CMPPA Main Event

As I am writing this we are only a couple of hours away from the grand finish of the St Cloud Series of Poker Main Event winner. They are currently at 7 players after 13 hrs of poker action yesterday. Current chip leader is Luke Haugen @ 257,000 chips with almost 40 percent of the chips in play. It is still any ones game with several quality players left.

My day was not so good, as I busted out about 41/2 hrs in as the second player down. I had what I thought was a solid strategy going in, but it proved me wrong as I always seemed to have the second best hand at the finish. Early I lost a big hand when I called a raise with A-5 suited with a couple of callers. I put the raiser on a small pair and was correct. Flop is A-K-5. Initial raiser makes it 450 after the flop with one caller to me. I hope to take this pot down now and raise to 2450. Bettor folds, but other player calls. I am now concerned, but feel I am ahead. Turn is a blank and I bet out 3000. Player calls. Now I don't know what he has. River is another blank. We both check and he turns over A-K. Wow! Just didn't see that coming. I would have expected a reraise preflop by AK especially by that player. It was a nice play by him as it got over 6000 of my chips. After this hand, I went on about an hour run of good starting hands and raised often. Many times had great flops to make big post flop bets only to get called and run down by flush draws on 3 different hands. Some days are like that, just wish it wouldn't have been during the biggest tournament of the year. Something to look forward to next year!

Thanks to all at my first table, even though you knocked me out, it made for an enjoyable few hours of mostly solid poker play. Something you rarely get in a bar game. Watch out for me next year!