The Bubble Bursts

Sometime later, after the dust had settled on the quads debacle, I fired up a 20 + 2 satellite for the Party Million Dollar Guaranteed Tournament.

The first four levels were a desert. Not a single playable hand. My best starting hand was 77(seriously). I made a couple of steal attempts and a couple of bluffs, but even these were largely unsuccessful and by the 25/50 level I had around 300 checks left. So when the action was folded to me and I am dealt QT in the cutoff, I figure it to be as good as it gets, and push. Both blinds call. Board reads (KT3) (6) (2). My opponents show 98 and 73 (nice); I breathe again and triple up (I'm not going to comment on what I was called with here - after betting 6 times the Big Blind - we are talking about Party Poker. No further explanation required).

Then I proceed to go on a rush, building my stack up to about 4200 by the end of the level. I took some big pots down without showing a hand, but the key hand was getting all my chips in with QQ vs AK pre-flop. My hand held up (no, this is not a coinflip: I was a 57 - 43 favourite. It bothers me that people insist on calling this a coinflip. It isn't. I'll take the ladies any day of the week against big slick).

At the 150/300 level I jumped from 6000 to 1800: I had AA twice (I think in three hands), and won without having to show it down. I did get lucky when I busted a short stack with J6 vs AJ (flop was J high, I bet and he min-raised me. Which is just dumb. He priced me into the hand, and as far as I'm concerned it's his own damn fault the 6 hit the turn).

Then I went in two hands in a row in quick succssion against the same guy, who called my all-in re-raises with KJ and AT respectively. On each occassion I had AK. It stood up (what the fuck? AK stood up TWICE? Now that is a blogable occurence), and he went to the rail having put pretty much all his chips on the line with KJ. Again, no sympathy there.

Anyway, things progressed pretty steadily to the final table. With 139 entrants, 4 would win a seat, and the next three got a bit of cash. Bugger all for 8th and above.

So there I was at the bubble, and after pontificating on the correct way to play this stage at some length in my last post, I’m pretty sure I didn’t take my own advice. The first three people were knocked out pretty quick, and with 5 – 7 people left I oscillated between 23 000 and 11 000. I’d win a decent pot, the following hand I’d be dealt a good hand, raise, either be outplayed or outflopped, and be back down again. I was easily the most active player at the table. The chip leader (sitting on about 60 - 70 000 immediately to my left) kept calling my raises and then coming over the top of me on the flop. I was almost convinced he was outplaying me until I watched him play a few hands against other players – where he would either bet if he had it or check it down if he didn’t. Anyway, it’s hard to build a stack when the chip leader keeps hitting hands against you (or, like I said, is outplaying you).

With 6 of us left I took a wicked beat when short stack pushed from the button and I call with 77 on the SB. He shows 67 suited (in hearts)… and makes a straight on the river. Not sure why, but even when I saw his hand, I knew the beat was coming.

(digression) Why is this? Why is it that just sometimes you know, when the chips are all in and before the cards are dealt, you just know where it's going. You can feel the dark cloud of that bad beat creeping up, and even to the turn, even when you only have two outs against you, that terrible sinking feeling in the pit of your guts only intensifies and spreads. And you already feel dead, even before that two outer hits, you're numb (digression ends).

I managed to recover slightly from about 8000 to 13000 (not sure how). And soon, with five people left and the blinds at 500/1000, I was well and truly on the bubble. Two stacks are huge – 80 000 or more; myself and the other two players were around the 10 000 – 13000 mark. I find KT on the button and raise to 3000 – both blinds call (SB is the chip leader and the BB has about 8000 behind, while I have about 10 500 behind). Flop comes down K92 with two hearts. I bet 6000 (which was a mistake, I should have pushed then and there) into a 9000 pot to drive out the draws. Chip leader folds, short stack cold calls with 2000 behind (?). Turn is an offsuit 7, SB pushes, I have to call. He show 67 of hearts (oh how this hand is stalking me) for a pair and a flush draw, rivers a heart, and the motherfucker beats me.

I have about 2300 left and am inconsolable (“how could he make that fucking call?”) and am promptly dealt KT again. Of course I push, and of course my 67s friend (the second 67 guy, not the first one) calls with K8, and of course the flop contains and 8, and just as I pick up my chair to hurl at the monitor, the river brings a T: a beautiful, uplifting, sanity preserving TEN. Thankyou ten, thank you.

So I have about 6800 and push about three times in fairly quick succession (each time I had a little something) and chip up to about 10 000. By now, the other short stack has about 6 000 and was clearly trying fold his way into fourth, and now found himself close to being blinded out. I figure that – if worse comes to worst – I’ll let the fucker get blinded out and gently ease myself past the bubble.

Unfortunately I’m not in the habit of taking my own advice, and when shortstack min-raises UTG (blinds are now 750/1500) and I find 77 on the button, I push. The big stacks get out of the way and leave it to the two desperados to slug it out. Shortstack calls and shows: K2 suited (in hearts). Nice. Flop brings a deuce, turn a fourth heart, and the river shows... a BRICK! What the fuck? The best hand held up?

Unprecedented.

So now I get to have a shot at some real money. Likely I'll go down in flames far short of the cash, but it'll be good to be in the running, at the least. Bit of a pain having to get up at 8.30am on Sunday morning to play (we don't have the luxury of mid-afternoon starts in my part of the world), but I guess I'll live.

Either way, you'll hear how it turns out.