Table 2 - Levels 6 thru 8

I was still pretty short. When antes came in at 400/800 there was 2200 in the pot every hand. I moved in from the small blind with a suited Q5 against my new buddy Adam in the BB. Here's where not being a dick bag is beneficial. If we were near the money or my chips were any threat, any one at that table would take me down. But, when you're not seen as a threat people are more likely to lay down marginal situations if they like you. Sounds obvious but most people don't seem to care about such things. Getting 2-to-1 he folded with 85 in a spot that's usually a napkin-call. I showed him I actually had him dominated because I felt he knew I was in napkin-AI mode in spots where everyone has folded given the blinds and antes. More a Hansen approach than Negreanu but a necessary weapon.

There was something about AQ at this table. In a hand I wasn't in a Hellmuth wannabe pondered a raise and call in front of him. This guy had a jacket with "Team Berry" or something, patch on the side, hat and sunglasses with the MP3 built in. It was like a parody of a parody. He took two minutes and had me and Adam convinced he had aces or kings. He pushed with AQ got called and sucked out. In another spot he laid down queens face up in the face of too much action - after an appropriate delay of course. I hated this guy at the table because time was my enemy.

Adam made a sick call on him that exemplifies the problem of people over-betting in bluffs and semi-bluffs. He checked his BB after Adam completed the SB and they went heads-up. The flop was 9 high with 2 clubs, Adam checked and Philmath moved in. It was a massive over-bet. It was 7x the pot. Adam called with Ace-high (AT). Philmath had 68c for a gut-shot straight flush draw. An awesome draw to be sure but why bet so much? Adam admitted later that had he bet less - say 70% of the pot, he would have laid it down. Betting so much got him action. Even if he did get a smaller bet called he's in position and very likely to see the river for free if he doesn't like the turn. Going nuts with a SF draw is fine but not in a tournament when someone has you covered. The table's only dickpie missed his draw fortunately.

My next AI was pretty standard - I opened with tens, the 4 seat moved in and I called. He had AQ and missed and I doubled up.

I laid down an ace in a situation that had Andy and Eric questioning my sanity. I had A9 and figured I'd move in but before it came to me there were 2 AIs in front. The second AI was really a call because he had the original raiser and me covered but it sounded more ominous - like he had a big hand. I laid it down face up. My thinking was while A high is a standard move-in hand short-stacked, and I needed to triple up, I likely was dominated with one live card. In this situation I think 9T is a better hand to call-off my money with three-way (mmmmm, three way...).

The original raiser had jacks and the caller had the popular AQ. Now, as it happened the board came all diamonds and a diamond on the turn - meaning my poor dominated 9 would have made a flush. Still, I think that was the right laydown. My ace was no good against the caller and my "live" card wasn't so live against the jacks. The jacks held up and that guy thought my decision to fold was brilliant!

About three hands later I woke up with queens, moved in for about 6k, and got called by, wait for, AQ by the same guy I raced my tens with. The case queen came on the flop and he was drawing to runner-runner ace with the ace of hearts dead - the guy behind the caller flashed it when he folded. The board paired twice giving me two boats and the pot. At my high I was just over 20k - nothing to write home about.

Obviously I was going to have to press a marginal situation - or two - at some point. We were at Level 8 which was 800/1600 with a 200 ante and I had about 12k. A new player to the table opened in early position and I moved in with sixes. I thought this was an easy call - he was getting 2-to-1 - but he actually pondered it a while. I told him this table would be very mad at him if he took me out and told everyone to run over him if he did. I actually started to think he may fold. When he called and showed his cards I knew why-he had opened with K9 diamonds. That's the right call given the odds of course. About half the table started chanting "let's go Mike!" which was cool. None of us wanted to leave this table. The flop came two diamonds and with two overs and a flush draw I started packing up. The K came on the river and the new guy gave me the standard "sorry. Not necessary of course - a race is a race.

I said my goodbyes and shook some hands and made plans to run into Adam and Eric at Rio. Adam has a friend at my same table - table 1, bitches - at the TDL WSOP event and I plan to say "Andy? Andy Hood! What an honor to meet you!" as if I know him from The Gutshot in London where he plays cash games. It should be pretty funny.

I went a whole tourney with no bad beat stories. I don't know if that means I didn't play correctly, I got lucky a lot, or if I just have a realistic view of poker. I'd like to think it's the last one.