Irrevocably the last poker action I had on this trip to Vegas I entered a satellite at the Wynn to enter their $300+30 afternoon tournament. Burst on the bubble 3-handed when the big stack had called my pre-flop raise (I had AQ) with K4. Yes he liked to gamble and although he only caught bottom pair on the flop he called my all-in bet and that was it for me.

However, I liked the look of the tourney and the players in it, so I signed up anyway. My first table was vivid with action, I just stayed afloat until the table was broken. My next was pretty hard, almost everyone a solid player, and I was not catching cards. I ended up in familliar situation with only about 4-5 times the blinds and antes when were down to around 50 players out of the 132 total. I got very lucky when I tried to bluff an opponent out of the pot with an all-in bet. He held AQ while I had A2, but 2 deuces on the board doubled me up and then some. 4 hands later I was big stack on the table with more than $24,000 (starting stack $3,000) after busting 2 players with QJs and the rockets respectively.

We got broken up again and were down to 25 players. $12,000 for no. 1, 18 spots paid. We juggled around at our table, my stack was kept more or less intact, until we reached the level with blinds at 600/1200, $100 ante. I was in the BB, and the bigstack on the button had singleraised to $2,500. SB folded, I looked down at 75d and called the $1,300 extra. I had great pot odds.

Flop comes 55A, rainbow. Holy guacamole, I had flopped a set. I checked to induce a bet, and sure enough he led out with $3,000. I called. A jack came on the turn, I checked he checked, too bad. I had planned to come over the top of him this time. The river was a 10, this time I bet 8,000 hoping he would see it as a semibluff at the pot. He did. He went all-in, and I called only to see the river had delivered the only card to fill up his straight - his hole cards were KQ. Henrik out in 20th spot, practically the bubble.

I hate poker....