10,000 Bodog bones

I had gone out to get the emissions checked on my truck yesterday just to find the place closed. Since there was no one at the bar, I headed home to play some poker. I had seen Full Tilt had a 24+2, $2000 guaranteed pool starting at 7 that interested me. As I waited for it to begin, I fired up Bodog to see what they had going on. They had a 25+2, $10,000 guaranteed pool starting at 7:30. Hmm...simple math tells me the Bodog tournament is much better. And not just with the prize pool. Play is pretty soft in Bodog land. Patience pays off big time here. I just had to get through 355 to take down $2500.

My game doesn't start well. I misplay A J early on by raising and calling a re-raise. Flop misses me and I have to fold.

Play K 10 to a weak player in the BB. Flop comes K high and doesn't improve. I bet the pot on each street and get paid off. Nice.

I then get A J again and raise it up again since it worked so well the first time. Two callers. Flop comes 9 9 J. I bet the pot to force out the flush draw. The guy to my left raises all in. Hmm... I figure he doesn't have a 9 (playing A 9 or K 9 to a raise?) and has a lower pair. I call, while the other folds. The pusher shows the Hilton Sisters. WTF? No re-raise preflop? A blank on the turn and a sweet J on the river give me the boat. He re-raises preflop and I may be gone. Or with a bet on the flop I may go away too. Instead, he is out of the tournament.

Here is an interesting hand. It folds around to me in the SB. I call with Q 9 suited. BB checks. Flop comes A K 6. It checks around. Turn is a K. I bet the min and get called. River is a K. I bet the min again and get called. He turns over K 4 for the full house. What, no raise on the river?

I fold a number of hands, steal some pots until the Hilton Sisters come to visit. UTG raises to 100 (blinds 20/40). UTG +1 calls. I pop it up to 700, feeling pretty good that I have a better hand that either of these two. It fold around to UTG who pushes all in for 765 total. The other one folds. I instacall. His 8 8 is not match. Thank you Nicki and Paris.

There is a guy at the table named Scuba_Steve. I inquire if he knows AlCantHang. Nope. That would have been interesting if he was Al's pal.

After the break, I start with about 2500. There are 172 left. I defend my BB with K 8 to a min raise. Flop comes K high. My opponent bets out 300. Not trusting my kicker, I raise it right there. He thinks and thinks and folds. Back over 3000.

I have watched one player go from 5 all the way to 465. Beyond lucky on some hands, like flopping a full house. I'll give him credit. He had some patience and waited for some hands and got lucky.

I go through a couple table changes, not playing much. Suddenly I am put to the left of a huge stack. Crap. The table in general seems very aggressive. Raises, re-raises, chips flying all over the table. Blinds are now 75/150. UTG I get Big Slick, raise it up but get no callers. In the BB I get A 7. I am ready to defend on the min raise, but the button pushes. I have to fold. Min raise had A K while the button had K 9. WTF? Of couse, I would have won the pot with 2 pair. A couple of hands later I try to steal but run into a push monkey.

I feel lucky when I get away with a bone headed play. With 10 10, there is a limp, and a min raise to me. I push. I should have raised to about 1200, instead of putting all my chips at risk. I breathe a sigh of relief when they both fold. The re-raise was from the chip leader.

I see K K in the small blind. I am begging for limpers and a raiser to jump in. 1 limper and a min raise. Yes! I bump it to 1800 to go. Fold and a push. Yes! I instacall. My black kings are met by his red kings. Damn!!!

My A Q runs into 10 10. I raise it up and called his push. Though I flop an A, a 10 hits as well. The A on the turn give him a boat. No Q on the river to save me and I lose half my stack. Next hand I get K J suited. It gets checked back and forth until the K hits the river. I push just to get called by Q 10 off, who has the straight. Done in 95th.

I felt I played well, but got too antsy in the end. My patience went out the window.