Final Round

So all day they claimed that the tournament was spaced out properly and that we would reach the money tomorrow... but, if worst case scenario, we got down to a certain number of people left today, they would end early to make sure that the money was tomorrow (For ESPN - Day Three is not ESPN worthy, but Day Four, The Money Day evidently is).

At any rate, round four ended up being the final round for today,  which was nice because i got out early and can get a decent nights sleep tonight.  On the other hand,  it was a brutal and unforgiving round. 

So i fold for awhile until i get pocket tens in a middle position and raise for antes and blinds. 

Then i folded.

For awhile.

A lot of folding. 

Then i called a raise with king jack suited in one of the blinds.  Flop comes K 7 5... with two diamonds.  So i bet it...  and he calls.  The turn is a 3... and not a diamond.  So i bet 16,000... a good size bet.  And he calls.  The river is the 9 of diamonds and he's giddy.

I didn't want to show too much weakness on the river,  but i didn't want to spend any more money on the hand... and I didn't want to have to fold,  so i laid out a little 6,000 bet hoping he might call and not raise.

 

He raised me to 35,000. 

Ugh.  He's got the diamonds.  

So i folded.  Top pair.  i folded.  

Because there were three diamonds on the board and he made a big bet. 

But you know what?  He had it.  He chased straights and flushes all night and even said that he had both a straight and flush draw and wasn't going anywhere when he said he had it three hands later.  So losing the 30k is awful,  but at least i didn't compound it by calling and losing 60k.

Moral victory aside, I'm down under 100k.

So i fold for awhile,  just hemorrhaging chips,  and get pocket sevens in the big blind that i played to a raise.  Flop came 2 Q 8 and we both checked.  Turn was another 2 and i bet,  he called.  The river was a 9, i checked,  he bet,  i folded. 

Ugh.

More folding.

More chip bleeding.

A10 off in the blinds with a raise and a call...  i call.  5 6 7. Check around.  K. I put seat four on KQ and he leads out betting it.  Ugh,  if i'm right about his pair of kings, i need one of three aces in the deck on the river to win... sigh,  fold.

River was an ace. 

Dammit.

They showed..  seat four had KJ, i knew he had the kings.  

Still,  that hurt...  i lost 10,000 instead of picking up 50,000 (More betting after the river)

Tilting... kid draws a flush...  KA instead of it coming AK. Folding.  Losing chips.

Then...  jacks!  First time all tournament!  So i raise...  everyone folds... and i win antes and blinds.

Winning one round of antes and blinds every three or four rounds is no longer cutting it because I'm losing more chips in the other 2 or 3 rounds than I take in and I'm running out of chips.  

But then i limped from the small blind with A5 and wound up betting the turn of a paired board...  but he called... bet me on the river and i folded away the 10k my jacks got me in one hand. 

And then,  with about forty five minutes left in the level,  seat four raises my big blind.  Everyone else folds.

Kings.

I've played with this guy all day...  i just called his hand on the pair of kings...  I know this guy... and he has almost 600,000 in chips...  this is it... this is my chance. 

I'm down to about 65,000 in chips,  a M Ratio of high seven for the current level,  low six for the next level.  I have to find a way to double up here...  antes and blinds aren't going to do it.

I've got this guy...

So i call and the flop comes 4h 8h Jc. I'm first to act and i want to bet it and either get more money in the pot or take down the 20k or so already in there. 

But i don't,  the hard part is over,  i missed an ace on the flop.  So i check to let him bet it,  which he does. 

Now i want to move all in. If i call his 10k and move down to basically 50k or less, I'm pot committed anyway... why let him draw? 

Because i need it all...  

So i call... after a nice rendition of "I'm going to agonize over calling to chase this flush" act. 

The turn was the 5c... excellent,  i don't want a third heart to spook him (or give him a flush)

So now i really want to bet,  but i don't...  i check.  And he bets 15,000.

I make a showing of counting my chips and realizing that if i call,  i might as well move all in...  so i shove,  and he calls.

He has AJ... a pair of jacks,  no flush or straight draw.  

He's shocked by my kings,  i played them perfectly and got every last dime in on them.  Doubling up gives me over 140,000 and a M Ratio of 15 heading into the final round before the money day tomorrow. 

As long as he doesn't get one of three aces in the deck on the river, of course. 

I mean...  that wouldn't happen,  right?

And the river was...

An ace!  Just kidding,  you should know me better than that - i never get knocked out by the things i see coming,  it's the ones i don't even think of... like the Jack he spiked on the river to hit a set and knock me out of the tournament for the second year in a row on a hand that i was over 88% to win when i got my money in. 

Yeah, so that happened.

Again.

Ugh. 

So round four was my final round.  Two to three rounds away from the money.  The board said 902 people left out of the 6,683 that started when i left... 690 got paid. 

I was 88.6% to win going into that river.  88.6% for 140,000 in chips and a M Ratio of 15 with a couple more levels until the money.

And one card later, i was one of the 210 people that were between everyone else and the money. 

That's poker.