What Coulda Been

Day 2 of the 2500 Limit Event started with two short handed tables. My stack beginning the day was 30k, placing me in 10th place of the remaining 13 players. I blinded down a little before my first big hand took place. A small stack, an aggressive player limps utg in a 5 handed game, this set off warning bells in my head immediately but decided to call the 2 chips from the SB with 23 of hearts. The flop came perfectly 239 and I was able to bust his QQ and chip up to 45k. Within minutes we were redrawing for the final table as two players busted quickly from the other short table.

At the final table I had Joe Sebok on my right. He opened the very first pot from the cutoff and I reraised him on the button with QJ of diamonds. He immediately check folded the flop. But this was just the beginning of my battles vs Mr Sebok, as we played numerous big pots throughout the final table. With him ultimately having the last laugh.

Play at the final table was fairly snug, without many big pots being played. I lost a couple sb vs bb battles to Ralph E Porter AKA "Rep", before making a stand vs Cyndy Violette. She had been playing fairly tight, but I decided to call her button raise out of the BB with 9-10. When the flop came Q-9-x with 2 hearts I decided to make my stand with my remaining chips. I was able to fade her flush draw and double up while crippling her.

A little while later my pocket kings sucked out on Rep's AQ on the A high flop when the king spiked on the river. Then after a few small pots and another confrontation with Joe Sebok I was now chip leader with 6 remaining. But as things go at a short stacked final table, no lead is safe. When we got down to 4 handed, Rep and Sebok had 80% of the chips with Glen Cozen and I sharing the remaining few chips. I had a slight lead at this point over Glen and both of us were hoping the other would get involved in a confrontation with one of the big stacks. Eventually Rep put the nail in the coffin eliminating Glen in 4th place, in a SB vs BB battle.

Now that we were 3 handed with 525k in chips in play, and I only had 21k, with Rep and Joe fairly even. I posted 8k in the BB, Rep raised Joe called in the SB, and I reraised 5 more chips with 94 of clubs. Somehow my 94 sooooooted was able to beat of AJ and 88 and I was back in business. I turned those 63 chips into 170K over the next several orbits. I was now in second place ahead of Joe by about 40K. But all was for not as I lost a couple pots, and made my final stand with Ace Ten vs Joe's K10, but the king on the flop sealed my destiny.

Starting the day I guess I would have been happy climbing up the ladder to finish 3rd but once you get that far and don't win it leaves a very bitter taste in your mouth. If my 9-4 had lost I think I would have left much happier but to build a big stack 3 handed and not be able to finish is a very frustrating. I beat 102 people to earn 23k, but to beat one more I would have earned 25k more (48 total), and to beat two more I would have gotten 75k more (97 total). So as you can see all the money in these events go to the winner and when you have a chance to close to door everything must be done to secure victory.

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Today I plan on playing the 1500 limit event, even though I am not completely over last nights defeat.