More bubbles than an Aero

Played in two small tournaments on Tuesday (just 12 and 10 runners) with the top 3 getting the money. Rather annoyingly I came 4th both times. Can't really remember many hands from the evening. On one occasion I had an all-in with AQ called by the BB's 94. He was getting 2/1 on the call, so he's getting pot odds with his undercards provided I don't have a pair, but it was still a pretty loose call. One idea which occured to me later was that maybe this was an advertising move - he was essentially saying to the other players at the table "I'm liable to call your all-in with anything, so your hand will have to hold up - you can't steal my blind", though I think that's not really worth it. Anyway, I doubled through - people can call my all-ins with 94 till the cows come home for all I care.

At one stage I also won a big bluff when I raised limpers with T4 and thought about showing, but decided against. The limpers said they folded QJ and AT. This is becoming my favourite move when the blinds are big. An all-in when you're first in looks like a steal, but doing it when at least one other has already limped in looks really strong - plus you pick up more than a blind and a half when it works. In future I will try and identify weak limpers late on - inexperienced players do this a lot, not realising that limping is death when the blinds are big.

Last night was another select affair - a 12-runner £30 freezeout. A very strange tournament for me, but one which could radically change my thinking and make me a better player. Things started off very slowly - I got no good cards. One of the other players even commented on it, saying 'Aren't you going to play a hand, Andrew?'. As if to show to everyone how the cards were running I raised from early position. Everyone folded and I showed 54.

I won a big hand with low cards. I raised with 86 (getting one caller) and flopped a straight draw. I bet it strongly and the other guy kept calling till I hit it on the river (which also put a potential flush on the board). He went all-in and I had a think before calling (he bluffs a lot). As soon as I called he mucked his cards without even seeing what I had.

Going to the final table I think I'd managed to be chip leader (I'd knocked someone else out but can't remember anything about the hand). Cards went cold again. I pissed away some chips on two hands by bluffing/calling to hit a straight. Then came the hand which crippled me.

I got dealt AQ in mid position and raised. It's folded to the BB who re-raises me. I immediately re-raise him all-in, which was a huge mistake. This guy had been playing ultra-tight - I don't think he'd raised before the flop. Now he re-raises me, someone who'd also not been raising much. I had to give him credit for a huge hand - but I acted too quickly. I'd got too excited at the first big hand I'd been dealt all night and made a rash move. He turned over AK and it held up.

I grabbed some blinds, then doubled up when I went all-in with TT on my BB and was called by a limper with 43!! He was getting pot odds of 2/1 on the call, which is exactly his hand's pot equity, provided I haven't got a pair, which I had. Silly call.

The hand which fatally crippled me went thusly. Someone raised to 4BB, next guy called (the 43 caller from earlier) and I called on the button with 76 of clubs (looking to break someone if I got a favourable flop). Blinds folded and I dealt the flop of T85 with two clubs. A straight draw and a flush draw - lovely. Original raiser checked, then the next guy went all-in. I started having a think but, as I pondered, the first guy folded out of turn, not realising I was still in. My main concern was the all-in guy having two club overcards, and pushing on a better flush draw than mine, as it would leave me with only six outs (not enough to call). However I decided that, in his position, I'd be going all-in with lots of hands other than a flush draw so I called. He turned over KT for top pair (and showing what a questionable decision it was to call a raise with the hand). I didn't hit and was short stacked - I went out in 5th not long after with AJ.

So how will this make me a better player? Well, I got no big pairs and only twice got big cards (and they both lost). I think I'm at a stage now where I can be a lot more creative with the hands I play, and move to the next level which is concentrating on what I think my opponents are playing - just relying on cards is death.

I got involved in a little Sit and Go and was as loose as a goose (as I often am in those things) and went out in 3rd (top two paid). My last four live tourney results have been bubble, bubble, one off bubble, bubble. Bah.

I'm out on Saturday but I'm planning on making Sunday a big internet poker day, as I haven't had a chance to enter the big weekend tourneys for a while, due to being out and about.