Breaking Tables - The Bane of My Existence

I played in Pendleton on Friday the 19th.  There were 339 players.  I zipped along quite nicely until after the dinner break.  I knew my table well.  We only had a total of 3 players knocked out & replaced by other players and I felt I had a good handle on them as well.  I was just above the chip average and there were only 81 players left.  36 players would get money.

Then . . . my table breaks.  This means we are down on 72 players.  Unfortunately, total misery and card deadness ensues.  I have absolutely no playable hands at the new table.  The best thing I see is A-3 and I can't play it because someone raises before me.  I am not having fun any more.  The only good thing going on is there are fewer and fewer players.  It seems that someone gets knocked out every other minute.

After less than 30 minutes this table breaks also - down to 63 players.  Again, I am totally lost.  I'm not there long enough to get to know anybody because I simply run out of chips.  When my first table broke I had about 35 big blinds and by the time I got to the last table I had less than half of that because the antes were eating all my chips and I seriously had no playable hands.  None.  When I saw KJ it looked like AA to me and I shoved all in with only about 12 big blinds remaining.  Naturally the guy to my immediate left actually did have AA and I was gone in about 60th place.

One of these days I will get a seat that's at the final table and I will never have to move.  Wouldn't that be heaven?

Cowboys Shot Down by the 44

Analysis needed!  I played the 10am tournament at the Crazy Moose yesterday.  The blinds had just gone up to 25-50 so we had only been playing just over 20 minutes when this hand came up.

There were about 6 limpers.  I was on the button and looked down at 2 red kings.  I correctly decide that I need to narrow the field so I raise 8 times the big blind to 400.  That got rid of 4 limpers, leaving Hispanic Tony (who calls me every time) and some new guy I've never played with.

The flop is 2-4-8 and is checked to me.  What does the Queen of Stupid do?  Why of course she goes all-in.  I wanted to win the pot right there damn it.  Hispanic Tony folds immediately and New Guy calls instantly, thus allowing me to know that he has flopped a set and I am screwed. 

Yes, indeed.  He has pocket 4s.  Naturally, I talk to myself all the way home as I am the 1st or 2nd person knocked out of the tournament.  (I saw Joe leaving at about the same time.)  Why didn't I just check?  Because I didn't want to see any aces on the turn, that's why.  Could I have gotten away from a large bet by New Guy on the turn or river?  I don't know.  Personally, I would have folded 44 pre-flop to a raise of 8 times the big blind, but hey that's just me.

What do you think oh faithful reader?  Your thoughts are appreciated.