I raised with KJs from (relatively) early position. Overaggressive player in the 3 (he’s vibrating like a Cop On The Edge) 에볼루션카지노from the SB. I call knowing that a good flop will give me a lot of chips.
Flop comes jack high. He checks. Somehow I know I’m beat and check behind. Turn is a blank. He checks again. This time I’m counting out chips but change my mind and check again. River is another blank, he makes a half-pot bet of T1000, I call, he shows queens.
So I lost T2022 with top pair good kicker. But at least I had a good read.
The guy’s a nut. He’s bluff-checkraised into a straight on the river when only holding top pair. I think I may get my chips back.
Coming into the first break with one T100 chip less than I started with. No cards. I’ve played one pot where I turned two pair with ATo; player on my left folded to a smallish river bet.
Every steal I’ve attempted has succeeded, so obviously I should be stealing more.
One pair so far, 22, and it was with two limpers and a raise ahead of me. I folded.
Chip count: T19900, 50/100 blinds when we come back.
Haven’t played a pot in forever. Buttson-raised with J6o. Took it down. It’s the small victories that are best.
No cards. I’m in no hurry, but I need to raise once in a while to buy some action once I get them. I think.
Blair Rodman and (I think) Maureen Feduniak are on my left. Don’t recognize anyone else. Juanda and Darden are one table over, D’Agostino’s nearby, Hellmuth just made his entrance a while ago. Tough field.
Cards in the air now, ostensibly, but the line is still huge and a lot of players haven’t taken their seats yet. I can see the stacks of chips, though. They’re pretty. I already want more of them.
All you gotta do is not get broke. Every day.
I’ve got less buyer’s remorse about this than I had when dropping nearly twice that on a new car. Funny how one win changes things. I’ve gotten used to making a read and going with it. Once you put down the money, you’re committed.
My read is that I have a shot. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong.
I’m confident, but not overconfident. The way you feel about your hand doesn’t change what it is.
To paraphrase Hemingway, I’ll try simply to play the best poker I can; I might get lucky and play better than I can. It’s more often true in poker than in writing.
Early on in a tournament, when I make a marginal call, I’m almost always right. I need to find that ability when things get deeper, when the bets are more significant. I’m good with a shortstack, but I need to get better at not becoming one.
This is Day 1. There’s a lot of room to maneuver in the early going. If I get broke today, it won’t be because I played badly; it’ll be because I got unlucky.
I can live with that.