Everyone knows not to bluff muppets - don't they?

Yesterday was a frustrating day. Played two tournaments on Blondepoker - the WSOP Super Sat ($375) and the $250,000 Guaranteed ($430). Bought straight into both, so what did I have to show for my $800?

Came 40th of 85 in the WSOP satellite. Managed to get up above average and then dribbled away a bit. Played two hands badly. Raised with 77, get a call from the behind me, creating a pot of 1300. Flop is A66, he has 1800 left so I decide to represent the Ace and push. Ridiculous decision. These guys love to call raises with Aces and aren;t going to fold. He has AJ.

Ten hands later I raise with 22 and get a call from a Frenchie in the BB (pot is 1100). Flop is JJ9 and he checks. I push for 1500 and he instacalls with 88. Another bad decision from me - why do I keep trying to bluff these guys?

The $250K was very annoying. Huge overlay ($90K) thanks to the network messing up and closing registration ten minutes before the start - sweet. After a quiet start I managed to get up to the top five simply through hitting some flops and getting paid off by the fools. Maintained my position in the top ten and then got moved to a hugely tight table. A ten-seat table which went fold-fold-fold-fold-fold-fold-raise-fold-fold-fold every single hand. I managed to grab some blinds every hand but had absolutely nothing so didn't want to risk any resteals, as these guys were only raising with good cards, and would be liable not to fold to a push.

Finally got AA on the button. I'd been frustrated in the WSOP sat earlier by getting AA UTG and only winning 90 chips so I was praying for some action before me, as I knew I'd get paid off. Early position Frenchie limps (excellent - he's trapping with something), so I raise a little bit and he pushes. Happy days. He has QQ and flops a Queen :(

This knocked me back but I was still above average. However I was still on a very tight table, getting no cards, and with no opponents prepared to bleed chips. About half an hour goes by. I have the exact same stack (one blinds steal per round) but am now below average, due to the other players getting knocked out. A mid position player open min-raises. I'd seen him do this a couple of times before. I'm on the button with 88 and decide this is the time for my first resteal - if I wait much longer I'm not going to have enough to make anyone fold.

I push, and he has AA. I am sadly lacking in snowman magnetism so go out 98th of the 399 starters. What annoyed me so much was that I'd got off to such a great start in a tournament with a $65K first prize and then simply didn't have any chance to capitalise on things. There was definite frustration in the push with 88 - it's -EV against a raiser on this table's likely raising range, and I'd already noted how bad the players generally are (these are the ones who won't let go of A9 in this situation). Did I go too soon? Could I have waited? Maybe, but it's making decisions like this which lead me to win tournaments and rarely cash small. Overall it's probably more profitable, but the variance is a killer.

One funny hand from earlier. At 15/30 a short stack (who'd lost a big pot with AK v AQ two hands ago) goes all-in from under the gun for 180. I have JJ in mid position and about 3000 chips. I raise to 400 to signal my intention to the other players to step aside. The SB re-raises to 1200. In my less disciplined past I'd ship it here and lose to QQ+, but here I took a little while and decided there'd be a better spot. I hadn't given much thought to what the all-in player had, thinking it was a bit of a steam push, but he had a genuine hand in AQ. The re-raiser though, had the monster of A5 soooooooted. I nearly fell off my chair. A five on the flop, and another on the river meant I made the right choice from a results based perspective, but really, A5? The next hand was quickly folded so a note could be written about Mr A5.

I simply must, must, must play more straightforwardly against these guys. Maybe I should have a night where I simply play every single MTT - four on the go at once should keep me honest.