Bubble Boy (Slight Return)

The plan was to go down to the Gutshot on Saturday for the £100 freezeout. However, my mum invited me over for a barbecue for my brother's birthday so I went to that instead. On Sunday I decided that I would use that £100 to play the £50K Guaranteed on Crypto, in order to try and get a bit of practice at bigger buy-in events.

I had got myself into a very focused frame of mind and, for some strange reason, felt confident of doing well. Early on I treaded water, losing a few chips here, winning them back there - not much to talk about. Then I picked up AK in mid position. The UTG limped for 50 (which got my spidey sense tingling). The calling station next to him limped as well. I decided to raise to 150 - a small raise behind two limpers because I wanted to see if the UTG would reraise. A late position player cold-called my raise, then the UTG guy raised to 600 (as I suspected he might). The calling station also called (not too worried about him - bad player). I debated folding, but it was 450 back to me with over 1500 in the pot, plus the prospect of a 4th player calling for value. I called the raise, as did player 4.

The flop was AT5, with two hearts. The UTG player checked, as did the calling station. I also checked as I feared a check-raise from the UTG player. Then player 4 went all-in for just over the pot. UTG and calling station both folded (UTG probably having KK or QQ). Suddenly, a hand I wasn't even sure I should have been in had opened up for me. The player I'd worried about had folded and I decided there was little chance player 4 would have gone all-in with a hand that beats me (unless AT or A5) and his bet looked more like a flush draw. I called and he showed Q9 hearts. I dodged the flush and nearly tripled up.

This set me on a nice run of good cards which I made the most of and gently moved up the leaderboard. I scraped the top ten a few times and was 20-something when my table broke with 50 players left. I'd done well identifying the tight players I could steal from and the good aggressive ones who would laydown to resteals at my previous table so I was annoyed I had to start from scratch again with new players. It was particularly annoying as this new table was more aggressive than the last one and I got dealt stone cold cards. Trying a resteal would mean sticking half my stack in with nothing, so I hunkered down and folded everything.

I got dealt AT in the BB when the button (who only had 5 BB) went all-in. It was an ATC move so I called, but he hit his K7 and my stack had a dent. With the blinds where they were, any resteal would have to be all-in.

On the bubble, it's folded round to me in mid position. I have KT, the best hand I've had for ages. It's also the first time it's been folded round to me in a while, so I raise, hoping to nick the blinds but folding like a shot to a resteal. The button (chip leader of the tournament), however, flat calls.

The flop is K66 and I have a decision to make. I've hit the flop but have no idea where I am in the hand. I have an almost pathological desire to take risks on the bubble - taunting the poker gods to smite me. I think this stems from the fact I never want to be a timid player, running down the clock each hand trying to scrape into the money. I'd rather bust out trying to get some chips.

However, this hand was different. Before it started, even though I'd taken a hit, I was in no danger of bubbling by folding. It would have burst in the next few hands anyway (one player had less than a blind left). I should have cut my losses and check-folded, even if it risked folding the best hand. Instead, I decide I was playing the hand. If I went all-in, I'd only get called by a hand which was beating me, so I check-raised, hoping he'd bet an inferior hand. He did bet, albeit with the vastly superior AK, and I was out.

I was so annoyed with myself for going out with this hand. I took unnecessary risks and got punished. I'll have to cut this out in Vegas. With the extra thought time you get in a live game I'll hopefully not make decisions that I'll regret later.