Intellectualizing defeat does not in fact improve the taste...aka 4th is not 1st...aka Rosebud, Rosebud...

Finished fourth in the Mookie, but I hope the eventual winner would acknowledge I had him dead to rights with four left when he pushed his entire 8k stack preflop with Q9s and I called with Jacks. Yes, Virginia there was a reason I mentioned his cards were suited. Yuck. Up until that point I was very much in the moment and focused on a win. I really thought it was going to happen. After that Pokerstars reality check, I think I loosened up too much, paid way to much attention to the chat box, and it was only a matter of time before I got sent home. Fair enough.

On a wholly unrelated note, can we move the Mookie to Full Tilt? Is that a possibility? Cause I wholeheartedly recommend we do it. Everything about the FT layout is better: the colors, the ability to review hands, the tourney info – everything. Why is the blogging community still glued to Stars? I understand fully why WWdN and the Not will stay put, and that’s cool…but what about Mookie and DADI – how ‘bout relocating to sunnier climes Mook, Trip, J and G? Okay – just putting that out there. Moving on…

cc doubled through me three times in about 20 minutes including finally putting me out with a dominated A. Ah well…what can ya do. The good stuff got killed, the crap got called = signs it isn’t your night.

Finally got to a final table with Eric, which was very cool, since he was across the table from me at my first blogger tourney ever (WWdN) and I’m pretty sure was the first guy I ever chatted with at one of these things. Now look at us: big MTT final tables live and online between us with some good scores, and at long last ITM simultaneously at a blogger event. I actually regret showing that bluff with 9Ts E – wasn’t trying to show you up brotha, just wanted it clear that my blind would be defended. I almost never show so I don’t know why I did it there. Rav and I have been talking about this. Because I never know when it will help, I just avoid the problem. Actually, I’m sure showing that one and the one to Hoy (see below) made it far likelier every raise would be called – thus back to nevah showing.

On consecutive hands I made an incorrect laydown to Hoy’s bluff, then a foolish call to Wonka’s kings. I survived both, but looked like an idiot. I got revenge on both when I cracked Wonka’s third set of kings in the tournament, and bluffed Hoy right back at the final table. On that note, the HammerPlayer is pretty damn good at putting me on a hand. Not perfect, and I’ll leave it deliberately vague, but he was right all but once, aside from the bluff. Bastard.

Took Jules out in fine fashion – maybe my favourite hand of the night. Nothing extravagant, but in context pretty stasisfying considering she’s bounced me multiple times lately. I limp as SB, she checks, I find two low pair on a raggy looking board – we both check it and she finds a match for her 7 on the turn. She had been pushing me off hands all night, so I knew my check to the flop would look weak and if she caught anything she was pushing. She did and then was done. Sweet, sweet Jules…thank you for that…it truly was worth the wait.

Lastly, xkm, my brotha: that suckout you pulled off on Hoy was unreal. You play that crap? AK? Against a powerhouse like AJ? Jebus! I hope the fact you got spanked and spanked good teaches you to look critically at your hand selection. Oh well, at least no one lost their cool…

I keed, I keed. You got jobbed fierce mah man, so a little tilt was appropriate enough. That’s what I love about playing the Mookie – we are constantly looking to slit each other’s throats, all the while bullshittin’ away. It’s the best part of being a blogger and playing these things. I thought it was classy of you to wish our boy GL before signing out. Also, the crap Hoy took from just about everyone - railbirds included - for calling a push with AJ should convince him EVERYONE is reading his blog, if sitemeter wasn’t confirmation enough.

Okay…that’s about it. Cash game still oscillates happily between mediocre on a good day, and almost mediocre the next. Haven’t lost enough money yet to teach me a lesson, so I’ll keep plugging away. MTT front, I am burning out, but still had a couple of deep runs this week, one minor cash. Fuck that Moving guy! He killed my best chance in weeks, every time I think about it I want to scream… I guess I’ll keep taking shots for the next few weeks. Everything was so much easier when I had no idea how hard it was to actually find the final table. Three weeks ago, it seemed to find me. Now, it’s a little slower through the snow. But I will get back there. At least I hope so.

Laytah.