On to the Elite 8 of Event #31

Scoop. I'm on to the elite 8 which will be televised, and I'm 3 matches away from a potential bracelet. I beat Carmel Petresco in the round of 16. Five minutes into the match against Carmen, I figured out how I was going to play. The reality is Carmen just did not have a fold button. I settled on just taking her to value town on a lot of rivers when I knew I had it, and keeping bluffs to an absolute (if not nonexistent) minimum. I mixed up my raises and limps. Carmel played incredibly passive postflop and didn't checkraise me one time. Therefore, I was able to easily take control of the match. I had a 360-320 lead when she raised a pot and I called with QhTc. We checked the flop and turn on Ac Qh Jc 8c. The river the the 4c. I checked and Carmel bet 20000 into the 8000 pot. I called with the third nuts and she mucked. I had her down to 280 when another nice one came up. I raised 96ss and she called. The flop came 874 with two clubs. She checked, I bet and she called. Turn Ac for flush board now. She checked and I checked. The river was a nice red 5. She bet out 15000, and I value raised it to 50000 with the nut straight. After some thought she called and my hand was good. I had her 440-200 when the unbelievable bust hand came up at 3/6000. Carmel had recently started raising a lot of my limps, and I'd folded. I found KhKs and limped. She raised 16000 more, and after some thought I raised 35000 more to 57000 total. Carmel thought for 20 seconds and jammed. I fell out of my seat calling and unbelievably she showed me AdAc. Much to my delight though, the board came xh xh x xh Qh to give me a four flush. So sick to have KK vs AA heads up. Carmel is such a sweet girl and handled the sick beat I laid on her with complete class. Tomorrow I play another woman, Vanessa Selbst. She beat Paul Wasicka, and I'd be lying if I said I'm not happy to avoid facing Paul heads-up. My side of the bracket is definitely the toughest. If I get through VS I will have the unenviable task of facing Toto Leonidas or online cash game phenom Daniel "Rekrul" Schreiber. I had an 8:30 a.m. back doctor's appt. scheduled, but I cancelled it because I have some business to tend to before tomorrow's TV final table. One time win the bracelet...please.

SS