ARRRRGH!

I'm actually less frustrated than last night when I scared yelled out, "DAMMIT!" Followed by ranting to LJ and CK.

Played well in the Mookie last night. With the exception of a couple orbits where I was hugging the bottom with an M around 4, I was always in the middle of the pack, which is where I love to be. I didn't get hit with the deck, which is great because it forces me to actually, you know, play poker.

I made some good laydowns, solid reads, and managed to get paid off on the hands I caught. I was tight, aggressive, tricky, and feeling good.

I'd doubled up with JJ vs 99 to move me back to the middle of the pack, with 28 left (having just been 28th), and was looking to move up some more.

Then I got AKo UTG. I make a 4x BB raise (2000 chips) to get out the crap. Newbie blogger MEMPHIS00 reraises me to 5000 and as others debate what to do I start calculating. Memphis had been re-raising me all night, generally defending his blinds like he couldn't bear to lose them. So I had backed off for a few orbits and waited for a hand I could hit him with. This time though, he wasn't in the blinds. If I folded, I had 4k chips left at 250/500 with 50 antes and the blinds approaching me. I figured it was a no-brainer and that I'd likely be racing.

I pushed over the top and he easily called the extra 1000 and change. I was thrilled when he flipped over QJs. Not only was I ahead, but if it held, I had a read on the chip leader for the rest of the game. J on the flop was all he needed and I was done, and mightily pissed off.

Congrats to Emptyman for pulling down the TOC seat and his first Mookie win.

I won't be making the Riverchasers tonight, barring me shoving food down my throat and guzzling expensive wine... somehow I think that would not reflect well at my group's Christmas dinner. I also missed the deadline on the write-in portion of the BBToo after scrapping and rewriting the damn thing 3 times. So that leaves The Big Game as my last shot.

I should be safe for a freeroll entry though. Umm... yay?