Another final table

Well my eyes are bone tired right now. I just exited the 7 pm Venetian poker tournament ($120 entry) - at 1.30 AM; after an hour and a half at the final table.

The blinds were going up every 20 minutes in this one - putting more pressure on everyone. We made it up to level 15, with blinds of $6,000 and $12,000 with antes of $2,000. (Against a starting stack of only $7,500.)

I came 7th; with the top nine being paid. 95 entries - 7th was worth a paltry $433 - to make more than $1,000 you had to come 3rd and first was worth $2600 or so.

There was one ginormous stack (a very good Vietnamese player and a nice guy to boot) and the rest of us were in survival mode - dodging his stack and hanging on for dear life.

My highlight hands were early in the tournament - at one point I was chip leader with around $45,000 when the average stack was only $15,000. (I was on fire for about an hour)

But I went totally card dead for two, maybe three hours and my stack was whittled away by escalating blinds and lots of heavy betting action before me when I did get half a hand. (ie something borderline playable)

Over that two hours, several players (in the room) caught up to me, and a few overtook me big time.

I also found myself being bullied a bit by not one but two aggressive players on my left who "came over top of me" literally every time I made a move. Must be one of those "leaks" in my game I mentioned.

So all in all, with an adverse playing position, and poor cards, I am actually quite ok with coming seventh - placing ugly, I shall call it. I feel I extracted the most I could from what I was dealt. (At least, from what I know - maybe a better player would not have allowed himself to lose such a strong early position)

Lots of cool hands, but I am saving them for another medium.

And again, someone had a bright idea when we got down to ten players and the final table. As only nine players would technically cash, we each put $20 into a pool - yielding $200, so that "the bubble boy" would not go home empty handed.

Ironically, the second biggest stack at the final table was first to go when he was suckered beautifully into making an all in bet by the big stack.

And it's not really the money (although I do expect to win money at something or other most days). My blackjack play today was also profitable - I played back to back 4 tables in one session this afternoon, squeezing out profits where the cards were favorable, and dodging bullets when they were not.

Three plus tables and one minus helped pad the bankroll somewhat.

I know it's a good trip when I never need to touch my bankroll - I had some cash left over from my last trip which I used to sit down in my first BJ game on Sunday, and I have just been building it ever since in chips and cash.

Again, I emphasize, nothing spectactular, but slow and steady is good. I try to win by taking as little risk as possible and for the shortest time possible. (Poker tournaments fit that - yes they can run a long time, but it's only the entry fee at risk)