Mid-table mediocrity

A minor Bank Holiday domestic saw me curl up on the sofa on Sunday afternoon with Sliding Doors, recorded on my Sky from ages ago.

Then suddenly I realised it was Sunday afternoon and 10 mins into the PokerStars Sunday Ladies league. So I paused Gwyneth, hurriedly flipped open the laptop, logged on, topped up 40 quid and bought in as a late reg - against my tournament karma and religion, normally, but I'd only missed one level and 1500 starting chips would have got me into the middle of the field, so I convinced myself it was a good idea.

Is a kinda funny tournament; plenty enough time to wait for decent hands and suss most of the girls out (says she who went steaming in 1st hand in with a 4x bb raise with a pair of 8s from early position....).

There were some good players, sure, a few wild ones, a couple of plain crazy ones, a couple of chancers (one in particular who seemed to be constantly rewarded on the river, much to my chagrin and muttered grievances).

I made a measured-ish, if slightly ropey, call for a third of my stack against an all in, where my 8 of my J8 had caught top pair with a 3 and 4 also out there. She had checked, so I had 2x-min bet. She had been all in I think 3 times before, always on her terms though and as the aggressor, and the one hand she had to show she had it. If she'd have shoved into me on the flop, I'd have probably got rid, but it just smelt like an 'I'm not sure I'm winning here, but I'm hoping to scare you off' type all in, so I called.

She was up and down with 2-5, so better shape than perhaps I had hoped she would be. She caught a 5 on the turn and a 5 on the river. Now THAT is annoying.

So then we were into damage limitation for a good while, until Aces got paid by the same all in merchant, with a raise pre flop and a call of my shove on a paired 7s board. She had 2s. Ooookaaaayyyy....

Antes kicked in at 50/100 which made pots worth winning. I had my chance (I think) with KJ when A, Q, 9 came down and I folded to a big bet out from the 2nd chip leader, when surely the all in over the top could have worked. A clearer head and a bit more confidence and I fancy they'd have gone over the line.

I ended up all in pre-flop with AQ v AJ, after a raise from me, a re-raise back from the big chipleader. She hit her jack on flop - and the river, for good measure. Out 16th of 40 (the numbers are going up week by week for this tourny, so the 2500 euro guaranteed pot was split between the first 6 tonight, with the winner getting 900 quid or so - still, definitely worth having).

Not great, but in a better, calmer mood and with some more luck, I can do well in that tourny, I feel sure. All things considered I actually enjoyed it for a bit. This could well become a regular fixture. One half decent cash and the EPT buy in (and white wine kitty) is taken care of.

Off to cook steak and drink Rioja now and get back to Gywnnie I hope sorting her life out.