Mixed Bag

Is it possible to finish 6th of 177 entrants and have had awful luck?

I finished 6th in UB's 15k gtd tourney this evening, so I feel the day overall is a success, but by the same token, I've had some AWFUL luck today.

First off, I'm trying to win my entry to the PokerRoom Grand VI tournament by satellite, but I'm having minimal success, to say the least. I'm 0 for 8 this week. I have to be something like 3 for 15 in coinflips in them, it's sick. I played like 4 or 5 of those this evening, I think I went 1 for 7 in flips, the win when I had two big blinds left after losing a flip the hand before. What stuns me is the number of people who call their stack off knowing they can be no more than a coinflip, and yet they happily do so regardless. Normally, this is good, but thus far every single time this has been the case it has, in fact, been a coinflip. And I've lost.

I played the Party Super this evening. I wasn't in the tournament very long, I lost half my stack with TT to KK and then went out with 9T on a 9JQ flop - I was in there with a shot to triple my stack against Q8 and AJ and turned a 9, but a river Q and IGHN.

The UB 15k kicked off at the same time as the Party Super, and I had much better results. Overall, I've had spectacular results on UB, I think the slower structure especially suits me, as it allows me to play in the manner that best suits the conditions. If I want to get aggressive and take control of the table, I can do that. If I want to play tight and wait for big hands, I can do that, too. Usually I'm somewhere in between the two, fluctuating. I'll speed up for an orbit or two, then slow down for a few orbits.

Anyway, I got a decent stack early, TT taking a shortie's 77 to get to 4k at the end of hour one (2500 chips to start). I don't quite remember how I got here, but in the beginning of hour three, I was up at 12k and eighth in the tournament when I got in a hand with the other big stack at my table. This player had just doubled up with aces against queens, and then raised on my BB. I had A8s, and his raise was to 725 at 150/300 with a quarter ante. The hand before, with aces, he raised to 775. This isn't a whole lot to go on, but it was something. The flop came 732. I checked to him, and he bet 1000. I thought there was a good chance I could take the hand here, and made it 3000. After taking some time, the player called. I figured this meant he had a hand like 99 or TT, maybe JJ. I was done with the hand. Until the A on the turn. I came right out and put 5000 out there of the 8000 or so I had left. He took a looong time again and then put the rest of his chips in. I of course called, and he indeed showed 99. I think it was pretty poor play from him, but it benefitted me, so I wasn't going to complain.

That made me the chip leader with around 25k. From there, I was able to get my stack to about 35k with 30 left (20 paid) which was good for 2nd - a player just started going off and got to 76k in that time. I got up to 40k, then lost with AA to AT, who made a straight on the river. I got it back again, getting up around 40k as the bubble burst, which was good for 3rd, and the two big stacks were at the other table. But no sooner than the bubble burst, than I got AA cracked again by QJ who... made a straight on the river. I was able to sustain myself with steals, but I couldn't pick up any hands (which is just as well, no one seemed keen to tangle with me, as all I showed down were aces). It was pretty uneventful to the final table, which I reached 5th in chips but with an awful table draw. Chipleader was on my left, 2nd stack 2 on my left and 3rd stack 3 on my left.

And then it went nuts. The player on my left was insane. He was pushing preflop for 50BB. Nuts. During this time, I lost half my stack with KK to AA (same player that cracked my AA with AT - I could not return the favor) to get myself short. The player on my left busted the guy who was 3rd entering the table in 9th when he pushed for 95k at 800/1600 on the button with A3o, the BB called 85k all in with KK. An ace spiked the turn.

Despite being up at 180k with no one else over 80k, the player got shortstacked soon enough by doing more of this. He then got himself in as a 3-1 dog repeatedly and won. I was fluctuating between bottom stack and 2nd bottom stack, but doubled with KQ through QJ to give myself some room, then the guy who I doubled through and this nutjob busted. From there, I was looking for a spot to double up for a chance to win and took KJ against AQ and lost. It was still good for just a touch over 1k. Of course, all that does is pay for the many, many satellites to the Grand that I haven't won.

Still - that's pretty amazing. I count one hand when I got lucky, the A8 v. 99, and I had a couple of draws hit early on (though I was given them for free). The rest of the time I was really just making chips. I busted a shortie early on with a set against his pair of aces, then the two big hands I mentioned in here were really the only big pots I played. I was really playing very, very well. I really wonder what might have been if I had been able to have my aces hold up, or even if I didn't get the KK v. AA cooler.

Again, is it possible to finish 6th of 177 and have been horribly unlucky? It may well be.