PCA $5000 NL conclusion
This was one of the weirder Day 2s of a tournament I've ever played. Everything pretty much well until the final table, which was an absolute nightmare.
I started the day off poorly, running QQ into K9. Door card nine, dealer fumbles the flop and slowrolls me for the other 9. Down to 55k right in the first orbit. Shove a couple times and get no calls, then pick up AA and run into Peter Eastgate's ... AA. Peter had just finished eliminating Paul Magriel with AQ vs. AQ so the precedent had been set, but nothing else happened.
Doubled through ZeeJustin with KJ vs KT. Then I won a 77 vs AK flip. Then check-shoved JTc on a 988 flop, was called by QT, and made a club flush. Won some more, then after Eastgate smooth-called with KK, I flopped top set on him and doubled through. When we consolidated through the final table I had over 800k in chips.
At 8-handed I had one-third of the chips in play. Then it all just went to shit. I lost showdown after showdown. Normally you don't get to lose more than two, at most three, all-in showdowns in a tournament because you run out of chips. But I would double someone up for 200k, then win it back, then lose another flip for 250k, win back 100k, lose another flip for 300k, win some back, lose another flip, ad infinitum. I actually doubled up one specific opponent, the guy on my left, six times (he actually ended up finishing third). I think I went 0-for-8 on preflop all-ins at the final table which just plain isn't supposed to happen! None were really truly horrible beats, just the usual stuff: KJ vs AT, Q8 vs 76, ATs vs 99, 66 vs AK, 77 vs AQ, and so on. But I just never won *any* of them. I was A4 vs JJ once and that was the only hand where I was a big dog. I did flop a set in a raised pot and bust a player for 200k -- that was when I got to my peak. It was by far the most frustrating final table I've ever played just because I simply could not win a showdown. It really does take a lot to exasperate me, but I was totally blown.
I've gone deep and busted out of many tournaments in the past without winning (more than I'd like), but this one felt the worst just because it was pure torture. In terms of plain old "how much this sucks", it is up there with the $1000 rebuy in the WSOP this year. But that was the quick ugly jaw-dropping KO rather than the death by a thousand cuts. I mean, it was so bad that I would double someone up and then he would say, "wow, you are running terrible" or some such.
So I walked over to the Marina Village steakhouse actually to find Gavin and Kristen and mope, but instead I found Dan and Sharon Goldman and their family, Bill Chen and his friend Trish, adbploink, Isabelle Mercier and her agent and probably others. But they were all drinking and happy and celebratory and I was just a big downer, so I didn't hang out long. Eventually though I went to go see Gavin and Kristen in the lobby and we were joined by Mike "Timex" McDonald, and later Eastgate -- who ultimately won the tournament -- joined us as well. I have to say I wanted to hate Eastgate for being a greedy bastard and winning this puny 5k after taking down $9 million, but he really is a very nice guy and fun to talk to, so I can't. (Besides, I never really lost any big pots to him.) Anyway, after a few hours of socialization the dark cloud eventually lifted over me and I ended up having fun for the night -- we ended up all splitting up and heading to bed around 4:00 AM.
Tomorrow I will try to see as many people as possible for lunch and dinner, then I fly back on Sunday.
[Edit: Oh yeah, I finished in 5th place and won $70000.]
I started the day off poorly, running QQ into K9. Door card nine, dealer fumbles the flop and slowrolls me for the other 9. Down to 55k right in the first orbit. Shove a couple times and get no calls, then pick up AA and run into Peter Eastgate's ... AA. Peter had just finished eliminating Paul Magriel with AQ vs. AQ so the precedent had been set, but nothing else happened.
Doubled through ZeeJustin with KJ vs KT. Then I won a 77 vs AK flip. Then check-shoved JTc on a 988 flop, was called by QT, and made a club flush. Won some more, then after Eastgate smooth-called with KK, I flopped top set on him and doubled through. When we consolidated through the final table I had over 800k in chips.
At 8-handed I had one-third of the chips in play. Then it all just went to shit. I lost showdown after showdown. Normally you don't get to lose more than two, at most three, all-in showdowns in a tournament because you run out of chips. But I would double someone up for 200k, then win it back, then lose another flip for 250k, win back 100k, lose another flip for 300k, win some back, lose another flip, ad infinitum. I actually doubled up one specific opponent, the guy on my left, six times (he actually ended up finishing third). I think I went 0-for-8 on preflop all-ins at the final table which just plain isn't supposed to happen! None were really truly horrible beats, just the usual stuff: KJ vs AT, Q8 vs 76, ATs vs 99, 66 vs AK, 77 vs AQ, and so on. But I just never won *any* of them. I was A4 vs JJ once and that was the only hand where I was a big dog. I did flop a set in a raised pot and bust a player for 200k -- that was when I got to my peak. It was by far the most frustrating final table I've ever played just because I simply could not win a showdown. It really does take a lot to exasperate me, but I was totally blown.
I've gone deep and busted out of many tournaments in the past without winning (more than I'd like), but this one felt the worst just because it was pure torture. In terms of plain old "how much this sucks", it is up there with the $1000 rebuy in the WSOP this year. But that was the quick ugly jaw-dropping KO rather than the death by a thousand cuts. I mean, it was so bad that I would double someone up and then he would say, "wow, you are running terrible" or some such.
So I walked over to the Marina Village steakhouse actually to find Gavin and Kristen and mope, but instead I found Dan and Sharon Goldman and their family, Bill Chen and his friend Trish, adbploink, Isabelle Mercier and her agent and probably others. But they were all drinking and happy and celebratory and I was just a big downer, so I didn't hang out long. Eventually though I went to go see Gavin and Kristen in the lobby and we were joined by Mike "Timex" McDonald, and later Eastgate -- who ultimately won the tournament -- joined us as well. I have to say I wanted to hate Eastgate for being a greedy bastard and winning this puny 5k after taking down $9 million, but he really is a very nice guy and fun to talk to, so I can't. (Besides, I never really lost any big pots to him.) Anyway, after a few hours of socialization the dark cloud eventually lifted over me and I ended up having fun for the night -- we ended up all splitting up and heading to bed around 4:00 AM.
Tomorrow I will try to see as many people as possible for lunch and dinner, then I fly back on Sunday.
[Edit: Oh yeah, I finished in 5th place and won $70000.]