Another target for next year

The World Blogger poker title will have to go on the "to do" list for next year along with everything else.

I never really got going in the event. After starting with 5k chips and making modest initial progress, I slipped back to just over 2k when missing a couple of times with AK, AQ.

I tend to be more comfortable with less chips and I regained the 5k mark in two hands. Once raising preflop with KQ-suited then moving in on a low flop which was checked to me.

Then, check-raising all-in on a ten-high 3-club board with black Jacks.

I was feeling I may have a chance and possibly should have avoided going broke on what turned out to be my last hand. I picked up QQ on the big blind (it felt like I hadn't seen many good hands, to be honest, so this seemed like the nuts).

I was folded to the button who was short-stacked and made it 480 to play (3BB). The Small Blind min-raised to 960. I had about 5,500 and the SB had me covered.

I didn't know quite what to make of the min-raise but as he had played not far short of every other hand I thought my QQ could well be good, and I opted to shove.

The button passed but the SB had KK which held. All of a sudden, after a decent recovery, I was out !

It was a pretty unsuccessful evening all-round tourney-wise. I played the $200k - very tight as I was concentrating on the blogger game. I think I had played 3 hands all night when the cut-off raised me to 400, and I shoved from the BB with AQ. He called me all-in with A6 (??) which proceeded to make a straight 7-high on the river. I was effectively out with < 2BB left.

As it was my last tourney night of the year, I decided to play the Sunday Million as well.

I nearly blew myself up when overplaying one pair in a SB vs BB confrontation. However, a double up with AK vs JJ and then a decent pot with AK vs KQ put me back at 11k and back in the fight.

However, as the blinds climbed I made an impatient BB vs BB shove with A8 into AK (oops).

Not a great way to finish the year. That's going to be pretty much it for live and online poker for 2008. In due course I will have to set out my plans for 2009.