Paying Your Poker Dues

Okay - after my foray into the land of rebuy tournaments, I decided to go back to old faithful - the Poker.com freezeout tournaments.

Played a $5 tourney and made a decent showing, but short of the money. I then go for a $15 tourney and inch my way toward the money. A run of good cards and good decisions gets me to the final table. The chip leader is hitting every possible combination, knocking people out and building this huge stack. I am in great position to take at least second place, and perhaps even hit a good run at heads up and win the darn thing. Then my undoing ...

You guessed it - A-A! I get pocket rockets and raise. Everyone folds except Mr. Chip Leader. The flop comes rag-rag-rag with two clubs on the board, no pairs. I go all in and get called by Mr. Chip Leader, who turns over pocket clubs! The turn is a rag, and the river ... OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was hoping to cement at least second place and get ready for heads up. Instead, I am out in sixth place. Maybe I should have played more conservatively, but I felt that if I couldn't take a stand with what I had, I should stick to Limit poker.

This is the second time in a row in which I went deep in a tournament at Poker.com, only to have my pocket rockets busted - once by a gutshot straight, and now on a chased flush that was hit on the river.

I guess this is what you call paying your poker dues ...