No Place At The Top Table For Me

OK, let's get this thing kicked off. Whys and wherefores will follow shortly, but I will start with details of last night's competition.

The £14,000 Guaranteed on William Hill - 580 entrants.

First hour - pretty uneventful. Dropped from 1500 to 1100 chips after I raised a couple of times with big cards which got no help on the flop. Then came a crucial hand. I limped in with 99 in early position. Two callers followed, then a raise. The blinds called, and so did I plus the two other callers. Five saw the flop of KQ9 with 2 clubs. Person before me bets 30 into a pot of about 300. Grrr. A call allows draws in cheaply, but a raise puts everyone on their guard. I decide to call, hoping the pre-flop bettor (in last position) raises. Luckily for me he does - he goes all-in (1325 chips). Big overbet, and I did think maybe he had a set of kings or queens, but I still thought I was ahead. Small blind folds, big blind then calls. He was an idiot (from what I'd seen), so I didn't mind that. I go all-in (not quite covering bet), then player behind me calls the bet. Turn and river are blanks. At the showdown I find I'm up against two hands of KT, who went all in with top pair and an inside straight draw. I quadruple through, leaving me with about 4500 chips.

At the break I'm at 3500 chips. Just after, a pair of Kings takes me to 5500 after someone tried it on with an unimproved AQ. 9500 follows soon after when I call an all-in flush draw (J high) with 88.

Next hand of note, I'm on BB, folded round to SB. The previous time it was folded round to him, he'd raised and I'd folded. This time I fully expected him to steal again, and he duly raised to 3BB. I have 78s. I call, hoping to smack him over the head with a face card on the flop. Flop comes 752, giving me top pair. He bets into me, I raise all-in and find him calling with 76. I have nearly 20,000 chips.

Hands go by. I have 99 running into a shortstack's AA, but then claw back when I force a fold on the flop with a straight draw. I grab some blinds, but then my AA comes up against a shortstack BB's T9, who flopped two pair. I'm knocked down to 7500 with blinds at 400/800 with 100 antes.

I get back up to 15000 when my A7 all-in is called by JJ and I hit my Ace. Twice in 3 hands I'm dealt AQ and take the blinds and antes.

With blinds at 1500/3000, I raise all-in when on the BB with TT and force two limpers to fold, gaining 10,000 chips. Another AQ takes the blinds, followed by A6 and A8 (I now go all-in with any ace if it's folded round to me pre-flop). Even a late raise with K3 gets the chips.

A crucial hand occurs when I have 38000 chips when there are 12 players left with the blinds at 4000/8000 and 1000 antes (18,000 in pot pre-betting). Button limps, which I read for a marginal hand. I reraise all-in on BB with 66, hoping for a fold, but expecting to be ahead if called. Button eventually calls (he had a good think) and turns over A5. He flops an Ace and I'm crippled to 10,000 chips. I hope to sneak in to the final table but am forced to go all-in with 77, wich runs into KK and I'm gone in 11th - just missing out on final table. I collect £140.