Well, I at least feel good about how I played in the tournament at Chumash today. I busted out near the end of the second level. I was all ready to take notes and give a nice Pauly-quality tournament report, but it turns out there isn’t really much to tell.

Early on, I called a minimum raise from the small blind with KQo, and flopped AJT, with two spades. I checkraised the 1seat, who didn’t really seem to know what he was doing. He called my raise, and I bet out 2000, about the size of the pot, after the offsuit 8 on the turn. He folded, saying he had a small pair. If I had known that, I probably coulda gotten a bit more out of him, but I didn’t want to see another spade come out.

Still in the first level, I limped UTG with 55, and there was no raise. The flop was KJ4, and it checked around. I called a 200 bet on the K turn, we checked the river down, and my hand was good. He had A5 for a pair draw, as Maudie would say.

I finished the first level with 5875, from a 5000 starting stack. I folded a bunch of hands in level 2, and they broke our table. My second hand at the new table, I found A♣J♣, in middle position. I raised it up to 400 (50/100 blinds) and got one call behind me, and both blinds stuck around as well. It checked to me on the 78J, rainbow flop, and I bet out 1500. The caller behind me immediately raised to 3000, and the other two folded. I took my time deciding what to do, and really though about what hands he could have that beat me. I ruled out T9, J8, J7, and 87, so the only thing possible was a set, and I didn’t think he had one. Finally, I pushed all in for 2175 more, and he called, with Q♥J♥. There were no hearts on the flop, so he was drawing to a queen or a running nine-ten. I also had a backdoor flush draw, with one club out. The turn was the 3♠, and then the awful river came down Q♠, and I was gone.

I feel really good about my play, though, and know it was just a little bad luck that knocked me out. I got my money is as an 6:1 favorite. Can’t really do any better than that. Maybe next time.

Edit: A few things I forgot to add.

First, sadly, my new card protector didn’t show up in the mail until today after I left for the casino, so I didn’t get to use it.

Second, after I busted out, I sweated a friend of mine for a while, waiting for the free lunch, before I went home. He was down to 500 in chips after losing a big pot with AKs vs AKs vs 99 vs some other hand. The other AKs won with nut flush. In the big blind, with 200/400 blinds and one limper, he went all in, in the dark. The limper called, with 65s, and he flipped up the hammer! No one got any help, his 7 high held up, and he doubled up. He won another pot before they broke his table, and I went back to hang out by the food area. Unfortunately, he was out before the lunch break.

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