Another Wasted Day with Illinois Charitable Games

Despite having to only wait a week for my next sojourn to Las Vegas, and despite some terrible luck my last time at an Illinois Charitable Games event, I made the treck to the Elks Club in Bloomington to give the ICGA tournaments another try.

The first game, called the "Ten Dolla' Holla'," was a turbo all-in donkfest. But ... I should have been able to donk it up with the best, right?

The were 101 runners and I busted out in about 25th place. At my first table, I was getting great cards, but had a hard time prying chips away from the players who were playing waaay too tight for this quickie. I got moved to another table that seemed pretty competittive, and I was feeling okay about my chances with this group.

However, I get moved after playing only one blind and got put at a table with some players with major stacks. With blinds rapidly increasing (doubling every 8 minutes!), I was under the gun and dealt A-Q. I raised two times the blind and was re-raised by the next bettor, who had me covered plus a lot more. Feeling pot committed at this point, I called and was up against K-K. No suckout for me.

Just as the next event, the $30 Warmup, was about to begin, they read the name of the player who pre-registered online and had his name selected to get his buy-in back -- me! Knowing I was freerolling, I was having fun. I was getting good starting hands and winning my share. I even (outwardly) laughed off a hand where some type of misdeal occurred and we had to hand our cards back in. My cards: A-A! I decided not to rebuy or add on at the deadline, the first break, since another 2,000 chips would not have put me on par with the leaders. I figured that I had enough to to rely on my play since I had been getting good cards. Then, after the first break, everything came apart.

I was dealt K-K and put in a sizable bet. Everyone folded except for the big blind, who decided to call. Hmmm ... did he get a good hand in the blind? The flop was ragged -- J-8-5 -- and he went all in. I naturally called to find out that the donk called my raise with Q-5 os! And then he went all in with bottom pair even though I was the initial raiser! You know what happened next -- the turn was a rag, and the river was a 5, doubling him up and taking a chunk of my stack. Then several hands later, I got A-A in the big blind. Of course, I was hoping for some calls or raises in front of me, but no one did until the small blind was up. He was short stacked and went all in. I naturally called. So ... it was my A-A vs. his K-8 clubs. And of course -- the flop brought one club, the turn was a club, and the river was a club, giving him the runner-runner flush. I had less than a beginning stack and was trying to keep from tilting. Two hands later I got 6-6 on the button. With no calls or raises, I went all in, expecting to scoop the blinds. However, the small blind called with Q-J. A Queen came on the turn, and I was done.

I wasn't disappointed with my play (except for maybe my last decision), but I just can't seem to get a break at these ICGA tournaments. I hate to give them up, though, since they do give me a little b&m poker time as opposed to staring into a computer screen for hours on end.