The poker gods try to restore my faith in poker...

... and almost succeed.

The night started similar to the recent ones before.

Converted by a herd of feral cows
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em $0.05/$0.10 - 6 players

SB: $6.21
BB: $7.43
UTG: $2.91
UTG+1: $10.20
CO: $55.82
Button: $10.00 (Hero)

Preflop: ($0.15) Hero is Button with (6 players)
UTG folds, UTG+1 raises to $0.35, CO folds, Hero calls $0.35, SB calls $0.30, BB folds
UTG+1 appears super tight - a 5/0 after 37 hands. I consider not even calling this hand, but what the hell. I'm in position, I can setmine.

Flop: ($1.15) (3 players)
SB checks, UTG+1 bets $0.70, Hero raises to $1.85, SB folds, UTG+1 calls $1.15
Top set. Yay for me. He calls my raise and he's tight. Let's say overpair, or AK/AQ flush draw.

Turn: ($4.85) (2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $3.85, UTG+1 calls $3.85
KQ just caught me. I'm not afraid of KQ, though, from this player.

River: ($12.55) (2 players)
UTG+1 bets $4 (all-in), Hero folds
FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK
One might argue I should call because of 4-1 pot odds, meaning I need to be good 20% of the time. I argue there's no way I'm good 20% of the time. All I beat right now is AA and maybe 99. I say he had AdKd and got there, or KK and couldn't get away and runner-runnered me again.

UTG+1 won $11.72
(Rake: $0.83)

So I was down a buy-in lickity-split, as usual, when my friend Mr. Pietzak texts me and says "come play the 5 Full Tilt Point Super Turbo Rush 180 man with me". Playing turbos, let alone Super Turbos, sounds about as fun as flipping a coin for money, but you know, screw it - I'm running so bad right now, moving away from this horseshit Rush poker is probably the best thing for me. I'll bust out of this sucker in about 5 hands, then hit the bed early.

Except I didn't bust out. Shoved with 66 on hand #4 and won the blinds. Got all in with AK three way vs. 49s and JTs and tripled up. QQ vs. 97s won another 600. Then QQ again in a 4 way all in vs. AJs, KJo, and 44 and... I won again! 2268 more chips, and I was among the leaders. Kept going. Won all my races (TT vs. KQ, AK vs. JJ, AK vs. JJ again, 88 vs. JKs). Humming along. It wasn't really poker, per se, but poker hasn't been treating me so well, so why not.

The first real "poker" decision I made was at the final table. My HUD had finally kicked in (this was a Rush tourney and the PT3 HUD doesn't work until the final table). I had KQs on the button and raised it up. The big blind shoved on me. His stats said 43/24/75 AgF. Yup, he's aggro enough. I called, figuring I would behind some type of ace. He showed a totally dominated QTo, and I was the chip leader.

We eventually got 3 handed. I was running hot - even rivered a one card royal flush (my first royal of any kind, but as I only used the Ac in my hand it doesn't really count). The very next hand, I flopped a set of 5s, turned the underboat and got paid by a flush (though I should have shoved and knocked him out, I went for value in case he just had trip aces or a pair).

Not knocking him out is what cost me. He raised on the button and I overshoved with ace-jack suited. He called with ace-king and I was in trouble. A brief flash of happiness with a jack on the flop, but a queen turned him a gutshot straight and down I went in 3rd place.

A great run considering 180 players. Of course, this turbo tourney paid.... top 2. HAHAHA. No money - this was a 5 point freeroll and the prize was a satellite ticket to a Sunday tourney, which I usually can't play anyway. So I'll just pretend it was a regular 180 man and I finished deep in the money.

Was it enough to restore my faith in poker? Maybe. I got pretty lucky and won all my races, hit a sorta-royal flush, then got coolered with AJ vs. AK at a three handed table. A ridiculous ending to a ridiculous tourney.