Six Inches of Clay

THOK? BAM? WHACK? THUD? I'm not sure what the sound of smacking directly into a brick wall is.

Played in the MATH last night. No love in the tokens, so I bought in. I didn't bother with the 50-50 seeing as I went out 31st in the $2 satellite ($4 commitment) when top 18 or something paid. Amazing how KQ doesn't hold up except when you're not the one holding it.

I was rocking the MATH, sitting nicely in 5th with 15 of 38 left, steamrolling over my table with what looked like more luckboxery. I'd build a great loose-aggressive luckbox image (who, me?) to this point by not showing anything but hammers and sets or better, and winning showdowns with cards that caught when I got in with for cheap (such as my SB flopped baby straight against top-bottom two pair). I even saw quads sixes. One BIG suckout with Q8 rivering two pair against a well-played shortstack BB AA from chapelhill. I was laying down when I thought I was behind (including one play from willwonka, where I was sure he was reaching into the "gonna run down time and look like I'm thinking and then push" move with a straight draw on the turn to sucker in my TP2K... he claims he had 2PTK gutshot). Then the pushing started. So I pushed back.

ATo on a T-high board against a push of air (Q-garbage?), rivered Q hurts me. A few hands later, I start playing the cocky button with 77 and push... BB calls with.... A-crap off??? Well, I got what I wanted. Naturally the 5-high straight lands on the river and IGH in 14th. I win those hands, I'm near the top of the board and cruising. This is what makes poker interesting.

So, what can I say? I liked my play the whole night. I might have made one or two questionable laydowns, but they didn't cost me too much, and I made the right moves at the right times, only to be beat by the river. It felt like I was playing poker again instead of "wait for the great cards to come". Good. I'm getting there.