I was peppered with some pretty good hands for most of the night. Four times I had pocket Jacks and managed to get them to pay off. I'd had a few lower pairs pay the odd time when I bet heavy right off the bat, but my prime time hand happened early in the game, before the first break--in the first half hour.
Two seats to the left of me was a guy who irritated me, initially by sight alone until he'd hit a few good hands and got cocky. I was pissed off after I'd stayed in too long, hoping to hit something--anything, and he went all in on the river to force me out. I have a tendency to want to call every hand, as I think everyone is bluffing and I can't stand the thought of something getting put over on me. Like everything else, I managed to take poker personally and struggled to hear common sense telling me to fold when all signs pointed to it. This time I knew I'd have to be patient, and I reminded myself it would take a lot of cards, a lot of hands, and a lot of players to go out for me to make it anywhere near the final table.
I was dealt my first set of pocket jacks, the best hand I'd had to that point, and I bet a couple hundred to force a few people out. When I have something pretty good, but beatable, I like to bet big and get rid of anyone trying to buy a cheap flop. Cocky called and up came the next three cards. A Jack was on board and I checked to him, only for him to check back. The turn came up another Jack and I checked once more, accidentally knocking some of my chips over--I could hardly contain my excitement--but Cocky put in a pretty sizable bet and I re-raised. He called all in, and I couldn't get my chips in fast enough, my hands were trembling so bad.
Cocky flipped over pocket tens, for a full house, but he was drawing absolutely dead to my quad Jacks. He was out only a few hands later, and I could still hear him talking about it to people within earshot. To date, I think that's the best beat I've ever put on a guy. It took quite a while for my heart and nerves to settle down, but I managed to carry that luck through to the second last table. Shortly after though, I was getting crap cards, and I knew I'd have to play super tight to make it to the end. When I hit the final table of nine players, I had a mere couple thousand to gamble with, compared to everyones double and triple stack of white $1000 chips.
The blinds were 2 and 4 thousand and I was playing as conservative as possible. Everyone was playing tight, as you had to place seventh to come into money. Some guy a few seats to my right had even less chips to start than I, but he kept going all in and lucking out. Not me--two times I folded ten, jack off-suit only to see a straight come up on board both times. Coming around to me was a four thousand big blind, and I finally went all in on pocket seven's to the chip leader who took me out with an A, J when he hit a jack on the flop and an A on the river--bastard.
But, I'd hung on just long enough. Some guy went out in eighth the hand before, and I was the last woman standing, the first to come into the money, and more than happy with my performance.
Turns out Victory is a lot better than I thought and smell has nothing to do with it.
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