Satellite MANIA!!

Just kidding. Going for a dramatic effect there.

But I did take down a satellite for tomorrow's $400 tournament on my second try today. The single-table satellites are $90 with two winners receiving $400 each or a seat in tomorrow's event.

I went out 7th in the first one, running AJc into A9o for nearly a quarter of the chips in play, all-in preflop. Turn 9.

Built up beautifully in the second one. Blinds 25/50, an aggressive player overbets under the gun to 300. Three people call ahead of me, and I am thinking, "What the fuck are all these people calling nearly a quarter of their stacks with in the first round?"

Then I look down at 88 and join the party. With everyone in, I am playing, "no set, no bet," but looking to bust the UTG player. Flop comes a glorious Q84 with two hearts. The UTG player bets out 600 into the 1575 pot. Everyone folds to me.

The UTG player and I have some history of playing each other hard, and he knows I am willing to bluff-raise, and especially semi-bluff-raise with my draws. He will do the same to me.

So I have an easy all-in for 1100 more. When he hesitates, I am a little pissed because I think now he might save the last half of his stack, fold AK and play on.

Instead, he shrugs his shoulders and calls with A9c. The one club on the flop gives me visions of a runner-runner nightmare, but he is dead on the turn when he makes a pair, 9d.

I now have more than a quarter of the chips in play and plan to be here for a while. I fold for a round, then knock out 40 percent of my stack when I raise with KQ, then set a caller all-in for 1600 on a 9-high flop. He makes a good? call with AQ and I miss the three-outer.

I am not down for long, however. I pick up JJ and bust my friend when he comes over the top of me with KQ, hoping I am weak. I win the race, and he's where he belongs, on the rail. (Nothing like playing your friends in poker)

I let the short stacks settle themselves out when we are 6-handed, picking up the blinds at least once a round to make sure my stack doesn't go down. I get three-handed with the aggressive UTG player (who made a huge comeback with just a couple hundred chips after losing the early hand to me) and one of the house dealers, who had filled a seat in the satellite.

The dealer is outchipped, but gets the aggressive player to double him up drawing dead with king-high vs. the dealer's flush.

These two are bound to collide, and I make sure to just maintain my stack until the dealer finally finishes the guy off to give us both the win.

So, long post short, I'm in the $400 tournament for $180. Not bad.

Hoping to run well tomorrow and pick up the big score.