Fathers Day Casino Trip

My wife and I both ha dto work on fathers day, so it was actually the day after. My daughter came home for a visit late on fathers day. I think it was more of a visit for my wife to see her new dog, but it was good of her to come home and see us. I worked early on Monday and got off at around 2pm. I asked Kara what she wanted to do tonight. She said how about going to a movie. I said how about going to casino. I won out! LOL. On monday they have a $60 tournament with re-entries for the first 5 levels. You start with 3000 in chips and blinds are every 15 minutes. It goes kind of fast. I started pretty card dead. I bluffed at a few hands with little success, but did mange to win a big pot on the big blind to get to 5500 at the first break and end of re-entrys. During the next hour I raised twice with marginal hands trying to win at least the blinds only to have the same guy reraise me all-in preflop both times. I folded and told him the second time that I have only played about four hands all night and you have reraised my both times I have played. Of course he got mad at my for commenting about his poker play. I laughed and told the dealer that one of these times I may actually have a hand when he raises me. Blinds are now at 300-600 and I am down to 2400. I need to win a pot soon. I have pocket 7's and a stack with 1600 moves all-in ahead of me. I go all-in over the top hoping for heads up, but the big blind also calls. Damn! They both turn over ace junk one with a 5 and the other with a 9. That's not too bad anyway. Of course the river brings a 9 but it was the guy that I had covered so I win the side pot for 800. I now have about 4 hands before I will be all-in on the big blind. The hand under the gun I decide I am going to have to go all-in regardless of what I have. I have 9-10 offsuit and push in. I get two callers who are going to check down and try and get me out. I river a 10 and win pot to get to 2800. I got a chance anyway, but am still short stacked. A few hands later I get pocket 10's and push in with a caller and it holds up and I now have over 5000 chips and make the final table. My daughter also made the final table with a mid size stack of chips. Second hand of final table table my daughter limps in for 1000 and one person calls and then big blind raises 2000 more. They both call. Flop comes A-Q-8 with two diamonds. My Daughter moves all-in for 7000. The next guy who has a lot chips chips thinks for a long time and finally calls. They both turn over A-10 and everyone laughes. It comes runner-runner diamonds and Kara losses as the other guy has the ace of diamonds. Wow! What a bad beat. Down to 9. The tournament is paying top 5 only. I am still short stacked and am waiting to push all-in again. I get pocket tens again again and push all-in and get called by a smaller pocket pair and win and I am know a mid stack in tournament. I end up mostly folding until finally I make it to the money. Yea! I finally start to get some playable cards and move my way up to chip leader when I take out the 3rd place guy. I have played with the other guy left a lot of times and I know that we will chop at heads up. I had a small chip lead, but chop and win $565. It was a great father's day present. Thanks for coming home Kara. She did manage to win at Blackjack and my wife was about even, so it was a profitable trip to casino.