Dr. Feelgoods, 3/12/07 (4th overall)

The new rankings were out. I am in 4th overall. Not bad for never having hit higher than 4th place in this league...

I started out pretty strong, building a nice chip lead. I had the feel for the table, for who was doing what.

I even got involved with D. I raised it up 3 times the blinds with A/7 suited when we were playing 5 handed. She called. The flop brought A/K/Q. She went all in. I had been watching her all night and figured she had maybe Q/rag, something like that so I called...and it turned out she had figured me to fold. She had I think J/8? The Aces held up and she was gone.

My 3 times the blind raises were scaring people out of pots so I knew if they came in they had a hand. I was doing well until in 3 hands I doubled up 3 all-ins...and this is typical: Under the gun raised to 600, I came over the top to 1200, he went all in and it was 200 more. We flipped them up...and he had 4/7 suited. And he hit the flush on the river.

After about 3 of those I was no longer the chip lead. One would suspect that means this next hand was tilt then.

The girl to my left I had been watching all night. She was a calling station who often folded at the river. Basically if she wasn't all-in she would fold unless she had the absolute nuts.

With A/7 suited I raised three times the bb (at this point that means 900). She had initially limped, now she hesitantly called. After the flop, all rags, couple hearts, she checked, I raised, she called. That should have been my sign to get out of the hand. And if I were playing well I would have because she hesitated not at all. Instead I bluffed at it on 4th and 5th streets despite never hitting anything. She was going to fold when I went all in, representing either a high flush or, as he commented, the potential straight flush, but her husband said, "No, you have to call that" and she did. She had trips, I had (but did not show) the Ace high.

Bad play by my part on the last hand. Prior to the hand I still was in 2nd position with 4 players and a weak table but I flamed out spectacularly.

On the one hand, I appreciate that my game is getting better. I am more aggressive in the right spots, at some point every night I am chip lead. Now I just have to get from there to where I play smart once I am chip lead.