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Yesterday I played a free satellite tournament, just to warm me up for the Freeroll on FullTilt.
There were 5254 players who did the same. The top 10 players are automatically qualified to the next satellite.  From the start I was playing like a rock, no more slowplaying good hands, whenever I had a big flop I’d showed it. In no time I went up from 1000 chips to 12000, putting me in the Top 100. Sometimes I was pretty unlucky, like getting beaten with a K flush with the Queen in my hand and the Ace on the table.

Three times I had to fight back to being in the top 100 once again. One time, losing almost 80% of my chips (about 24000). But I always got back in the top after playing 6 or 7 hands.

Once I folded KK because I wasn’t sure about my hand and how my opponent played the hand.
This is something I learned in the last 8 tournaments (highest finish was 46th, rest all above 200, so very bad results) on Fulltilt, never make a call if you’re not sure about your hand. And if you can check on the river, check, not raise in these circumstances. If you didn’t have him beaten at the turn, chance is you won’t beat him at the river, so check to save money if you’ll lose.

After one hour of playing, only 1500+ players were left. After 2 hours, only 300 played for the last 10 places. This quickly decreased due to the blinds and ante’s getting higher and higher every 5 minutes.

With only 80 players left I got AK suited and went all-in after my bet got re-raised. He called me and the flop paired my king, giving me a top kicker also. No chance for his pocket queens. Turn and river didn’t help him either. I doubled up and took my place into the Top 20.

Here I stayed for the rest of the tournament. With 105000 chips I was ranked 15th. The chipleader was playing with about 780000 chips.
I managed to double up again a few hands later, putting me in the Top 10. Now it was time to start concentrating a bit harder.
With the blinds reaching 12K, only the good cards where getting played. Every time someone had a pocket pair they went all in. If their stack was about 1/4th of mine and if I had good cards, I made the call. 2 times I lost, but 5 times I won.

With only 12 players left and me losing a big pot against the nr 2, I was the last in the ranking.
Oh no, I don’t want to miss the Top 10 after playing so good this tournament, I was thinking.
Big blind was 25k now with a 3K ante. Just before the big blind got on my position, I went all in with Ah 3d. The big blind called me with Kh 9c, costing him only 48000 chips.  Flop draw 3s 7h 9h, pairing his 9. I needed an Ace pretty bad or my tournament was over.
With another heart on the turn (Jack), I suddenly had more outs as my Ace would beat his King. So any heart card or an ace saved me. The river sealed my win with the 4th heart giving me the highest flush.

The next hand I got pocket queens on the big blind and was planning to make a significant raise to claim the pot before the flop. But one player went all in. With only one player left to knock out, I didn’t hesitate to call him, knowing he probably would have a big hand.
My suspicion was right, he showed AK, a classic duel in Texas Holdem. But the flop gave him nothing. The turn didn’t either, so it was all down to the river. But no Ace or king showed up and I kicked him out.

With this I also made sure I reached the last 10, winning me a ticket to the next satellite.
A little pop up came up telling me I’d won the tournament, a bit confused about this I was wondering, huh??? I can’t have won as there are others with more chips then me.
But there wasn’t a final table either, just play to the last 10, that’s it. So together with 9 others I’ve won my first tournament!!!!

After getting my first real beat, I’m now focused on making up my losses.
In a pot limit cash game I bought myself in for 80 cents with the goal to stop around $1.20.
The first hands I got where pure crap, 7 3, 8 3, 6 2 and so on. Not playable at all. I just defended my blinds as good as I could, but eventually I had to fold every time. So 14 cents where gong in no time.

Then I got pocket 4’s. Sitting just before the button, I limped in for 2 cents. Button made a raise to 9 cents. The blinds quickly folded their cards and I made the call, hoping to see a 4 on the flop. With 9 4 Q, I hit my trips and checked. The button raised to 10 cents which I had to call. Maybe he had a Queen or a high pair in his hands, hoping to get me out of the game. Instead, I re-raised him to 24 cents, the pot limit. He then re-raised me to the new pot limit, 93 cents to push me all in. With 2 hearts on the table, maybe he was playing the flush? A Queen I can handle, a high pair also, but a flush would kill me.
I made the call and showed my three of a kind, fours. I was anxious to see what he had. He showed me pocket jacks and I was in the lead. He only had 2 outs left if the turn didn’t draw another heart or a 9 or a Q.
A King of clubs made sure he only had 2 outs left. He couldn’t win without his third jack. And with an 8 on the river I won a $1.32 pot.

Knowing I had to stop, I just played a few more rounds. With K9 suited, I got into the play and with 9 6 K I got 2 pairs. I didn’t want to slowplay this, so I made a raise to keep everyone else out. Only one player called.  Turn draw an 8 and again I raised to get called again. With an Ace on the river I was a bit afraid I could be playing against AK, but then he certainly would re-raised me before. I made my last bet and if he would re-raised me I would have folded and left the table with at least a bit more than my buy-in. Lucky for me he just called and showed me he was playing the straight with 10 8, only needed the 7 to complete it. Again a nice pot I won and it was time to quit now.

I played a few more blinds, but didn’t lose much from my winnings today. Only 25 cents left to make up now and I’m back at my original amount that I’ve won playing the tournaments.

Last week I got my first real beat and it seems like I’m hitting into a bad streak as my tournament results are far above average the last 5 times. Only 3 days back I made an average finish with a 196th place, all the other results are above the 400th place with 706th as the worst result.

Wtf am I doing? I have to start concentrating a bit more and believe in my gut feeling again.
Just an half hour back I got kicked out of today’s tournament with losing against a higher flush. Only I had the King. The way my opponent played the river I was 99% sure he had the higher Ace, but still I called. I was first to act, made a small raise, big blind size. Player next to me called and the Ace guy re-raised to 3 times my raise. I re-raised him to see what he’s up to. Player next to me folds and the Ace guy went all in. I started thinking, what are the odds he has the ace?
How did he play the pre-flop, the flop and the turn? It was all in my advantage, but still I knew for sure he had the Ace. I just tripled my chips the hand before with pocket queens against AQ and Q7 and now I could be thrown out.
So was it worth the call? NO, totally not. Even if he didn’t had the Ace and I would have won, I should have folded, not because it’s a risk, but because my mind was telling me to fold, but I couldn’t. Always trust what your gut is telling you.
If I had won, that would be nice, and sure I would have doubled-up again, putting my higher in the rankings. But with folding I could have lots of opportunity’s also with the next hands.

I made an error today, so nothing to do with bad luck or a bad streak. If it is a bad streak, it’s because I’m playing bad at the moment.

A question to you would you have made the all in call with 4 spades on the table and the King of spade in your hands in a head-to-head situation and pretty sure you’re playing against the ace?

After losing from a lucky player in the tournament, I tried my luck on the real money tables.
Something I better didn’t do seeing afterwards. My buy-in was $2. Normally I start with 80 cents, but with $22.77 in my account ($21 won by tournaments) I can start playing with a higher amount.
I played on a pot limit $0,01/$0,02 table for 9.
The first 20 hands I didn’t win a thing, only lost my blinds and didn’t had a chance to defend them as it was obvious other players where have much better cards then me.

Then I started to win some small amounts, keeping me around the $2. After 30 minutes in play I got AJ suited on the button. 4 players limped in and I raised to 6 cents. 1 player called me.
Flop gave me 2 pairs with A J 10. On the turn I made a 30 cent bet after my opponent checked. He immediately called.  I was thinking he had an Ace also, but not putting him on 2 pairs like me. With a 3 on the turn he checked again. This time I made a 20 cent bet. If he would call now, he maybe has AA or JJ two pair like me? He called. The river was a 7. Could he maybe have 8 9, I started thinking? Would he bet?
Not really certain I had won the pot, I just checked after he did. I don’t want to lose more money.
And yes I lost, he had the straight with 8 9. It’s so frustrating to see other people are playing to the river and always getting the card they needed.

Immediately the hand after this one, I got KK. Still in late position, I raised to 10 cents to let everybody know I have something. I even got re-raised on this bet. But with these cards and position I didn’t mind about this. I called to see the flop. A J 10, almost exactly the same flop as the hand before (spades and clubs instead of spade diamond club). I was aware this was a dangerous flop for me. Could he have the Ace? I only needed the Queen for a straight, so I re-raised his 2 cent bet with 6 cent. He just called. On the turn there was an 8. He checked, so did I. I was certain he hasn’t got the Ace and certainly wasn’t playing for the straight. I felt I was still in the lead with pocket kings. The river didn’t give me my straight draw with a 2. Now he made a 2 cent bet, which I re-raised to 6 cents. He re-raised me to 12 cents. He re-raised me again, in my eyes still trying to make me believe he had an ace, but I didn’t bought it, so I went all in. He off course called me and showed me J 10 off suit, leaving me with nothing.

What a bad day I’m having? Nothing seems to work and everybody else is getting the cards they needed. That’s the feeling I had after this beat yesterday.

Well ok, it doesn’t really matter, as the money I’m playing with, is money I’ve won without investing anything.

But it’s the first real beat I received on the money tables. I can only take this beat with me and hopefully learn something from it for the next plays.
I still have over $20 in my account, so I don’t have to worry.
Certainly have to search for some more information about bankroll management and applying these rules, else I’ll be broke before I know it.

In the meanwhile I keep on playing on the freeroll tournaments.

In yesterday’s tournament I made my 2nd Top 5 finish, once again with a 4th place.

I managed to triple my chips pretty fast with pocket Aces against QQ and AJs. After this I lost a few small hands and kept playing around the 3000 chips. Then one player lost about 8000 chips in 2 hands against the same player. He had about 1100 chips left and I knew he would go all in the next round. Being the big blind I received pocket 9’s and watch him going all in as expected. Everybody else folds, but I had a fair guess he had nothing in his hands and was playing on ‘Tilt’, so I made the call. If I’d lost, it only costs me 1/3 of my chips, so it was a call I had to make.
I showed my pocket 9’s and was curious to know what he played. He showed 3 5 offsuit
I had to be very unlucky now to lose this pot. Flop: K 4 8, he needed runner-runner now to win from me. Turn draw was a Jack and sealed my win. I love playing players on Tilt

Later, again with a pocket pair (QQ) I called a 400 chips raise. With the flop 10 9 K I only needed a jack for the straight so I made a 200 bet to see what action I’m getting. I got re-raised to 400, so I re-raised him to 800 to let him know I have good cards. He called to see the turn. Another 10 came up and I made a 200 bet again. Now he just called, instead of raising. This made me sure he didn’t have the king which gave me top pair and still a straight draw chance. He probably needed one more card and took the gamble for the river. With a 4 on the river I made a bet of 500 expecting him to fold as he probably was beaten anyhow. But his pocket 7’s didn’t stand up to my Queen’s winning me a nice pot.
Thinking about this hand afterwards, he was pretty stupid to call me on the turn. With 3 overcards for his hand on the flop and my raise against him, he should have expected he was playing a higher pair than his sevens. Maybe if he raised me on the turn I would played my hand different on the river, but he made it very obvious he hadn’t had a chance.

One thing I still need to learn is to not over estimate the power of AK, especially when nothing turns up on the flop or the turn. I lost almost 2500 chips by calling till the showdown, even with no pair at all. I should have folded that hand after the turn without hesitating.

Another big pot I won with 2 4 suited (diamonds) on the big blind. With blinds 250/500, 2 players joined the play to see the flop Qd 3d 2s. This paired my 2, but also gave me a flush draw. True, not with the highest cards, but the odds that one of those two other players got 2 diamonds in their hands where very small. Small blind checked, I made a 500 raise to get re-raised to 1000 chips. With a chance for a flush draw, I took the bet and called. The turn was a 7d, giving me the flush. I checked, not revealing I already had the flush and to see what he would do. He raised to 2500. Maybe he needed an extra diamond on the river, that certainly would mean I could fold my hand due to the low cards. But I didn’t believe he had a better hand than me, so I went all in. He called and showed Jh Qc and with only the river left he couldn’t beat me anymore. He’s out and I can add 7500 chips to my stack.

Not much later I received pocket Queens again and raised to 2400. Everybody folded, except the big blind. I was up to the player with the highest stack on the table now. He had more than 2 times the amount of chips I had and raised me to go all in. I thought he was bluffing and was trying to steal a nice pot, but with my Queen’s I called his raise, all or nothing now. He showed me pocket Aces. Damn I was in serious trouble now. With only 60 players left I was so close to the last 27 which would mean cashing.
This hand actually pushed me to a place in the Top 10 of the tournament as the flop gave me a 3rd Queen. When the turn and the river didn’t give him his 3rd ace I doubled up and could comfortably see other players making mistakes. I only played very big hands for the next 30 minutes, only losing 1 hand out of 8.
Once we’re in the money, the play speeded up again and very quickly only 12 players were left, me standing at nr 5. When I reached my 3rd final table this month, I was on the number 4 spot. After 6 hands on the final table I checked with J9 on the big blind and got trips with Q J J on the flop. Small blind checked, I checked, 3rd player made a 5000 bet. Small blind called and I raised to 20000. They both called my raise. With a 5 on the turn I couldn’t check anymore, 1 one of them had to go. I made a 50000 raise and got called by the both of them again? One of them probably has a jack also. And the other is playing the Queen, or could they both play the queen? With the king on the river I went all in after the small blind checked. And again they both called me. Should I be worried?
Well no, it was a split pot between me and the small blind (J 10) as we won from Q A. The 83000 chips added to my stack made me the current chip leader.

The first final table I’ve played, I tried to bluff 7 2, but it made sure I went out on the 8th place that time. With deuce seven in my hands yesterday at the final table I was thinking should I or not?
Well I did and I also won. Before the flop I made a 30000 raise on the small blind position. Only the player on the button called. With 8 6 5 of spades on the flop, I know it was now or never, I had an open end straight draw possibility, but that wouldn’t had a chance against a flush as I didn’t had a spade. But with a 54000 raise I bluffed my way to the win, letting him believe I do have the spades.
Being a sporty guy, I showed my cards to let everybody know they got beaten by 7 2

30 minutes later the lowest stack went all in for 106000 chips and with JQ suited I took the risk calling him. He showed pocket 9’s and won as the board didn’t pair me.

With only 4 players left I got pocket jacks and re-raised the player on the button. He re-raised me again and I went all in, knowing this could end my tournament. He called with pocket queens. Could I be lucky again and get me a 3rd jack? Well no, he did win and I was out. Too bad, just missed the top 3 once again, but I had a great tournament, especially at the final table. I was one of the 2 players that risked getting into action, most of the others just called on the blinds.

With my 4th place I can add another $7 to my account, giving me enough money to really start playing on the real money tables now.

I’m going to dive into some bankroll management tips from pro poker players the next few days to set me some boundaries so I won’t go busted. After I have worked this out I can really start my challenge.