Runner-Runner-Rebuy

I managed to win my Tournament of Champions seat last night after only a half-dozen or so tries in the BBT4. I got some good cards, won some flips, lost some flips, sucked out, and was sucked out on. I somehow brought a good game to the table and did about as good as I could extracting chips when I had the cards (and sometimes when I didn't). I know for a fact it has to do with Hoy calling me out for not winning a mookie yet. It just got me into a Monday's at the Hoy mood. I used to do really well in his tourney's and love that there is a $26 monday night game again. So props to Hoy for calling me out.

The final table bubble lasted a really long time, as did the final three - myself, Jo, and TJ.

I ran very well early on, picking up KK three times, AA twice, AKs twice (flopping top two once and turning Broadway the second time) and chipped up to 12K before the first break.

I had some setbacks against Astin and Cmitch and got snapped back to 6K during the second hour.

I proceeded patiently from then on, and worked my way back to 20K or so when my KK held against nzgreens AK. I fluctuated between 20-25k for a while on the final table bubble.

At the final table, Tony Eusebio went on an aggro-maniac tear. Raising and re-raising over and over and over. He took the chip lead and became my primary target, especially once he got to 60K raising with ATC, and I was back down to 20K. To be fair, he got to 60K with AK, but I knew there was no way he had great cards every time he re-raised all-in, so I bided my time.

Down to 4, at 600/1200, our chip stackes were -

Seat 2: Joanne1111 (32,672)
Seat 3: VinNay (22,841)
Seat 4: TuscaloosaJohn (27,645)
Seat 8: Tony Eusebio (42,842)

I raise with A5off to 3600. Tony re-raises all in (as he had the past 4 or 5 times I came in with a raise). I figure my A is ahead and make the call against his J-10. Flop comes AAx and I double, and let loose a sign of relief. Tony is a very good, aggressive player, and I was just praying this was one of those times he had a marginal hand.

Jo took out Tony in the next hand when her flush beat his straight. Three handed, we took turns taking the chip lead for a while, and I mistakenly told TJ "gg" when I thought Jo took him out, but he still had a few thousand. Of course he turned his micro-stack into the chip lead in a few hands.

I played some re-raising games and got up to 60K vs 40K and 20K before TJ's KQ > my A9, knocking me back down to 40K.

Jo took a big lead and got to almost 80K vs our 20K stacks. My flopped set of 33 beats her 66 and I double. Jo held us on the ropes as she build her stack again, and ultimately took out TJ when her KK held against his JA.

I came into heads up a 2-1 chip dog, but got aggro and closed the gap to 66K to 59K.

With 4s9s, I limp from SB.
*** FLOP *** [4d 8d 9d]
Jo bets out 4500. I flat call.
Turn is 5h.
Jo checks, so I try to rep the flush and take it down now in case she was betting the flush draw.
I bet 6K, and she mins to 12.
The pot is laying me 5-1, giving me just the right odds to call on a boat draw.
River comes 2h, no apparent help for anyone, but Jo pushes all-in.

I request time and tank. Jo's check-raise on the turn still has me confused. Check-raise should be telling me she wants no more action, considering I flat call the flop. Is she worried I have a better flush draw to her made flush? But it was a min raise....she knows she has to bet bigger than that considering my action.....and then the push on the river....if she puts me on a flush draw, she knows she doesn't need to risk everything to get a fold......

I type uuggggggg into the chat box, and conclude either she has nut flush, or is behind my 2 pair.

She shows 8h2c for a worse two pair and I double up and have 120K vs her 7K. I raise 3 hands in a row (Q2, J4, and finally Q4) and she calls the third with 10-5. Board helps no one and I go home winna!

See ya'll in May at the TOC. I missed the BBT3 TOC, and so did no TOC player roundup, but expect to see one from me in the coming weeks as I pour over my data on all the winners.