Artichoke Joe's Round Two

This past Tuesday morning I went back to Artichoke Joe’s for another shot one of their weekly tournaments. Again, this was a $20 + $5 Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournament. Last week I got some poor cards and to make it worse, played some of these poor hands when I really shouldn’t have. This week I was anxious to play more disciplined and wait for my big cards and good draws. I went with my friend again and we managed to sit at different tables this time. You actually start out with $300 in chips. So first hand, BB with A6o. Flop is something like 36J, no flush draw. It get checked around (form the 11 people at the table about half were in this pot). I hit my 6 but I’m not too crazy about betting with mid-pair. The turn is another J, right away I feel like my hand has improved, I didn’t feel anyone would have slowplayed that J, someone in mp bets, get a couple callers, I call. The river is a rag, it gets checked around, I bet, person to my left called me with A5o. I’m not quite sure why he called, probably thought Ace high might be good enough, I guess with all the bets in the pot. So I was happy to finally pop my card room cherry. Next hand, I played only b/c I was the SB, then couple of hands later I’m looking at QJs. I call and get a 3-flush on the flop with overcards. I’m in late position but there is a bet early and a couple callers so I feel with my overcards it’s worth a call. The turn give me a flush draw so now I am even more interested in staying in this hand. I’m about a 4:1 dog to make my flush, the original bettor bets and I call, blank hits on the river and I have to give up my hand. Couple of hands after that I find myself with AJs utg. I raise and everyone folds to me, it was nice to get the blinds but I was disappointed to not get more action with those cards. Start dwindling chips and before I know it, with not many chips left in comparison to some big stacks, I find QJo and flop two pair. Someone has to go all-in but there’s one other guy in the pot, eventually I get put all-in and at the showdown my QJo breaks pockets Aces, but just when I think I have chips to play with, the original all-in shows his straight. I was definitely disappointed, as it seemed everyone else was getting straights with even just one hole card. Well I had chips at least some chips to play with and I find myself looking at AJ again. Get nothing on the flop and by now the blinds have gone up again (start at 15-30, then 30-60, now 60-120). I have exactly $230 left and the BB is fast approaching, see nothing to play with and when the BB finally hits I know I will raise all-in with any face card, I look at my cards and find big slick. I raise all-in, not even enough for a full raise and get two callers plus dealer. Flop complete misses me and people start betting so I figure I’m on my way out. The turn pairs my A and all of a sudden I feel I have the best hand. The guy to my left has to bet all-in by this point and the next guy thinks about his hand for a long time, mentions there are too many bets in the pot and calls, the dealer calls. The river is a 6, the ‘thinker’ bets and dealer folds. I feel pretty good that I have the best hand, all-in to my left shows pocket jacks, my eyes get big, about to reach for the chips and the thinker shows his trip 6’s. On the river!! Man, I was pretty upset, especially that he stayed in when he had to figure he was beat. By my counts there were about 12 bets in the pot when pocket 6 thought about calling on the turn, and I can’t imagine he thought he had the best hand at that point. 46 unseen cards, 2 sixes to help him, he is a 22:1 dog to trip up, the pot is laying him about 12:1. He had no odds to call this! Well, it was definitely upsetting to get AK broken by someone taking a complete gamble, but oh well, I hope to be on the other end next time. At least I can’t complain I didn’t get cards to play with.