I'm done, part 2

If anyone actually reads this, sorry for the lack of updates. I've been getting set up at my job, finding an apartment, etc. All is well.

Back to poker. After Friday's debacle, I showed up for Saturday's satellites for Sunday's $400 tournament. In the satellites, 10 players put up $90, and the last two players receive $400 each to enter the tournament with or put in their pocket.

First satellite is going well. I got lucky when I played tricky and tried to trap a couple of aggressive players. Of course, you usually just trap yourself in spots like this.

Blinds 100-200. All fold to the chip leader on the button, who limps. I just complete with JJ in the small blind, thinking there is a good chance the big blind, by far the most aggressive player in the game, will raise. He disappoints me and checks.

Flop looks good, 862, but with a flush draw. I bet 500, call, raise! Yikes. The button would almost always raise preflop with a big pair. It's much more likely he will have an 8 or maybe a flush draw. I move in, and the big blind folds what he said later was A8.

The button calls with an 8 ... 86 for two pair. Of course, I am capable of sucking out from time to time and spike the 2 on the river to make a higher two pair.

I cruise from there to four-handed play, but poker has a way of evening out the luck (and then some). Blinds 400-800, big blind from previous hand moves all-in UTG for 3K or so. I have about 10K (half the chips in play) and call with AK of spades. He has A6, 6 on the flop, no help.

It stings, but I'm still chip leader. Three-handed now, button folds, and I just move all-in from the SB with TT, expecting the BB to call with a wide range. He beats me into the pot with 66 (as he should, by the way).

This pot has 75 percent of the chips in play in it, and another 6 on the flop does me in. Now he has 15K, and the other player and I have about 2500 each.

Why does poker hate me so much? I have twice had chances to earn my $400 seat for $90, once as a 3-1 favorite and another as a 4 1/2-1 favorite, and lost both. It happens, but FUCK!

Now, I lose my nerve and ask the third player if he wants to chop and take $200 each, for a $110 profit. He agrees. Why did I do this? Answer: Because I was scared to lose.

This is not a proper mindset in which to play poker. I take the profit and enter another satellite, lose, and finish up a clean $20 for the session.

So, I pony up the $400 to play my last big tournament before heading back to work.

In my next post, you'll read how I donkeyed that money off.