Tournament #76

OK, another 45-man. Let's get 'er done!

A/9 early on with a failed bluff goes nowhere and I'm down to $1350. AA nets me $350, up to $1620. Flop a straight with A/10 suited that also included a royal flush draw! Player to my left bets all-in and I can't call fast enough. He's got a pair of queens and is basically drawing dead. Make a (non-royal) flush and he goes home. Up to $2550. Been real quiet ever since, dropping me to $2335 as I pick up no cards. Lots of guys busted around me though and we're down to 22 players. Q/4 in the BB unraised gets me a flop of 2/3/5. I bet $100, called. Turn is another 3, call $100 bet. River is another 5, call another $100 bet. Other guy has nothing - J/9, I outkick him. Up to $2800, 12th of 22. 10/10 with a garbage flop nets me $550, now up to $3100. We're down to 14 players now, me in 11th, not having played a hand since the 10/10. Blinds are $75/150 so I'm still in good shape. Pair of 8s snags me a $750 pot and pushes me up to $3400. A/Q and a BB hand go nowhere, pushing me down to $2700. A couple more blinds and I'm down to $2200. Blinds are $100/200 so I gotta look for an all-in here quickly. Uncalled all-in for $1900 with A/9 pushes me to $2300. Down to $1500, an uncalled all-in with A/10 pushes me back to $2100. Blinds go up to $200/400, so I re-raise all-in for $2000 on top of a guy's raise to $1600 while I'm in the BB. I've got K/J, he's got A/J so I'm way behind. Flop comes Q/10/9 - K-high straight for me! Double up to $4100. Uncalled all-in for $4100 with A/8 pushes me to $4800. KK in the SB and I raise all-in and get called. Other guy has Q/Q. My Ks hold up and he's crippled. Next hand, I've got A/10 in the BB, unraised. Turn a pair of 10s, bust the guy I just crippled and push my stack to $8300. We're to the final table! I'm 3rd of 9. A couple of blinds gone and I'm down to $7000, 4th of 8. Another guy gone and we're into the money! I'm still at $7000, solid position but blinds at $400/800. A/9 eliminated by J/J, down to 6. Blinds take me (quickly) down to $5400, but I pick up A/9 and raise all-in. Uncalled, back to $7500. All-in with QQ, one caller. He's got 8/8. The Qs hold up and I'm up to $13000! Another guy gone, down to 5, me 2nd. One more gone, down to 4. K/8 with a flop of K/K/9 helps me take down a pot of $11000, me up to $18000. Blinded down to short stack with $8600. All-in with A/5 vs 10/10. 5 on the flop but no other help. Busted in 4th place. Did about as well as I could have hoped after getting to $18000. Can't really do much with 6/2 hand after hand.

FINISH: 4th place
PAYOUT: $1.40
PROFIT: $1.15
BANKROLL: $61.22