I Am Cursed at Tournaments

I am starting to think I am cursed when it comes to large-field tournaments. Last night I played the $10+R on Stars and made it deep, only to have the wheels fall off toward the end of the tournament.

I lost 2 huge pots, both all in preflop, and both as a substantial favorite. The first was with AA vs. KK when we were down to about 35 players. I was the chip leader at the time against a medium stack so it made me a medium stack. I built my stack up again almost purely by stealing, only to get it in again and lose with AQ vs. KQ preflop against a medium stack when we were down to 15 or so. This crippled me and I didn't play any important pots until we were 5-handed and I pushed my 9BBs in with KQs and ran into KK, knocking me out in 10th.

I'm not sure what I should do here. On one hand I seem to have a tremendous amount of success, since I don't play that many tournaments yet I go pretty deep in one every couple of weeks or so. But on the other hand it feels like a kick in the balls every time I get close to (and miss) "the big score". And this is the way it has always gone for me. I've never finished higher than 4th in a tournament with more than about 500 people.

I don't know if there's something wrong with my play or it's just some weird manifestation of luck that makes this happen. It feels like I'm just one or two breaks (like winning one more race or something) away from winning each and every time I go far, yet it never seems to happen. I've always just told myself that I was running bad and that I would get there eventually, but I just don't know any more.

Wow. I'm complaining about getting 10th in a tournament that had over 1700 people in it. But seriously, one win would be way better than all these stupid marginal finishes.

Ok let's move on.

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I haven't played a whole lot during the past couple of weeks, save for the home game and a little bit of online play. Let's first talk about the home game.

Last week we played No Limit Holdem and I took 2nd out of 6. Imagine something if you will. I was down to exactly 1400 chips when we were still 6-handed at the 100/200 level. For the remainder of the tournament I never had more than 11BBs but I ended up taking 2nd.

This week we played limit 5 card draw with 2 bugs (jokers). The loose/bad player in the game was exceptionally bad at this form of poker. Example: he limps UTG, CO limps, button folds, SB limps, I raise from the BB with 2d3d5d+Joker (20 outs to at least a straight). The bad player calls, CO raises, SB calls 2 more (also a terrible play by the way), I 4-bet, bad player calls 2 more, everyone calls. SB draws 3, I draw 1, bad player draws 2, CO draws 1. SB checks, I check since I missed, bad player bets, CO calls, SB folds, I fold. Bad players shows AKKQ+Joker for Aces up, CO has a smaller 2 pair and loses. Not that bad you say? He drew 2 in a 4-bet pot to the AKQ rainbow.

I ended up doubling my stack in this game, at which point somebody suggested (and everyone else agreed) to play NLH. I played a pretty big pot on one of the first few hands that went like this. With blinds of 300/600, I raise UTG tp 1800 with 55, all fold to the BB (the 2+2er friend of mine) who calls. The flop is 22K rainbow and he check-calls 3500. Turn is an 8, check check. River is a 9, he bets 6500 leaving himself with about 7000. I ponder for a while and make a sick call to beat his 44.

During the next round I lose about 1/2 my stack by getting in with ATo vs. 44 against my wife. I then get whittled down, finally moving in from the button 3-handed with AT and running into bad player's JJ. Bad played ended up winning the whole thing, which is either the first or second time he's won in about 8 months of playing almost every week.


I haven't been playing any of the cash games online this week and I don't think I will in the upcoming week either.

Can't Seem to Win

Ok, I can win sometimes. But things aren't going very well in general. I just can't seem to hit a draw or have a hand hold up in a medium-size pot. Plus I'm getting some big hands cracked. Ugh. Some hands from tonight:

1) I have $133 to start the hand. I raise to $7 UTG with AsKs, button makes it $24, I move in, he calls with KK and I lose.

2) With stacks of about $250, button opens for $7, I call from the SB with Ks5s, BB folds. Flop comes QsJs9c giving me a gutshot, overcard, and 2nd nut flush draw. I check, button bets $14, I make it $55, he moves in for ~$210 more. I tank and finally call to get shown the nuts. I miss my 11.5 outer and lose $250.

3) I make it $7 UTG with ATo, only button calls with ~$90 behind. Flop comes 558 rainbow. I check. I had been playing with the button for a few hundred hands and he has bet literally every single time I check the flop to him. He bets $12, I move him in, he calls with 88 and I don't hit runners.

4) I open for $7 on the button with QQ. Only SB calls. Flop is KhQh3s, SB check-calls a pot bet. Turn Ah, SB checks, I bet $25, SB min-raises. I think about pushing but decide to just call. River is the Ad giving me an underboat, SB moves in, I call, he has AQo and I lose. I was about a 47:1 favorite on the flop and a 22:1 favorite on the turn.

5) 1 limper, I make it $9 with QQ, BB calls, limper calls. Flop is Tc9c7s, both check to me, I bet $25, SB calls. Turn is 9h, SB checks, I check. River is 7d putting 2 pair on board. SB bets $35, I call and am shown Jh7h for the rivered 2-outer. Yes I gave it to him for free on the turn.

6) I lose a stack on an 852 board with A8 vs. 85 in the blinds. I definitely should have gotten away from this one.

7) I am in the BB wih 69o, button limps, SB limps, I check. Flop is 8TQ two spades, I bet $6, button calls. Turn is 9 (not spade), I bet $12, button calls. River is 9 (not spade). I bet $18, button min-raises, I am very confused and decide to pay off his Js5s.


Other than all of these hands I could seem to ever pick up a hand in a reraised pot. Despite the fact that I was playing 6-handed and people are re-raising light, it's nice to not have 3 overcards to your pair every time.

Frustrating... I probably won't be playing too much over the next few days since I've not been doing too well. Every time I think I'm turning things around in this 1/2 game I seem to drop 5 stacks in a single day and totally reverse both my bankroll growth and my confidence.

Somehow I'm still a winner at this level despite the massive amounts of poor play and tilt I've gone through over the 17000 hands I've played. But I've only won $2000 over 17000 hands, which is a terribly low 3ptbb/100. It's kind of sick that I was making about 2.5x as much playing $0.50/$1.00.

I really don't feel like I understand the $1/2 game, which is probably an artifact of losing. I also need to work on my emotional state while playing. I let a couple of bad beats make me crazy and do things I really shouldn't. OK I'm getting tired and I want to watch Seinfeld and go to bed.