Getting Ready for the BBT5 TOC: A Brief Look Back at My BBT History

On Phil Mickelson, from Wikipedia:

... for many years Mickelson was often described as the "best golfer never to win a major." Mickelson often played well in majors: in the five-year span between 1999 and 2003 he had six second-place or third-place finishes. Mickelson holds the record for the most second-place finishes in U.S. Open history with five.

Mickelson finally broke the streak by winning the 2004 Masters.

I am so excited to be playing in the TOC this week because, like Phil, I had a history of disappointments and second place finishes.

BBT2

Dec. 6, 2007. In one of the final chances to get into the TOC, I was heads up against actyper. Heads up lasted only one hand as raise, re-raise, all-in followed with my 9-9 against his A-Qos. A queen came on the flop and that was all she wrote.

BBT3

March 12, 2008. I don't have the hand history anymore, but I am pretty sure that I had lucko all in pre-flop with his A-5 against my A-K. He hit a runner-runner wheel. Discouraging way to lose at the end.

Then this:

April 30, 2008. I finished third. This is the hand that sent me to the rail:

Once again, lucko did the major damage at the end. We were all in pre-flop.

However, justice did seem to prevail in the freeroll that ended BBT3:

BBT4

March 31, 2009. I blew this one. I had a big lead going into heads up and I lost. At the final levels of a drawing tournament like stud, it doesn't seem to take much to shuffle the chips around.

I played well at the beginning of BBT4, but as you can see in the chart below, decent consistent play got me lots of points, final tables, but ultimately, no wins.

BBT5

May 16, 2010. Finally!

So, even though I have won a BBT bracelet package and have been at final tables numerous times, this will be my first TOC.

Best of luck to my blogger friends in trying to land one of the last two TOC seats up for grabs Monday and Wednesday night.