Great run and no results!

Sometimes I have to ask myself :Is this possible?" after having a fantastic run in a poker tournament but not getting to the Final Table. I do realize that along with playing great poker you still need to get a little luck on your side. Well, it isn't that I have been unlucky. So why am I able to accumulate so many chips and still not get there lately? Last night I made major runs in both Omaha Hi / Lo poker tournaments and a Texas Holdem tournament.

I didn't use any particular poker strategy or bizarre plays any more than I normally do. I played good solid poker early and opened up when I doubled through. Once I doubled through I played and hit several speculative hands that allowed me to go from $3k to $15k before the end of the first break. There were only 90 players in this particular tournament and it certainly seemed that things were going to work out well. Unfortunately, I busted out two players before the money. It happens. "That's poker!" if you want to be cliche about it. However, there is a broader picture to be seen here.

When you are playing in fast structure poker tournaments there is never a good time to lay back and rest. After I got to fifteen thousand I figured I would be a little more selective after having played almost 60% of the hands to that point. I wanted my loose aggressive image to wear off a bit so I could get action later. The problem is that later never came. I got my chips in good with $14k behind me against another stack of $8k with King King vs Queen Queen. A Queen hit on the flop and it was down hill from there. Momentum had shifted and although I managed to hold on to my chips for some time and stave off the blinds I never got back to $15k+ again and eventually busted. Couple that with being just a little cold decked and it made for another disappointing finish to what appeared to be a sure run to the Final Table.

So don't be discouraged when things don't work out after playing well. It happens to the best of us. Yes, it even happens to the big name pros too and a lot more than you think. So keep your head up and continue to work on your game because you can go on a run of making Final Tables just as easily as you can missing them. So be prepared for when that day comes. You never know.