2 black queens

Played in 3 tourneys last night. The first was a 6-man for play money only - I was trying out a new keyboard shortcut in my Full Tilt Shortcuts keyboard mapper tool. The default shortcut key for folding is f - but I wanted to try using the space bar (at Tony's suggestion) - this would be helpful in multitabling situations.

The first hand was a typical donkfest freeroll - 3 of the 6 players were all in. I had 88 and considered calling just for fun, but then I wouldn't have been able to test out my fold key. I hit the spacebar and my pair of eights folded right away. Hooray. The three all-in hands were AJo, A7o, and KJs. A jack came on the board, but an 8 came on the river which would have quadrupled me up. Ha.

Since there were only 3 players left, I stuck around and played until the end. I seem to be unusual in that I can attempt to play "correct" poker even when there's no money at stake - I think this is because I have gotten involved in the game more for intellectual purposes, as opposed to strictly playing for money. Other players tell me all the time that they make weak calls and similar bad plays if the stakes aren't high enough.

Sometime soon after a bit of three-handed battling, my internet connection started to go flaky and I lost my connection to Full Tilt two or three times. Each time it came back within ten seconds and I was able to continue. It was frustrating to lose my connection for a few hands but at least it was play money. The connection stabilized long enough for me to dispatch the other two opponents and take first place, for 950 play money chips.

After savoring my victory over the fishies, I fired up a normal $10 9-man. I chose the lower buy in because of the flaky internet - in case it crapped out on me again, I didn't want more invested. For tourney #1 - I didn't have to worry - I was out in 3 hands.

Hand #2 - I got dealt the two black queens, under the gun. I made my normal raise and got 2 callers. The board came with an Ace and I bet 195 into a 270 pot. One player folded but the other called. He wasn't afraid of that ace, so now I was. We got to see the turn and river for free, and he flipped over Ace-7. Ugh. Boy I hope I get Ace-King soon when this guy has Ace-rag...

Very next hand, now in the big blind, I get dealt the two black queens again. What are the odds of that? Anyway, the guy to my left, who is now under the gun, raises it up. He's a player without much experience - I could simply get it all in preflop, but decide instead that I'll call and shove it in on a safe board. The board comes safe - 2 6 7 and I get it in there. Doesn't matter, he's got KK and down I go. Cold-decked.

Tony is just logging on and suggests we hop on the same table, so I try one more $10. He ends up knocking the first three people out of the tourney and builds up over 5000 chips. Then my internet connection starts flaking out again and I lose a couple hands, which is unmentionably irritating when you're playing for real money. I lose focus in the game and the details of the action.

Soon I get back on and Tony has raised it up, only 2x the blind. He's got a hand he likes, I would guess, based on this small raise. I've got 66 in the big blind and decide to take a cheap flop and setmine his butt. My third 6 doesn't come but the next best flop does - 5 7 8. I've got a pair and an open-ended straight draw for 10 clean outs, making me a 40% chance to win vs. a high pair, and even better if he's got unpaired cards right now. Since Tony will always continuation bet on a board like this, I check. He makes a solid bet, enough for my checkraise to be all-in. Do I want to go the wall with 10 outs? Eh, why not? My internet connection is preventing me from playing that well anyway. Tony calls my all-in and flips over two aces. Can one of my 10 outs come in? It does - a 4 on the turn gives me a straight and knocks Tony out of the tourney (he somehow went from 5000 chips to less than I had - I have no idea how because I was fighting my internet connection).

Later in this tourney - I get 2 black queens - again. This hand's outcome is inconsequential - I raise it up and everyone folds.

I make it past the bubble. I'm second in chips and the shortstack is keeping pressure on. He shoves into my blind for the fourth time and I call him with ... 2 queens (not both black this time, but nice enough). He's got ace rag and my 70% favorite holds up.

During heads up, my still-sputtering internet connection gives out again - this time for over 5 minutes. I know my opponent is (correctly) raising every hand and knocking me out in second place. This awful end, along with the back-to-back-black queen disaster of the tourney before, are enough to put me to bed steaming, even though I end up +$5 on the night.