checks as do I. He shows A 6. WTF? He thought I was bluffing? On tilt? But this is the kind of suckout that I am being cautious about.

Fold the next bunch of hands until I get 10 10 in the big blind. We are going to the next floor again. Oh shit. Flop comes 10 7 5, all spades. I bet out to see where I stand. Uh oh. One raise. Crap! A re-raise. Another set gone bad? I look at it and call, praying for the board to pair up. Turn is a Q hearts. I check. Check. Re-raise bets it. I call hoping to see the board pair up. Plus, the pot is a good size. River is the J of spades. I am ready to fold. I check. Check. Re-raise checks as well??? I take down the pot with the trip 10s. Re-raise only had trip 7s! Suddenly I am chip leader. Sweet!

That is until the next hand. Someone hits their gutshot straight on the river and takes down a huge pot. I get some chips when my A 10 pushes a pot. If the clown hadn't check raised on the flop, we would have had a guy trapped in the middle and gotten a bigger haul. Two hands later I get A J. I just limp with it. Flop comes with 2 hearts, A high. One guy who is pretty maniacal check raises. Stupid play. Especially when he then checks the turn and river. He filled his flush on the river and didn't get paid.

Two hands later, I get A J again. I limp on in. But someone raises it. Ok, I call the two bet. Flop comes 5 5 Q. The check raiser checks (surprise!). So does the original raiser. Hmm. Turn is another 5. Interesting. Check raiser bets! Ok, he has nothing so I call. So does the original raiser. River is an A. I bet out and the original raiser raises. Huh? Check raiser folds. I just call. He shows A 6 off. That was worth a raise?

A couple hands later, some guy slow plays his pocket aces and wins a tiny pot. Again, this is why I don't play a limit tourney. The play is stupid. The guy missed out on 2 bets and could have lost the pot. I just watched the check raiser bet again with A high. That is one to follow. I like how he bets when he has nothing.

A number of hand later, after watching someone try to check raise the nuts, I get J J under the gun. 4 people see a flop of Q A 7, two diamonds. Crap. I bet to see where I stand. Everyone calls. Turn is a A. River a Q. On the turn, one person is all in. The check raiser had called with Q 6 off??? He hit the Q on the river for the boat, beating the other guys pocket kings. Why the guy didn't re-raise preflop is a mystery.

I get to see a hand for free next. A 6 hearts in the big blind. Flop comes 2 4 6 , two hearts. I bet it out and get raised. Interesting. Turn is a 4. I bet and get re-raised by the check raiser. River is a Q and I just call his bet. He had 7 9 off and was trying to hit the gut shot. HA! Next hand I limp with K 9 suited from the small blind. Flop comes J 9 3. It checks around. Turn is a a 3. My 9 could be good so I bet. Just one caller. River is a 6. I check and take down a small pot. But I think I sent a guy on tilt because he starts raising every street of the next hand and goes broke. That or he thought his K 5 diamonds was that strong, especially after having bottom pair on the flop.

Check raiser is next to go out. I get the honors too. He was in the cutoff and raised. I called from the small blind with A 5 off. Flop came J J 5. I bet it out. He raised. Awesome! We cap it. I bet it out again and force him all in. Sure enough, he has K 10. Thanks for playing idiot.

Stupid play on my part next. Called a raise from the big blind with K 8 off. Flop comes K J 10. I bet out top pair. One caller then a raise. I call but the first caller raises now! I get trapped in a four bet. Turn is a 9. Now I know I am sunk. I end up dumping two more bets to the straight. Next hand I do it again when the guy slow plays his straight. But this time I wasn't betting out.

We are down to 5 now. I smack the low stack into a tilt mode with a blind defense of Q 7. Flop comes Q 8 5. I bet the flop and turn. He raised on the turn. Thanks. Your pair of 5s got no help. I am sitting second and have a spot to cruise a bit. Straight forward play can win this. Then we hit a 5 minute break. This is why I don't like limit SnGs. There is a break at the hour mark. I don't need a break. Hell, this shouldn't last this long.

But anyway, there are 5 people left. I am third with 2974. First has 5205, second 3796, third at 2450 and last at 575. The short stacks are getting crazy. With blinds of 100-200, there is little room to wait. It seems that no one is ever patient in the early rounds, or they try to play fancy instead of building a pot.

After what seems like an eternity, the game resumes and I post the big blind. Nice, J 2 off. I see a free flop of J Q 7 but fold to a bet. The bettor then folds to the raise. In the small blind I try to get fancy with A 5. Flop is all small 6 4 3. I bet to take it down but get called. River pairs up the board and the guy playing K 6 wins with 2 pair.

Blinds come around fast with 5 players. I notice that the tiny stack is scared to play. And the guy ahead of me is hoping I fall out as well. I make a stand with A 9 and am back up to 1600. Though well below the big stacks, I am in a place to make the money. But I am not catching any cards. I get lucky in the big blind with 9 8 and flop the set of 8s, but that is it. They fold some blinds to me and I call to see flop from the small blind but I am not getting a chance at the tight table. And the little guy keeps surviving. Even when I get two pair on the river, I can't do anything because of the 4 diamonds on the board. I play the waiting game because the tiny stack has less than an orbit to go. But give me hand! I want to play, not wait!

Fucking great! The guy has $50 left and the small blind folds. So I push with A 10 and double up. I have double up a couple of times at the cost of the player on my left. The tiny stack finally goes out when his pair is good enough. I will make money now. But I want second, not third. I tend to get too aggressive when in the money. I fold J 4 hearts from the big blind when the small blind raises. I think I should have re-raised back as he suddenly had less than I did. That may have been the best move as I went out 3 hands later from the big blind with 7 8 off. I had a straight on the turn, but he hit his flush on the river. Damn. But I made $9. Can't mind a profit, especially when I was in a limit tourney that I didn't want to be in the first place. Nine for an hour and a half isn't worth it.