4th Place Disappointment

Most people are happy when they finish in the money. Unfortunately for me, I can't stand anything but 1st place. I just feel that if you play all that time you should win. I also have a lot of confidence in my shorthanded game and feel very good when there are only 4 people left.

Last night at the loft was a lot of fun but I have to say it was very frustrating as well. I do not like airing trash in public but simply put, the tournament was filled with a bunch of players who were very inexperienced at the game and did not have a great concept of poker rules or the game in general. I understand these people need to learn somewhere at some time but I cannot stand when repeated breaches of simple rules go unpunished. I will leave it at that, it was not why I lost the tournament but it was frustrating.

My 1st table was actually pretty good. I had a good read on a few different players or I knew of them from before. One guy directly to my right, I had played with at the Ozdome when I first started playing. I have only seen him at Oceans/Loft since then but from what I had seen of him he was pretty solid and tight. He raised from the cutoff when I was on the button 3 times. I vocally expressed my displeasure to having my puck stolen from me like that. On the 4th time he did it, I was so tempted to re-raise with 6H4H, but I decided just to call. I had just doubled up after flopping a boat in the SB on a Q22 flop. The river was a K and the player called my all-in with KJ. The raise was to 250. Blinds were 40/80, we both had about 2300 behind us. There were two other players in the hand so about 1000 in the pot. The flop came 2H5C10C. He bet out 500. Everytime he raised preflop he came out firing on flop. I decided that although I had a pretty weak gutshot with a running flush draw I was going to try to take the pot down with a min-raise. My thoughts were a good player would respect a min-raise and was not calling with anything but ACKC or ACQC. If he came over the top, I still could fold because I had 1100 left. He just flat called....Magic on the turn, 3H hits and he instantly pushes all-in. At that point I didnt care what he had because I had the nuts and I insta-called. To my total shock he showed 7C4C and was not even close to drawing dead with a high straight draw and flush draw. The river was an AH and I took all his chips but 80 and I had around 5000.

I got moved to the eventual final table when we broke down to 2 tables. I played 2 hands before the final table and saw some of the strangest poker of my life. I limped with QJo and then called a small raise. The flop came JD4H5D. I checked, he bet minimum, I called. Turn was a QD. I checked he bet minimum again, I raised to 600 (blinds were 100-200). He called. River was 5H and I instantly felt beat. I thought maybe he was slow playing AA or KK, well of course, the turn was great for me but the river had me crushed. I decided to defence bet and bet 600, he says "I call and raise you 600". The dealer told him it was just a call. I am arguing as well saying its just a call because I don't want to throw away 600. I show my QJ for top 2 and he shows K10 with the KD for K high nothing....wtf? The next hand I had KQo and raised from EP (not sure why but I did). Same nonsense happened but this time the board was KJ98K with 3 diamonds. I had QD. I felt I needed to defence bet the river and he instacalled with QQ.

So then I was in total coast mode waiting for people to bust. My stack dwindled down to about 8000 just from blinds. 6 handed I got 88 in EP. I never know how to play medium pocket pairs against weaker players so I just limped. I got raised by the weakest player on the table to 2000 (blinds were 400/800). I told myself, no set no bet even if the board came 6 high. The board was 27J. I checked and he went all-in. I mucked. I then got all the way down to 4500 with blinds 400/800. We were still 5 handed and the shortstack had 2400 left. Jules pushed from her small blind and busted on a coin toss. We were then down to 4 handed and I decided it was time to make a move. The guy to my right was a pretty good player and he raised on the button to 2000, I had ASJS and instantly pushed allin for 2900 more (I stole a few blinds before that). He thought for a while and mucked. I put both cards out and told him to pick one knowing he would pick the Ace because I put it in front of him.

I was up around 8000 and then I got QC2C in my SB. The button limped and I completed. BB checked. Flop came 4C6H10C. I checked, BB checked, button bet 2200. I instantly pushed all my chips in. He thought for a while and said "I have to call its my favourite hand". I said ya I like J10 too. He called with J10 and I hit a club on the river....I was now up to 18000 and felt I could win this for sure after winning that race.

I tried to blind steal with QJo and got re-raised all-in so I was down to about 14500. My next BB I got 5D7D. The button who had raised my blind nearly every orbit made it 2000. I earlier had flat called his raise from the button and bet out pot on a 9 high flop and showed him JJ. My fundamental mistake though was thinking that a weaker player remembers information like that. They have no idea what is going on just what 2 cards are in there hand. I called the 1200 raise and the flop came 6H7H8C. For some unknown reason, I checked the flop. He bet 4000 which was just 400 under pot. I asked him how much he had left and was shaking and just couldnt compose himself to even count....I thought for a while and decided that a) if he doesn't have a set or 910 he will have to fold to an allin b) even if he doesnt fold, I am about 50% to win against anything but a set or 910. I felt he would fold and I pushed all-in. He insta-called and I am thinking crap, I am drawing dead. He flipped over A8 with no heart like he flopped the nuts and I was shocked that he called....I did not win this cointoss and busted 4th. I was very disappointed in the push because you just do not need to be in a cointoss with weaker players when you have 14000 in chips and the blinds are 400/800.

I did get $140 for my efforts ($20 of which I gave to the dealer because I spent a good part of the night complaining about string bets and cards getting exposed etc etc) and a I had a good time.

I am not sure when I am playing next but I hope its soon!