[HEK]

Foxwoods would be only my 2nd big event and after a horrible showing at the WSOP I was determined to redeem myself and play my best.

I drove down the night before, my mind clear and confident. But a good 10/25nl game and some pre-ME nerves kept me up until 3:30am. After only 4 hours of restless sleep my head was cloudy with exaustion. But once I forced down breakfast and about 5 cups of coffee, I was good to go.

The tourny started at 10am with 609 players, a couple hundered short of last year. I wasn't disappointed since although it meant less prize $, it also meant a smaller field to get through.

The second hand of the tournament I held the 2nd nut flush draw vs the nut flush draw and it bricked allowing me to live for another hand. From now on the tournament was a freeroll and that's exactly how I looked at it; the pressure was off.

I made one mistake early when a tight player raised from CO, I called in SB with KJs, 5 to a flop of AK5. Checked around. Turn Jd I lead for 500, PFR calls. Turn is 8d putting 3d's on board. I bet 1000 he raises me to 2000. I hate it but make the crying call. The dumb [censored] shows AK. I should have just folded. My table was filled with idiots but the real loosies were all 3 to my left which made things difficult. This included a maniac who within the 1st 2 hours ran his stack up from 20k to 52k then down to 13k back up to 70k+. He ended up finishing the tourny in the top 30.

Hand vs him I have A10s and raise it up, he calls. I bet flop of 3 9 10, he calls. Turn a 4 or something I bet again. River is offsuit Q I bet 1000 and he raised to 3300 and eventually call and he mucks. If I lose that hand I'm down to 12000.

50/100 level: I get 88 in SB and complete, 4 to flop: A 8 7r. Button bets 300 I call, maniac calls. Turn Ko I bet 1100 both call. River is 3o I bet 3000 button calls w/A 8. I missed some value there but that helped me get some chips.

Throughout all of day 1 I maintained an average stack for the field even though I was completely card dead throughout. By the end of day 1 I was never dealt AA, KK or JJ. AK and QQ came only once where I picked up only the blinds both times. The 888 and A 10 hands were the only ones where I got any decent action. The rest of it was just me stealing blinds or getting played back at. Finally I ended the day at 77.5k with 168 left.

Day 2:
I'm well rested and feel great. I start the day off right picking up good hands, stealing at the right times and river a set of jacks vs top pair. My stack within the first half hour gets to 110k. Then I call an EP all in for 20k with 99. He has A10. Board comes KKQ5Q which really blows. Then my steals/raises keep getting played back at or I bet the flop and have to fold turn. That kinda stuff put my back down to around 50k when I get moved. I start picking up decent hands again and raise AJ UTG for the 4th time this orbit. Button calls. J 10 4 I bet 3500 he raises to 8000. He has 15000 behind so I put him all in and he calls with KJ. His 3-outer hits the turn So now I'm way below average. WTF! I start to steam so I take a walk and regroup.

A little while later I have K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] in the SB and complete, 3 to the flop. 8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I check, same maniac bets 3000 I c/r to 10,000 he goes all in. I only have 12k left so I call. He shows 8 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]...blech. An offsuit King hits the turn and I double up.

A short while later Farhad (forget last name) gets moved to my table (he ended up finishing 7th). I've played with him a few times at 10/25 and 25/50nl downstairs. I'm being agg in position quite a bit and I'm sure he knows it. 30 min after he arrives I open-raise the button to 3500 with 6 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] he repops to 11,000 from the SB. I pause for 15 seconds and move in for 55k more. He folds I muck.

Oh, a hand one level before (400/800) came up where a weak-tight player with 60k in chips raised from 3rd pos, Chad Brown calls with about 50k. I reraise to 9000 (I have 37k to start the hand) on button with 7 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. W/T folds but Brown calls. DAMN! Flop comes 8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] He checks I bet 14000 leaving me only 12000 behind. He looks like he's gonna call so I start talking to him hoping he'll think that I'm opening my mouth so that he'll call. He soon folds 99 face up. I muck.

At my last table with only 65k in chips, average stack at around 150k I reraise all in with 9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]10 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] from the BB and super weak player folds AQ (so he said to me later although I believe him). 2000/4000/500 level I FINALLY get KK (black) for the first time the entire tourny and raise to 13k. SUPER good, smart aggressive asian player calls from CO, Very tight button calls. Flop is A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]10 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. URG! OOP vs a good player and tight player. This sucks. I only have 65k left at this point and with only 50k in the pot already I decide to check. Asian checks (he'll do this with an ace), Tightie bets only 15k into 50k pot. I muck. Turn asian bets 32k and kid shoves. They both flash an Ace.

10 min later I get KK and go over the top all in and get no action.

Leading up to my exit: I have only 65k, same blind level, and get A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]10 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] on the button. Tight player raises to 15k from EP and I decide it's Go Time. I shove. I stand up from the table and start pacing back-n-forth which was just an act to show that I was read to rock-n-roll. Maybe he'd read me for a premium hand. He talks to me but I just pace. Finally he mucks and says later on that he had AJ. Ironic that I got him to fold the best hand there because...

...exactly one orbit later I have 77k. Same kid raises to 15k and for the first time of these 20+ hours of poker I've player I finally pick up aces. Since he mucked AJ last time I figure he'll with some pretty bad hands this time if I shove. He must be sick of me by now. I shove my stack in and do the pacing behind the table thing just like last time knowing he won't read my act as strength this time. He keeps trying to talk to me but I won't talk back. Finally he stands up from the table holding his cards up but so I can't see them and I think he's gonna call. Then after another minute or so I notice his body goes kinda limpish and face looks disappointed. "OH [censored]! He's gonna fold! I GOTTA DO SOMETHING!" I say to myself. So I walk over the talbe. "Watcha wanna know man? Wassup?" HIM: "I wanna know if we're racing. Are my 2 cards live?" ME:"Don't know what to tell ya bro. I can't say either way. (pause) Look man do what ya gotta do. I'm ready to gamble I need to double up. I need chips." He stops for what seems to be a long time and still can't decide so I say "Look man you're gonna fold so just go ahead man it's cool." I lean over the table and grab my cards and make like I'm gonna muck cuz I know he's about about fold. "I call" he says and flips up 99. NICE! First words outta my mouth are "PLEASE HOLD!"

Flop is 10 8 3 and I can see a backdoor straight. Turn is J. River is 7 and there I go in 70th place where top 60 get paid.

Dear god this game is so brutal. There's always next time I guess. I feel like my time will come but I really really felt like this one was MY TIME. I was card dead for the entire tourny except for a couple of short bursts. Even so I was able to maintain an avg chip count and survive 538 players. It was some of the best live poker I've ever played. But I just needed one good run to build some chips but it never came. Needless to say the 2 hour drive home felt twice as long.