El Burro

I'm such a donkey. Couldn't resist firing up the laptop while watching the ESPN WSOP coverage last night. Which led to me playing the $30,000 guaranteed Paradise MTT last night. Which eventually led to me bubbling out at 71st place. Which led me to say, "Dude, you're such a donkey", seeing as I'm unable to kick the MTT habit.

I can't gripe too much, though. I should have gone out 150th or so, but managed to catch runner runner for a straight with my mighty pair of nines, up against a set jacks. I also made a pretty horrendous call with top pair (aces) but a crappy kicker that I knew was beat but couldn't let go.

I did, though, manage to bust someone out in amusing fashion. I had AK in early position, raised 3BB, folds to BB, who calls. He's been playing pretty aggressively, bluffing pots and showing his rags, etc. Flop comes 8 8 A. BB bets 400 (blinds were something like 400/800, we each had about T8000). I just called, waiting to see how he played the turn. Turn is a 2. BB bets 1000. I'm a little concerned, but I just don't see him playing the set that way, putting him on something like A10 (or A any, really). River is another harmless brick. He immediately pushes all-in. He's got my slightly covered, by like T200.

So I ponder for a bit. He could have flopped the set and been setting me up with the small bet on the flop, larger bet on the turn, etc. He is in the BB and could be playing any sort of junk, given his previous play. But I just didn't see it, as that would have been a perfect hand to slow-play, with the A on board and no flush or straight potential to worry about. We're almost to thr first break, too, so worst case scenario I can rebuy if I'm wrong.

I call and he flips over 35o, and immediately goes ballistic, going on and on about why do fucking morons like myself even bother playing in tournaments, how can I call that, how can I remember to fucking breathe, being the moron I am, yada yada yada. The best part was when he remarked "You've been noted, fishie." As if that's supposed to strike the fear of Jebus into me. All I said the whole time was "Nice bluff" which set him off again.

I took in a few decent pots after that but never built much of a stack. Cards were cold until just after the second break, when I got KK in EP. Blinds were 2K/4K and I had about 14K. The table was super-tight, as we were near the bubble, but we also had two of the top five chip leaders. Pretty much any raise was taking the blinds. My first instinct was to push all-in but I decided to ease back a bit and try to get some action. I bet 8K, folds to the SB (who has about T 20K), who thinks for forever and finally calls. Flop comes A 10 4. Shit. I had this horrible feeling that I was doomed but fired out my remaining chips. He called, turned over A5s, and that was that.

I kicked myself later for not pushing all-in originally, but I'm not sure he wouldn't have called anyway. He'd called with worse hands previously in similar situations, but he may have folded in that case since we were on the bubble. Who knows. I felt like I needed to risk a bit to double up more than I needed to take the blinds down, so I don't really regret it.

Feel like I'm playing decently in MTTs, despite having little to show for it in the last few weeks. I've just been on one of those bad streaks where my pre-flop favorites never seem to hold up, despite the maths being on my side. But that'll turn around, eventually, if I keep putting myself in favorable situations.

That WSOP episode with Matusow busting out was priceless. I don't wish ill will on anyone, but that toolbox had it coming in a big way. The best part was that he seemed to think he'd gotten a bad beat when calling Raymer's all-in, when Matusow only had middle pair, with no kicker. Granted, he was ahead at that point, but raymer had enough outs to be the favorite. Matusow didn't have to be in that hand at all, though, much less basically bet his tournament on such a dodgy call. I especially enjoyed his pep talks after losing that hand, about how only he had the heart to make that call, only a champion could make that call, etc. Umm, okay Mikey. And nice crying, too, on that last bad beat. Yeah, that one stung, and we all hate bad beats, but most of us don't get down in the fetal position, rocking back and forth, crying on national television. Heart of a champion, baby.