Tour 12,389 Won Sat $5 + .50 End 8895 53 Hands MSOP Event #1

Payout: 1620  1st - $9,559.35  9th - $619.45   1351-1620 - $7.43  Blinds 12 min    3000 chips.

I let myself get off to a bad start the 1st few hands by not being able to get away from them.

Hand 1: I'm UTG+1 w/10c 10h. UTG folds and I open raise 4 BB (80), action folds to the CO who re-raises to 270, rest fold and I call. Flop Js 9s 5s. I check and CO bets 260 and I raise to 520 and they re-raise to 780. I fold. I've cost myself 790 chips.

Hand 5. I've got a few of my chips back, am the BTN w/As Qs. UTG+1 open raises 3 BB (60), action folds to me and I call, SB & BB fold. Flop Ad 6h 4h. I pair my Ace. UTG+1 bets 120 into the 270 pot, I call. Turn Js. UTG+1 bets 360 into the 390 pot and I call. River 9c. UTG+1 bets the pot of 1110 and I decide to call. He could have two pair by now or maybe AK, so with that large of a bet this early in the tournament it would have been best if I folded. UTG+1 shows Ah Kc, having an Ace with a better kicker. I'm down to 920 chips and we've just started!! :-/

Hand 14: I get a chance to double up. I'm CO w/pocket A's (Ac As) and 960 in chips. UTG+1 limps in w/30 as does the CO, I raise to 120 and all fold except the CO who calls. Flop 7c 2c 8c. Glad I have the Ac for a flush draw, but could CO already have the flush? CO checks and I bet 150 into the 315 pot and the CO raises me all-in w/6030 chips. With only 690 chips left, pocket A's and a nut high flush draw I call, figuring the best he has is a flush now. CO shows Kc 10d. I'm in good shape!! Turn 4d. River 6h. I'm up to 1995 chips.

Hand 53. I thought I did the right thing, but was sucked out on the River. I'm BB w/5h 9c and 2415 chips. Not the best of cards. UTG+1 limps in w/50 and I check. Flop 8c Jc 9d. I pair my 9. I bet the pot of 125, UTG+1 calls. Turn 9h. I now have trip 9's with a weak kicker if UTG+1 also has a 9. I bet the pot of 375 and UTG+1 calls. I didn't want to bet more in case it might scare them away and I hoped it was high enough they'd fold if they didn't have anything. River Ks. My trip 9's still look pretty good to me, so I decide to bet all-in w/my last 1915 chips. UTG+1 calls showing Qh 10c having hit a straight on the River. Ugh. I'm outta the tournament.

UPDATE on Hand 53. in an email reply from Jeri she noticed:  "dear ted.....looks like he flopped a str8t. to my mind, he was goin nowhere. -jeri."  I missed that altogether only seeing the improved straight on the River. :-/

I could have gone all-in on the Turn making it even more costly for him to go for the draw and maybe that would have stopped him. Of course, if I hadn't hurt my chips stack so badly in those early hands and I had been able to double up with the initial chips plus, I'd have been able to withstand the straight suck out, licking my wounds, and still be playing.