99 players last night

Well, last night was a bust for me.

I just couldn't get psyched up for the game. Even when I was doing pretty well at the first break, I just wasn't in the mood.

I had average cards. My biggest pocket pair was 3/3, but at least I'd get suited connectors and occasional Ace/junk suited and stuff like that. I think my best hand was an A/T that I folded to big action (the guy had pocket Aces), so I never got a great hand, but at least it wasn't a garbage-fest.
The table was weak, lost of people limping so I could afford to prospect, and it usually paid off. I won several hands by noticing when people missed the flop and betting accordingly.

I did have one major blunder early on, where I blew a little over 1/3 of my chip stack (costing me about 500 chips) by bluffing at a pot stupidly with bottom pair. I should have either bet more or bailed. I was sort of waiting around for something scary to hit so I could bluff at the pot, but nothing happened. I just wasted money.

My friend had some tough luck. He played A/T and the flop was A/J/10 or something like that, giving him two pair. He was put all-in and called, as the other guy turned up K/Q. My friend failed to hit one of his six outs (25%?) and was eliminated from the tournament before the break.
In retrospect, the guy could have had trips or an Ace with a Jack kicker to still dominate. But still, he had to make the call with that much already in the pot. You'd have thought that with trips or a straight he'd have slow played a bit, so the all-in seemed too aggressive. But it worked.

At one point I decided to prospect with 3/5 suited (hearts). People were limping in all-over so I figured why not?
The flop was 4/6/7 rainbow. Sweet!
I soooo wanted to check my cards to make sure that I had what I thought I had. But I didn't.
I ended up tripling up that hand when someone put me all-in with his middle pair.

That put the guy on tilt. Later he was complaining, "Maybe I should start playing 5/4?" and I corrected him, "It was 5/3. But they were suited!"
Yes, I know "but they were suited" is the classic Donkey line. That's why I said it.
That guy didn't last too much longer.

Anyway, I didn't feel the need to play during the game. I just didn't have the drive, even when I was doing well.

Mid-way through the tournament I was big blind and had 10/4. One lady with twice the big blind went all-in, one guy who had been playing way too many pots (personally busting out two people in the first round, and a third a short time later!) limped in, so I called.
The flop was K/Q/4. I watched the "plays too many pots but wins" guy and he had the classic "I didn't connect with that flop" tell. Regardless, he put me all-in. I called, and he showed pocket Aces.
Doh!
I had what, a 20% chance at hitting two pair or a full house? But the turn and river were junk, and I was eliminated.

It was actually sort of a relief to be out of the game. I was sort of phoning in my performance. I'd catch myself not paying attention, then not bother to correct my behavior.

One guy we carpooled with ended up making the final table and finishing in the money (8th place). My friend and I, after drinking our "loser beers," watched him at the final table.
Another guy I know was at the final table as well. I don't know how he finished, as we left earlier, but I'd guess he made it to 6th or 7th place. If he hit another good hand under the right conditions who knows, maybe he could have won?