Bad Luck Happens

I've been playing small wager large tournaments on Pokerstars. Like $2.20 entry (or sometimes the frequent player points) 4000 players type games. After 5 such tournaments, I've placed top 2.5% in one, top 5% in another and top 10% in the one I played last night. Pretty good. It's not been a lot of money made doing it, but I seem to do a little better in tournament format than doing cash games (I think table selection, lower bankrolls, and not knowing when to switch tables or "cash out" are my biggest downfalls here).

So today, I decide I'll take a foray into a tournament a touch higher. $4.40 buy in. When I joined there was just over 1200 players in the tournament with a $5,000 guaranteed prize pool. I figure one day, I might just win one of these things (yeah right!) for a nice payout. For example, this one would have paid around $1,300 to the winner after all the late registrants.

However, it was not to be today. I somehow managed to stay in the tournament for a little over an hour. This was a feat in and of itself. 85 Hands dealt to me, a total of 5 played. And 3 of those were cheap buy ins from the blind positions. It seemed like every time I was in the blind or in position, I would get terrible cards or mediocre at best (like J/4 suited) and get a big raise before me or a raise that would put me all in after a BB call in position. I bled chips most of the game, only getting 1 Ace, which was paired with an off suit 2 and the resulting flop was a straight draw. An all-in bet put an end to the hopes I was winning that pot though. Until the hand I went out with, the best I had seen was probably my K/9 of hearts that I flushed with and was probably the reason I got to stick around for as long as I did. I never had 2 paint cards (not even paint and a 10). I never got mid range suited connectors even. On top of this, watching the play after folding this horrible hands, I didn't see a single one that I could have won by the cards that came to the board. It was seriously the worst 85 hands in a row I've ever seen. I'd say you have about the same odds of hitting a jackpot as you would getting dealt a worse 85 hands in a row (with the subsequent boards being part of the hand). 85 hands, and could only win 1 (granted I can't be sure none would have won since I don't get to see everyone's cards and sometimes you don't even see the flop or the board is incomplete. But I didn't notice a single time when I truly thought I could have won the pot).

Down to $1200 in chips with blinds at $100/$200 with an ante of $50, I get a pair of pocket 9s. I'm out of position, but I pretty much have to make a move. I raise to $800, almost hoping to just take the blinds. I get pushed all in by a K/8 off suit on the button. Flop comes K, 8, 8. I have no idea what the last 2 cards were because I closed the window right there in disgust.