Bad run

Been on a bad run lately. Don't know quite what it is. I have played a lot of limit lately and am trying to get back into the NL swing of things.

But something just isn't right.

I don't know what it is. Out of the last 6 SnGs I have played, I have come in 3rd just once. Nothing higher. I won't count the 1st and 2nd I won for a friend. That doesn't affect my totals.

I seem to play pretty good in the beginning usually doubling up for a nice lead. But things go down hill from there and I end up in 4th or 5th.

I know this weekend I hardly won any coin tosses. I would try to take the short stack out with A K or even A Q and be up against a smaller pair. Just couldn't hit my card. Of course, that would send me into a tailspin when the exact opposite would occur. My smaller pair would be taken out by the A Q when their card hit.

I know that the only solution is the stay on the bike and ride. That is what I tried last night. Played 3 SnGs. Came in 3rd in the first one. Came in 8th in the 2nd one when my kings ran into aces. Nothing I could do on that one. I thought he had A K at best. Then came in 4th in the last. I got smacked down early in that one running my top pair good kicker. Player stuck around with second pair and caught another on the river. Came back and was in a position to eke some money out but short stacked, K J ran into A A.

On the last table, it was the first time I thought that two players might be working together. Whenever Player 1 got shortstacked, Player 2 always seemed to fold to him. Now, I didn't pay that close attention to it at first, but there was one play at the end that made me suspicious. The big stack (Player 2)was just to the right of the short stack (Player 1). Every once in a while he would tell him to send some chips over. Now that alone doesn't mean anything. But when they aren't really playing against each other, that could mean something. There was one hand in particular that made me think I was getting shafted.

Player 2, the big stack, in the SB just calls. Player 1, raises the minimum to 1600 and has just 900 left. Player 2, should go all in to force him to play. It would cost him 1700 to do so and he would have 4200 left and a healthy lead. Instead, he folded. Now, this guy had raised my big blind for the last 4 rounds and suddenly he can't call another 800 against a short stack in an attempt to knock him out?

No, that isn't an "online poker is rigged" rant. But I know some people will cheat to win. I pity them. They will never understand what winning is truly about and won't have that nice sense of accomplishment.