Ever See a One Armed Trapper?

The answer to the question is no. Why you ask? Because trappers need both arms to spring their traps. Trappers realize that their business is simple. They set a trap and are happy with whatever they catch. When a trapper tries to deviate from the simple trap that is when they get in trouble. A trapper can be maimed or killed and that is the end of their career. What a simple parable that completely describes the MATH last night.

The first hour was horrendous. No cards and a very aggressive table. I played only play one pot of any significance. I was in the BB (30/60) with a powerful 74s, scots_chris had be splashing around in several pots and made a min raises to 120, I call and we see a flop of 2sJh7c, not a horrendous flop for my hand so I check and scots_chris farts at the pot with 60 chip bet and I call planning on taking this on the turn. (I made my first mistake here by not pouncing on it with a big pop) The turn is Qs giving me 4 to the flush and I spring to life (remember this is the first pot I had played past the flop) by putting out a pot sized bet of 390 which he almost insta calls, damn that didn't work. River is a 6c missing my flush but I am going to take another stab, so I fire a 1/2 pot (I think is my 2nd mistake, I wanted this to look a value bet but I also wanted it to be intimidated to call) and he thinks and thinks and here is the result

Called down by the mighty J8 and so I finish hour one in the lower 10% of the field. This should have been a sign that scots_chris was going to be a thorn in my arse, but no I would not heed this prophecy.

In hour 2 my patience was rewarded with some decent cards and I start to make my move and finish up hour two in the top 10. One hand in particular that I now regret telling scots_chris what I had. I also played this hand fast but I was going to make him pay for a flush draw. He though long and hard about this call and claims he had a Kc10h.

Now I am not sure if the points bubble busted that hour but I can tell you who went down right after the bubble broke. You see during one of the tourneys last week waffles placed a bounty on my head, so I extended the same offer. Yep pay back is biatch waffles as I got to send Otis $5 for sending you to the rail in 27th.

Hour 3 was my demise and this is were my tourney nemesis got me. I am SB (250/500 75) with AsJs and scots_chris makes a smallish raise to 1200 I elect to smooth call hoping to catch the ace on the flop and spring my trap (see opening paragraph above, also note to self be careful what you wish for) flop comes a 7d5hAc now I am just loving my hand and I check here hoping to induce a bluff from scots_chris and he obliges with a very small 1100 chip bet and I call. Now here is where I make a mistake, I dont try to put him on hand with this bet. What kind of hand could bet this other than a post oak bluff? Turn is the 8s and he now springs to life with a pot sized bet that is more than 1/2 his stack and I insta push. This last mistake and most costly, WTF could he be pushing with now? His bet screams strength especially when you combine it with the flop bet, I never even considered his holding all I was looking at was my TPGK.

So we get it all in and I am only 17.5% to win and I am crippled and left saying WTF...... Out 3 hands later in I think 14th.

Hopefully i can learn from this, because I shouldn't have gone broke with this hand. If anyone has any ideas or comments about how to keep from becoming tunnel visioned with a hand like this I would greatly appreciate it.

Anyways I would like to send a congrats to scots_chris for winning his first foray into the MATH stop by his blog and wish him well.