9 SNG $1 + .20 End 4th 83 Hands

It is not satisfying to go out with the best starting pre-flop and post flop cards to a gutshot straight. Build yourself back up from a poor early hand, play carefully, then get the really good cards to be ahead 88/12 pre-flop and 82/18 post-flop and boom on the turn you are dead in your tracks! Grrrrrr.

Hand 83. We have been on the bubble since hand 56 where I was low stack w/1250 chips, next high had 2750, then 4240, and top stack 4560. Almost the same senario as last session. I'm BTN w/pocket A's (Ah Ad) and 1940 chips (short stack by about 400), CO (2nd high stack w/4190 chips) open raises 2 BB (240). I'm happy to see that as it means I might get some action for my A's. SB & BB fold, CO calls and shows Kd Qh. Good, not even a pair. Flop 8h 9h Jd. That worried me about a flush runner, runner draw; I didn't really notice the gutshot straight draw. Turn 10d. Uh oh another red card; oh, it's a diamond OK. NO, NOT OK!! He has a straight!!! I CAN'T WIN!!!  River 6c. Sadly it's over for me the 3rd session in a row at the $1 + .20 buy-in!!!! :-/

Hand 21. My early poor play. Seven players left. I'm SB w/Kd 8c. Action folds to me and I open raise 2 BB (100), BB calls. Flop 3s 6d Kc. I pair my K. I bet 100 into the 200 pot and the BB calls. Turn Ac. Darn, an overcard. I plunge ahead betting 200 into the 400 pot hoping he didn't hit the Ace. BB calls. I'm not too hopeful. River 6h. Board is paired. I check and BB bets 450 into the 800 pot. I wonder, does he really have that Ace and reluctantly call. Well as it turns out he does NOT have that Ace, he has something better. BB had flopped top two pair and on the River hit a FH w/their Ks 6s. I'm down to 425 chips. The best I might have been able to do would have been to check the Turn and folded if he put any pressure on. If that scenario had happened I would have been left w/1075 chips instead of 425. Maybe that would have let me build up enough chips so I could take that hit in Hand 83.

The other thing I find difficult at this level is seeing hands I folded that later would have hit if I had bet them in. Now I know once I fold them that is it and even if I hadn't there is no guarantee they would have hit anyway. Still it's irksome to see my chips dwindling and not able to do much about it.