What Is It Going To Take?

I might take a slightly different road each time, but they all seem to lead to a place where I get stacked by an inferior hand at the final table.

I attended my regularly scheduled weekly Riverchasers freeroll last night on the golf course. Turnout was fairly strong with almost 7 full tables ready to go at 8:00 PM. I love when Griff is running the game; he just does a phenomenal job. Anyway, once again, we are playing the double stack format that will become the standard come 2008. Predictably, I start off slow missing flops completely with hands that have potential. I drag a small pot in a blind vs. blind battle at level 2 when I flopped a set of fives. SB must have had some real garbage as the board had all kinds of drawing possibilities. Alas, a small pot is better than none.

Garbage, garbage, garbage. Then 3 limp to me in the SB where I find QQ and raise 4.5x BB. Loose BB player calls, but the other 3 go scampering away. Flop comes A high, all clubs. Although, I didn't know that until after I had already decided that BB either missed completely or picked up some kind of weak draw. While I was watching him, he watched the cards come out and just sort of stared directly at them as if trying to figure out what exactly he could make. So, even though it was all kinds of scary for QQ (no club), I figured a c-bet would take it down, which it did.

Back to card dead for a long while until I decide to raise 3x BB UTG with ATo. TAG woman 2 to my left calls VERY quickly and I got the feeling she really liked her hand. Not good. Since I just raised 1/3 of my stack preflop, I was either going to shove a really good flop or check-fold anything else. Flop was Q high so I opted for the latter option after a pot sized bet by my opponent. There were just entirely too many hands that explained both her action and mannerism (as well as her history), to make me think I had even ever been ahead in this hand.

1 orbit later, at 15/30, I have less than 4 BB left and this same player makes it 70 to go from UTG+1. Everyone folds to me and I look down at K♥J♥. Time to gamble? You bet. I knew she wasn't going to fold to an allin, but in they went. She calls with AQo and I'm soooted and live. Q on the flop, K on the turn and I'm back up to around 7 BB. Time to start playing, blinds are getting big and going quickly.

Q♥T♥, I complete from the SB. Flop is A high with 2 hearts so I push and just about double again without a showdown. Very next orbit, I'm in the BB and everyone folds to the SB who pushes allin for 4x BB. I have him covered by 2 BB, but pick up KK and instacall his Q♥T♥. OESD after the turn, but the cowboys hold up and I'm up to 700 as the final table starts.

Fast forward to the end. Blinds are now 100/200, all fold to the SB who completes and has 200 behind. AK for me and I put him all in which he calls with 76o. Not one, but two 7s on the flop, I need a J on the river to straighten but no dice. 300 left, of which 100 is now in the SB. Again, everyone folds so I raise allin with T8o, but 6♥2♥ in the BB flops a 4-flush and completes it on the turn and I'm gone. Once again, I can't catch a break at a final table and actually win a critical hand where my chips go in good.