Too early today to say if keeping it tight or splashing around is the best approach. Of course just flopping a set and getting paid is the optimum course, but lately that seems to be happening for everyone else. Maybe today is when it changes? Positive mental attitude and all that crap.
77 in a 3 way pot, and they jack it up preflop and get the lot in with KK and AK. That's 1500 I donated to the cause. A few hands after I get 10 10 which also misses. Damage limitation. 18K is now 15,500.
Just found KK and in a three way pot the board ran out AQQ2A. My KK ended up in last place but I got out before it got stupidly expensive.
Level 3. The guy to my right is nice enough, but has played 90% of hands. His chips are up and down. I'm still waiting for something decent to materialise. We're now at 100/200 and 99/107 remain.
The aforementioned nice guy just busted with A 10 vs A J on an A38 flop where two guys managed to get it all in on the flop, and another player had folded 33 preflop. I'm definitely playing a different game to most people. I'm trying to work out if that's a good or bad thing.
A new player replaces the bustout on my right, and quickly raises on a total button steal with Ac 2s. QQ in the big blind decides it's not happening and repops. Somehow in all this, they manage to get it in before the flop, all 18K of it each, and the A2 runs out a scabby flush to send the QQ packing. What was the QQ thinking getting the lot in so good? It sucks to be cursed in poker, or at least to feel like it, but I guess it's very nice to be blessed.
Approaching the first break and I've won a few small pots to stay on around 14K. Feels like so far I've had to work for it and be more sensible than some of my counterparts.
Back from break and my neighbour on the right who had the A2 has somehow managed to blow the whole lot and bust out in a single hand. He's replaced by an unsmiling guy who is watching TV poker on his phone and more annoyingly, doesn't think that listening to it on headphones is the right approach in public, so it's blasting away next to me. Sigh. I'd really rather not be the guy that seems like he's making a big deal, even though it is pretty inconsiderate, so I just put my own headphones on and fire up Spotify.
114/138 now showing on the screen. It's felt so far today like it's been a real grind, which is not great considering it's only level 4, but we're still there and that's what counts in these things. Press on, do the right things, and wait for the tide to turn.
Midway in level 5 now, and it's still a slow burn. it's lovely to get the nice early double up and boss the table from there, but for the moment at least, it just ain't happening that way for young Kevin. Much as I'd love to spice up the updates with tales of how I five-bet shoved with 85 off and won, I'm still trying to just fight the tide and be sensible whilst half the table are playing like Rhesus monkeys who've been given a buy in and a set of intructions.
Well, being sensible worked out just great for me. I must do that more often.
There's a raise to 700 , and I make it 2500 on the button with Qd Qs, which should be enough to either find out I'm losing, or get someone to put in their money in a fairly bad spot at 50/150/300. We see a flop heads up, which is J 5 9 with two spades. That works just fine for me unless I'm up against something ugly.
It's checked to me and I make it 4000, stating my intent to not go anywhere in the hand if need be. He dwells, then makes it 9000 total. Well, we're not betting this big to fold. I jam and wait for the call to see which ugliness I'm up against this time.
He calls and tables 7s 8s. A double gutshot and a flush draw. A big combo-hand, but still at this stage, effectively 8 high. Pot is around 43K. These are the ones we need to win.
Turn is the Kh, good card for me. The river is the 4s, making him a flush and busting me out. Again.
Goodnight. It's really been fun today. Not.