The Way of the Donk

Wow, did I donkey my way out of the Cruise tourney last night. It was horrendous.

I started well, doubling up with AA in the first round, then taking out two more players who overplayed their very weak hands. I lead or stayed near the leaders for the first hour and a half of the tourney, then got my head stuck up my ass so far I couldn't remove it in time to save myself.

I was playing very fast and loose, taking pots from anyone playing weak. There was only one player at the table who had a close chipstack to mine, and he was to the left of me (of course.) I had been playing loose all night, hoping to catch big hands and knock people out, or play back strong at any sign of weakness. I was taking tons of small pots when I could, and knocked out about a half dozen players. A player two to my right had been playing nearly every hand, and doubling the blind about every other hand. You know my feelings about that. I was trying to catch a hand to bust him with.

When I wasn't paying attention, the guy in front of me doubled his chipstack off the player to my left. This means he now had me covered. I wasn't concentrating really hard when I played the next hand, JQ of diamonds in early position. I was a bit distracted in the hand as the phone rang and my in-laws had recently arrived. I limped and he called, with position on me. The flop came with two diamonds, so I thought I would semi-bluff, throwing 2000 chips in the pot. He came over the top of me all in, and I insta-called, not realizing he had me covered. He had a set of fives and no diamond came to save my sorry ass.

I lost focus for two hands, and that was enough to cost me a pretty good shot at a free cruise. The guy was the overwhelming chip leader when he got my chips, but still managed to blow it at the final table. The eventual winner of the tourney was disqualified because he didn't qualify for the tournament in the first place.