[bdawg31]

Thanks for the support - i wasnt following the forum as i was playing, i didnt want to get distracted. I didnt post that i was in earlier either - i guess i get a little 'shy' while playing. Its almost like if i know i have an audience i start second-guessing myself (even more than i might already).

I didnt do a very good job of keeping track of hand histories. I can recall one or two turning points. At one point, i was either just in the money or on the bubble. I was getting short-stacked - going back and forth with 'Dan Druff' - yes, that 'Dan Druff'. I had A2s - the table was tight - i went in for a raise and he called. The flop was 10,10,x with two hearts (my suit). He bet and i raised it - ended up pot committing myself. I caught a heart on the river and he had pocket 8s. After that i started rolling.

Later on i took a tough hit. I had JJ and a guy before me raised, i re-raised and he called. Flop was nine high with 2 hearts and a spade. I think he checked - i bet and he called. Turn put another low spade - chekc, bet, call. River put another spade on - he bet into me and i called. He had J10spades - that stung. That kept him alive - he ended up going ot at least the final two tables. But, i was able to keep it together.

Then, when we were down to around two tables - i had 10s. I got two short stacks all but all-in. Flop was A-high - but three clubs (i had a club). I bet it aggresively, oen short folded but the other had the ace. But i rivered a 10. At this point i had a nice chip stack, so even losing it wouldnt have crippled me - but winning it made me a force.

The hands at the end are a blur - it went fast. Trying to be as humble as i can be (i am the first to be down on myself - trust me i had my fair share of mistakes through this) - i was very happy with the way i changed gears. I am naturally a tight and aggressive (sometimes over-aggressive) player. I never went passive, but i went through stages of being loose. I also got VERY loose on the BB to one raise - especially heads-up. Then i would mix up just check-fold and bluffs/semi-bluffs from the BB. I would also call down some with low-medium pair in that situation. That seemed to get me a small profit - but it also slowed down players a bit vs me.

Another key thing for me. The chip leader at the final table was a HUGE leader. When we were down to two tables of five - i got stuck with him and he was a wrecking ball. I stayed out of his way because i was in solid shape and i wanted to go into the final table as a top-3 chip stack. But, once we got there - i basically went loose-passive vs him quite a bit. Sounds weak, right? But, it worked really well. I would limp in the small blind with J9-ish. He would raise me EVERY time (he was on my left), and i would call. If got any piece of the flop - i checked-and-called him down. More times than not, i took the pot down. Sometimes he beat me, but it worked out. I also believed this slowed him down and threw him off a bit. Regardless, that guy was a force at the table - it was interesting watching him through his weight around.

In the end - literally right after the deal was made - things went horribly bad for me. I could NOT catch a flop - my moves weren't working (i think everyone loosened up once the deal was made) and i got drawn out on once or twice. It was quite a collapse, actually - but i got NOTHING to play. I am SO glad i made that deal.

It was a lot of fun - for anyone watching, thanks for keeping an eye on me. I can't wait to see who gets the next big hit from this forum.

- bdawg (poker novice)