The theme for tonight was: "Hey let's put our money in with the worst hand and win!"

Tonight was Terrence's Stacy Poker game ... and boy was I hyped. I had played about 7 online SNGs and placed 1st in 6 of them. So naturally I was feeling very good about my chances tonight.

I was a bit late because I was celebrating Eve's birthday at BW3 ... but it was alright; I made it back for my first BB.

The seating at my table (9 handed) was (starting from my left): Joe, Big Red, Alex, Pete, Random Dude, Aaron (who is the big contender for Terrence in their points standings for the tournament of champions), some New Dude, Donald, and then me.

One thing I have to say is that my dominance on the Thursday game has ended over the past few weeks as people have figured out how I play, so I made a firm commitment to make a change in my play. Moonie and Yush were playing off the weaknesses in my game like crazy and I just had to adapt. Today was the testing ground for the new style of play.

Most of the hands at the first table are kind of a blur, but I will mention the few big hands that were really important to me. I basically really played off of weakness and stole a bunch of early pots without investing too heavily with marginal hands (like I used to do).

The first big hand I played was against Donald. I raised in early position with 43dd and he re-raised me. I flat-called after thinking for a while and placing him on high cards.

Flop came J-high and he immediately bet out $15 into a $40 pot. My immediate instinct was to muck the hand, but I stopped and tried to analyze the situation because Donald didn't seem to comfortable with his bet. Now I didn't think Donald would be playing AJ with the strength that he had been playing then, and he certainly would not of reraised preflop with KJ or QJ .. so I was certain he didn't have a J. But did he have a high pocket pair? The play he made did seem indicative of a high pocket pair play, BUT Donald KNOWS I'm an aggressive player and I'm liable to bet out at any pot. So with higher pockets I would of imagined he would of check-raised me. But there was only one way to know... so I reraised him $30. This would of pot-commited him to the hand but it still left me with fold equity if he reraised me all-in.

But he folded ... he later told me he mucked AQ. As a side note, I would of rivered a 3 to win anyways.

I also played a weird hand against Big Red ... I was holding Q4o when the flop came A43. A bunch of people checked around, turn came 9. Now there were three diamonds on board.

I've always loved to see 3 cards of the same suit on the same hand because you can move so many people off of hands with a simple pot-sized bluff. In any case, a round of weak betting came to me... and I thought about what people could have. I decided the two people still in the hand (I think Big Red and New Guy) were probably on draws and if the river wasn't a scare card I could probably take this pot down.

River came an offsuit deuce. Perfect. I couldn't of asked for a better card! New Guy checks, and I check behind him (the pot is pretty big at this point and I'm happy to take it down with 2nd bottom pair ... but then Big Red bets $15. The $15 is a huge overbet compared to the rivercall when I placed him on a draw. The offsuit deuce was not completing any draws, so unless he was slowplaying top pair or something better, I had him beat. I decided to give Big Red a call, and he showed a busted straight. Woo!

Now there is this kid Aaron who is Terrence's nemesis in the Stacy Poker Tour. They are almost neck-to-neck in points, and Terrence really wants the trophy he's going to buy for himself (ha ha!). I had never really played with him in the early rounds, so I studied him carefully. He seemed to be a pretty aggressive player; I saw him making aggressive plays with draws as well as pocket pairs. I knew if I could hit the right board I could induce overbets from him and get paid off.

Such a hand would come ... Aaron raised UTG to $18 (with blinds at $3/$6). Now he's a pretty solid player, so I couldn't see him making this type of play with anything too monstrous ... he had slowplayed big pockets a few times earlier (which paid him off well). The only other time I had seen him make this type of move UTG was with small pockets ... so I knew if scare cards hit I could take the pot down.

Regardless of what I had, I was going to call... and I saw a nice T3 of spades. Whatever ... I can make do with this hand.

Flop came 553. Aaron bet out $20, and I called. Big Red, in what seemed like a loooonnng time, folded. We all thought he had a huge hand, but he had 68. Weird.

In any case, I decided at this point to let a free card hit the turn and then try to figure out whether he had middle pair or overcards. The turn came a 6 (perfect for me!), so I bet out $30.

Now, this is my reasoning with betting out $30... calling it gives great odds to overcards, so I know if he flat-calls it he has overcards. But the pot is big enough where any middle pair doesn't want to risk a free river and will make a stand here (if you had 77 or 88 you would put all your chips in the middle to close the pot). If he went all-in, I would of had to fold. But he flat-calls. I figure that he's got overcards, so I'm pretty happy to see the river.

The river comes a queen. I'm slightly scared that he hit an overcards, so I quickly check. He then bets $60.

Now, sometimes I do feign weakness, but let me tell anybody who's playing: if I check the river, it does NOT mean I'm necessary weak. It simply means I don't want to risk any more chips with a marginal hand ... but if I smell a bluff bet, I will call it down.

Now, the $60 is into a pot that is roughly $100, so to me it seems like a gross overbet. I would imagine that most who hit a queen on the river would value-bet the river (You actually don't know if you're up against a made set or what not!) ... and $60 felt like more of a "get the hell out" bet.

So reluctantly with bottom pair, I call... and he flips over 89o. Terrence was there and he seemed pretty happy that all of Aaron's chips were going to me; I think this might of cemented Terrence's #1 ranking on his poker tour.

I was pretty happy with the call ... and that hand really captured the night for me. I was making all the right plays with marginal hands .... it just felt right.

In any case, I get to the final table, and I have everyone dominated in chips. This isn't the first time this has happened; the past three weeks I've gotten to the final table with the most chips. And of course, every week I seem to fall short.

In the first big dent in my stack, I run up against my nemesis Josh, whom you will remember for catching a 3-outer on the river .... and I really disliked him for that.

In any case, he (in his typical weird manner of play) keeps going all-in with A2. Whatever. Anyways, we eventaully get tanged in a hand. He raises preflop, and I call in the big blind with J9hh. Flop comes 734 (rags). He checks, and I check behind him. Turn comes a 9. Top pair for me ... he moves all-in for $110. I pace around for a while; I'm not entirely happy with my position here. 9 with J kicker is not good; he might be slowplaying a set or overpair. In any case, I decide that I have him beat (I figure he's got overcards) and call. He has 78o. Of course, he rivers a 7 and he wins. I'm annoyed.

Well things are ok later because I do knock him out when he goes all-in with a club draw and my top pair holds up (karma!) ... but I eventually get back into very healthy chip shape.

I kept noticing Terrence raising on my BB. Now, I do respect Terrence enormously, but I feel that people shouldn't just run around stealing my blinds. I will defend my blinds (I defened my blinds against Big Red earlier with 84dd and ended up splitting the pot with him!) ... as I did against Terrence (who had KK) with my 93ss.

In a total misread, I thought he had overcards. So when the flop came J-high with one spade, I decide that I was going to front the J. I bet out $30, and he calls (I think the price to play preflop was $30, but my memory is hazy with specific chip values). The turn comes another spade, giving me a spade draw. I bet $100 this time, and he flat-calls. River comes an ace of spades, thus giving me my runner-runner flush. I go all-in, and after some hemming and hawing, Terrence folds.

The lessons learned here? Don't play overpairs like that ... Terrence realized he had misplayed his KK and realized he should of put me to the test off the flop. But I need to learn that I cannot get implied odds against Terrence! I got lucky that river saved my arse ... or I would of been in big trouble. But the cards make geniuses of us all, I guess.

So I'm cruising along and we get down three-handed with Terrence, Sam and myself. Sam decides to raise UTG (blinds are $10/$20) to $60. I look down and see QQ and I re-raise all-in. Terrence quickly folds after looking at one card (ha ha!) ... and without thinking Sam calls for another $310. Now think about this for a second. What type of hands would you risk your whole tournament in a not-pot-commited-call? One SHOULD answer with these hands: AA, AK, KK, QQ ... and that's it. Heads-up shorthanded, maybe you can extend down to JJ and TT... but that's it. But guess what he flips over?

KQ offsuit. Sam decides to risk everything ... on KQ offsuit. I am a pretty damn big favorite here, but I'm praying I don't see a friggin K.

Flop comes AKx, all spades. And of course, he catches a flush on the turn.

But really ... I'm totally pissed at this call. Maybe if I had seen a coin flip I would of been happy, but to see someone put all their money on the line with such a marginal hand boggles my mind.

Well, after that my chips quickly diminish as I go on tilt and my cards run cold. I miss an opportunity to double up when my cards catch top pair on the river, but I fold to an all-in bet ... I eventually lose when Sam calls my all-in with KJ against my A7. I'm glad to see an ace on the flop, but less happy with the jack on the flop as well. Turn comes a K, and I lose.

It really hurt me a lot to lose today, because it was the perfect chance to play Terrence heads-up in an epic battle ... and also because I had played so well. I played tight, but I made the right moves with the marginal cards to extract an advantage.

I really don't fault myself for any of my plays; perhaps once I lost that big hand I could of composed myself better ... because bad beats do happen and I need to learn to deal with them. But now I know how Phil Hellmuth feels ... you go in with the best hand and you play SO well ... but the few times you risk most of your stack, the person with the lesser stack gets lucky and wins.