Thursday night turned into a very successful and, at the same time, very disappointing poker evening. I initially didn't think I'd be in any shape to play at all, as I got home from work around 11PM. I very much prefer, and highly recommend, playing only when mentally alert. However, when I got home, I made myself some pasta and had a coke. I then felt much better, and ready to tackle the tables at Party.

Over the past month or so, I have graduated from the $100 SNG at Party to the $200's and have so far been pretty successful (50% in money). If I can keep that number above 40%, I'll be a very happy camper. Tonight, rather than playing my usual 4 to 6 (total, not concurrent) SNGs, I decided to play in the WSOP Satellite and play one $200 SNG at the same time. <READMORE> Now I've gotten to the point where I play only 1-2 multis each week, as I find they take too long and I find that I can get a more consistant profit from the SNGs. The multis are great for that once-in-a-while big pop to the bankroll. I've been in a multi "slump" lately, with my last payout during the initial pocketfives.com open about a month ago, coming in third to Gator93 and Jsup (I guess that's not so bad). However, the SNG profits allow me to play the more variable multis without worring about making the money every time.

I got into my first SNG about 10 minutes before the WSOP and proceeded to bust out right on the bubble. The WSOP was going slowly, and my stack got cut to 700 pretty quickly. At this point, I thought it might be an early night, but I plodded along.

I start another SNG and squeak into the money, then get to 2nd when the 2nd chip leader with twice as many chips as me gets his A6s cracked by 33! That was a nice $200 gift... I bust out on the next hand when my A5 runs into trip Jacks. Oh well, at least I'm almost even for the night. Nothing special going on in WSOP, I feel that I'm playing very well, all my hands are holding up, and I'm not getting in any hands when I'm behind.

My chip count in the WSOP grows to slightly above average, and now it's close to 2:00 AM. I usually call it quits around 1-1:30, but obviously (hopefully) this is going to be a longer night. I decide that since I'm doing OK in the tourney, I'll play one more SNG. All goes great and I win with a classic finishing hand, AK busting out QQ ( I also had a 4:1 chip lead at the time ). Now I'm guaranteed a nice night ($1600 payouts - $900 entries and $73 fees).

Count at the WSOP keeps dropping....330 to start....down to 200....down to 100....30. The tourney pays a $13500 package to the top 7 finishers and cash to the rest of the final table (3K for 8th, 2K for 9th, 1K for 10th). Now comes crunch time. Three hands were crucial to my fate. First, I'm dealt AJs and raise from middle positon to 3BB, about 1/3 of my stack. At this point, I've had no cards for a while and have been watching my stack dwindle to about 1/2 the average. I needed to make a move soon if I wanted to stay alive. Gamboholic_, sitting 2 seats down, raises all-in, and he has slightly fewer chips than I do. Now I respect Gamboholic_'s playing ability, and I was pretty concerned that I might be behind. However, I had a good chunk of my chips in already and I had mentally prepared myself when I made my bet to commit to the hand. I call, he flips over A6s, and a J on the turn seals Gamboholic_'s fate. Now I'm close to average stack and feeling good. It always gives me an extra kick when I bust out a player whom I respect.

The next crucial hand occurs around 3:30, when we're down to 2 tables. I look down at my average stack and pick up --- PRESTO!. I know 55 is a magical hand, but at this point in the tourney, I was very hesitant. I raise from early to 3BB, get raised all-in by the player to my left (I have him covered by about 1/2 my stack). I plan to call him, until a guy who has me covered calls his all-in. Crap! I'm ok with 55 going heads up against a small stack, especially after I put a bet in, but now there are two guys in and I can't imagine how I could be in good shape here. I fold, and sure enough, they turn over AQ and AJs. Even if I knew that, I'd still have to worry about putting my stack at risk there. Well, you can guess what happens next -- 5 and A on the flop make Presto king again, and I would have had a much larger stack. Oh well, I still think I played it right. I just should have believed in the power of Presto.

I get very excited when we make it down to the final table, although I'm the short stack. Three more to go and then "VEGAS BABY!" 5 minutes into the final table, another short stack busts out and we're down to 9! I'd like to limp through, but there is no huge chip leader and 7 of the others have 4x my stack, and the other player has about twice me. I knew they'd blind me off in a few orbits if I didn't find a hand. A8s shows up, and I decide to make my stand from middle position. BANG. I run into KK, and no A or clubs come to my aid. My only consolation is the $2000 win that I picked up. $2,627 profit. Not bad for 5 hours of work, and I got to see the Pope's funeral, but to be so close to the Dance and not make it is still disappointing.

I'll see you at the final table.
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