Another Premature Bustout

I probably played in my last tournament for several days last night. Not so much sour grapes, just I will be real busy and have other priorities. I played really well, I thought and should have went much deeper. Early on I recognized a strategy to beat up on this older gentleman that was limp/calling to see just about every flop. I raised in position to isolate him a couple of times and took a lot of chips outplaying him after the flop.

I also got real lucky just before he joined the table, doubling up and eliminating a player when my K-Q was outflopped by K-9 (he hit two pair) and the betting pretty much told me I was behind, until a T paired on the river and counterfeited him. His look and the way he gave up betting after the river hit, told me all I need to know and I was sure it wasn't a false tell. I pushed all in and he went in the tank and then paid me off. There is something dangerous about the psychology of knowing you are way ahead in a hand, take charge, and then the tables turn. I've been there, I've felt that, and its hard to let go even though you know you should. More people bluff here than I am used to and I think he felt maybe I was at this time, but if he'd thought it through, there wasn't much else I could have been holding. Draws were unlikely the way I bet the hand.

A little after the second break, I was moved to a table and reunited with the gentleman from the early going. I had already busted him once, but he re-entered before the first break I guess. He was short-stacked and made some very strange calls with marginal cards, but got lucky and tripled up sucking out in a multi-way pot. The blinds had become significant to me and my M was just under 10, when my fateful hand against him came down. He limped in first position, which was no sign of strength as he liked to play EVERY hand until the flop. I didn't have enough to raise without committing myself, so I was really hoping I had a hand. Everyone at the table folded to me on the button and I looked down at pocket 8's, which is surely strong enough to push in this situation. But, I didn't want to lose my sucker, so I simply raised about half of my chips, indicating a willingness to commit to the pot if the small blind re-raised (he was chip leader). The small blind folds, but the big blind, who was also short-stacked called for less and to no suprise at all, my nemesis took his sweet time and tried to talk me out of some information. A call represented about 50% of his stack, but he thought I was making a move. The flop make 6-5-4 rainbow, a pretty nice flop for me. Overpair, gutshot draw, not likely cards that hit the big blind all in. The old man checked, and I pushed immmediately. He tanked and then called off almost the rest of his chips with Q-9 offsuit. No draws! He did have overcards, but he couldn't have thought they were good to the BB all-in. What an idiot. The BB showed A-J and I felt great about my tourney prospects. The turn was a deuce. Nice, I am going to be a factor in this thing yet, eliminate another player and damage the old guy. River was a 9. Worst hand won again.