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We're home from Tunica. The trip went well but unfortunately the poker tournaments were a bust.
The Sunday tournament was a fairly large field. I got crippled early against a runner runner flush when I flopped a set and he shoved with nothing. I managed to rally back from near nothing (about $100 or so) to get back to about 5,500 or so. The blinds were still fairly small; I think they were about 150/300. I got pocket queens and raised it up to 1,000. The flop had a queen in it and once again someone else shoved having me well covered. I call and he turns over J 8 offsuit and says "You got me." Well, I did until he hits two miracle cards giving him a straight and sending me packing.
Mrs. Surf and I went over to the hotel for a bit then met up with PokerCat at Horseshoe or Goldstrike, I don't remember which. I sat down at his 1/2 no limit table which was a really bad idea because I was feeling very impatient and played very badly quickly losing my buy in by chasing an open-ended straight in a huge pot then playing TPTK like it was solid gold.
The Monday tournament was much better. It was my most solid play of the trip. It wasn't a huge tournament; only about 70 players. Mrs. Surf and I both made the final table but found ourselves extremely short stacked. We both had about 2,000 and the blinds were 1,000/2,000. Only the top 5 made the money and we had 8 players still in. I was seated to her left and decided to shove in her big blind to give us both a chance to win a big pot and get to the money. I look at my cards and have J9 suited. I shove. It folds to the small blind and he is priced in so he calls. Mrs. Surf flips up 9 7 and the small blind shows his 8 3 offsuit....nice. I get optimistic as the turn falls and nobody has paired or hit a draw. The river is a 3 and we both get knocked out by Snowman Tater Legs..hehe.
The Tuesday tournament was a quick one for me when the super-aggressive player at the table was in the big blind and I isolated him from late position with a raise. He calls and I'm holding A 10 of diamonds. The flop gives me an ace and it's a rainbow flop. I check with him and the turn is a second spade. He shoves his small stack on in and I call having him well covered. He hits his flush draw and I'm a small stack early. I double twice and get back to 1,500 or so after being down from 4,000 starting chips to 200. I sit tight for a while as the deck is ice cold and I blind down to 800 chips when I get KK. The blinds are 100/200 and I'm in middle position. The first to act raises it to 500 and I decide to just call and hope to get some more chips in the pot. I hate not to re-raise but I need chips and decide it's my best move. No more takers and it's just the two of us to the flop. 10 10 6 and he bets 1,000 not realizing I only have 300 more. I call and he flips over pocket sixes for the boat. Mrs. Surf played very well and made it to the final two tables finishing in about 15th or so place.