~ P O K E R A R T I C L E S ~
The Lingering Sting of a Freezeout
Some people stare at the table in a trance-like state as all of their chips are slowly dragged away; some collapse onto the floor, curl into the fetal position, and weep uncontrollably; some lose control and begin to berate their opponents and lash out at anything nearby; and some keep their cool, offer a polite "nice hand," and try to walk it off. But regardless of what response you may choose, there's really no fun way to respond when you're knocked out of a freezeout tournament before making the money – especially when you're right on the bubble, and even more so when you were a significant favorite in the hand that led to your demise.
A few nights ago I was looking to whet my poker whistle. It was late, around midnight, but I wasn't really tired yet and I had nothing else to do, so I figured a cheap multi-table tournament was in order. It was slim pickens for good MTT's at most of my favorite online rooms, but I managed to find a $2+0 with about 2000 seats on a site that I had long abandoned, yet for some reason had left a whopping $2.89 sitting untouched and unused (probably just because I like withdrawing nice, even amounts). The money was rather insignificant though, I just wanted to play and win.
I played my usual tight and patient game early on, doubling up with pocket Kings during the first level. A few levels later I'd only seen a few flops from the big blind and my stack was getting to be about average again. Luckily those pocket cowboys found me again and this time I nearly tripled up against 6's and 7's. After that hand it felt like I had wandered into a desert of abominable cards – hands like Q-2, 7-4, 2-8, 3-9, J-5, and other awful combinations. Even the marginal hands I got – Ace-rags, Q-J's, suited connectors, and low pocket pairs – would all hit me in the worst possible positions, either under-the-gun or in late position facing multiple raises. I felt boxed in, I couldn't make any moves, and the blinds kept eating away at my chips.
It got to be around 2:00 in the morning, with a bit over 300 players remaining, 220 of which would be paid. My chips were now much less than average, about 3500 with blinds at 200 and 400. A quick double-up and I knew I'd be able to make the money and hopefully make some moves to get even deeper into the tournament. Of course it didn't help that I had two big stacks directly to my left, making blind steals a bit more dangerous.
Eventually I found an Ace-King of hearts under-the-gun and pushed my measly stack all-in, somewhat hoping for a call, but happily taking the blinds instead. Very next hand I find two black nines in the big blind and know I pretty much have to push if there isn't a ridiculous amount of action before me. Everyone folded to the small blind, who popped it up to about 1600. It smelled like a steal attempt to me, so I pushed in the rest of my chips, making it only about another 1600 for the small blind to call. Of course he had little choice but to call, subsequently knocking me out with the almighty J-4 offsuit.
The board was dealt so quickly that I had to resort to the hand history to see exactly what had happened. Sure enough the small blind had hit his Jack on the flop, which also brought three clubs, giving me the winning flush draw that failed to complete on the turn and river. I just sat there staring at the text file for a while. A Jack of hearts... and a Four of diamonds. They weren't even "soooooted." Jack-Four! Jack-friggin-Four!?!? Over 2 hours of fairly solid play and this was the sudden end of my tournament experience? Had it been an overpair or even two overcards like J-10 I wouldn't have minded as much, but you just can't help but cringe and convulse after being knocked out in such a fashion. Needless to say, it took quite a bit of venting time before I could rest easy that night.
In the aftermath I began to realize that there's really nothing you can do to ease the pain of busting out after numerous hours of meticulous planning and practice. It's just a part of the game and it happens to all of us, whether we're eyeing up the $800 first place prize of a $2 buy-in MTT or plopping down $10,000 for a seat in the World Series of Poker main event. Sometimes it'll be a runner-runner bad beat, sometimes it'll be Kings running up against Aces, and sometimes it'll just be the luck of the draw leaving you chipless and brokenhearted. Sometimes all you can do is get your chips in with the best of it and pray that the worst doesn't happen.
Best of luck at the tables.
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