Out in 9th (long)

Bleh. I was the first casualty at the final table. I earned an insignificant 5650 dollars. In the first 5 minutes it was folded to me on the button and I found 5h4d. I raised to 2200 and the SB called. The BB folded and we saw Ac 7s 6c. He led out for 3000, and after much thought I decided to call and leave myself 16000. I felt like this guy had 2nd pair and was never, ever going to fold it to me if I shoved with almost no fold equity. Calling may be marginal, but I didn't think he would bet the turn too, so I'd be getting 2 cards for the 11:3 price he was laying me, and I felt he would certainly put 16000 more in if an 8 or 3 came off. The turn was a 4. Now it was a yucky spot. He bet out 6000, and I finally just folded. On the very next hand a gentleman named Evan opened in MP for 2500 and a young lady in her 20s called right behind him. I found QhQd in the cutoff and shipped my 15800 in. Evan folded and the girl named Khamsy tank called me with two black nines. The board was no help to her and she was crippled. We lost a couple players and were down to 16. An Asian guy limped in EP for 1200 of his 19000 and the SB completed. I checked K7ss in the BB, and I had a feeling the Crasian limped a big hand. The flop was a magic 8s 6s 5c. The SB checked, and I led out 2500. The limper instantly jammed for 19000 total. I don't like calling off that much on a coinflip, but I have to in a shallow tournament. He showed me a gross AcAs for a spade blocker. The turn was a red ten and the river a red 4 to give me the pot. It took the guy 5 seconds of celebration to realize he had, in fact, lost the pot. I was up to around 63000 now and in the top 4 in chips of 15 remaining. With 14ish left a guy shoved UTG for 8400 at 6/1200 (300) as time expired to end a level and go on break. I called with AJo right behind him. He showed me K8o. The board came 6548x, and the dealer shipped him the 20000 chip pot. I was at 51100 and just above average as the 14 of us went on break. I came back and got back up to around 65000 before a tough pot came up. With 13 players left I made a big laydown. I opened UTG 7 handed the first hand back from break with QQ. The guy right behind me called 4300 of his 22000 off. It was folded to Evan in the SB and he insta-repopped to 14300. I pondered for 2 minutes and finally folded. Evan and I had been staying out of each other's way, and I felt he had AK minimum. The other guy then calls off 10000 of his 18000. The flop comes KJx. Check-Check. Turn Ace. Evan sets him all-in and he folds two tens. I beg Evan to show and he shows me JJ, hmm. I announce to the table that I folded QQ. I still like my laydown given the situation. With 12 players left, we were 6 handed, and I raised Ah6d UTG to 4300 at 8/1600 (300) after an active couple of hands. The BB, a semi-stubborn, player moved in for 10900 more. Getting almost exactly 2:1 I finally settled on call after much deliberation. This is a very, very tough spot, and it may actually be a fold. I thought he'd send KQ, KJ and even KT as well as 22-55 very often. He showed me AK though, and I sweated a chop on 45JJ9. I was down to around 44000 now and below average. I hung around 45000ish with 11 left. An interesting pot came up when a good young player opened for 4300 of his 24000 in MP 6 handed. Semi-stubborn guy flat called 4300 of his 29500 in the SB. I'd played with him a lot in the tournament and seen him call out of the blinds with marginal hands, so I didn't feel like he was trapping. I found 88 in the BB and decided to squeeze it. I jammed and the young guy called all-in. The other guy then went into the tank and called all-in too! The young guy immediately flipped up AdAh and the other guy showed AKss. I could win a little bit on the side if I could beat AK atleast. The board came x x x x x, so I lost the main pot and won the sidepot to eliminate the guy in 11th. Meanwhile, Gene Todd was eliminated on the other table simultaneously to send us to a final table of 9. I was crippled to 22600 but amazingly still 7th out of 9 in chips. I liked my draw at the final table. Jimmy Tran and Evan, a great player from Indianapolis, both to my immediate right. The guy with 30 percent of the chips was to my left. I played with this guy the night before and he made some VERY stubborn calls. Absolutely no fold button for this guy. On the first hand he doubled up a tight young Asian player with A9o vs KK in a reraised 120000 chip pot on a T97 flop. He then doubled up another guy with QJ vs AK. We were still 9 handed when it was folded to Evan in the SB. I had just 21000 in chips at 12/2400 (400). He raised it to 6000 and I found KcQs in the BB. I obviously have to go with it and shove for 14500 more. He pondered and called with As2d. I got lucky and outflopped him for all my chips on KT4hhh. The board bricked for him and I was up to 44000ish now. I went through the blinds and then found JJ in MP. I raised to 6500. Said chipleader called right behind me. I intended on going to the felt on just about any flop against this guy because he calls so light. It was folded to young guy (Michael Pesek, according to pokerpages) and he thought for 15 seconds before announcing all-in for approx 60000. It was folded back to me, and I thought for 3 long minutes before finally calling off my last 32000. I decided he had QQ, 99 or TT. He thought too long for it to be AK. I would not have called in this spot if I thought he had AK. I also took into account that he knew I folded QQ in a similar spot earlier and may shove less than premiums here. The other guy folded, and Michael frowned when I turned over JJ. He showed me TT...yay. The doorcard was a T, my heart sunk, and I never caught up. That's poker. I wished the table good luck and headed back to Commerce with Stephanie. I felt like I played close to perfect and look forward to playing the main event. It's nice to get a final table under my belt before the ME. If I play tournament poker like I did the last two days then the reality is that I'm a threat to win any NLHE tournament I enter. I also got 17 Player of the Year points for my finish and will jump from 592nd up to 563rd...weeeeeeeeee. I'll play a mega satellite tomorrow night at 8:15 at Bike.

Today, Stephanie and I went to Universal Studios. It was a great time. I'll try to blog about it later. Tomorrow we might go to the beach before the tournament. Thanks for reading.

SS