Chilly decks continue

Well...the title of this post says it all. I have been getting some really chilly decks in the past 3 weeks. I played in the $125.00 tourney at the Gold Strike in Tunica my last night there, and busted out with pocket Aces. I was really running good and got down to 2 tables left, but it was not meant for me to cash. I was staying at Sam's Town that night, so I went over there to play some 1-2 NL. Again, no luck and I left a small winner.

The next day I played in a $65.00 buy in at Sam's Town which actually gathered 84 people. I felt I was going to be able to take over my table, and play aggressively if I could accumulate some chips early. The very first hand I look down at pocket 8's. I am 2 off the button, and in the 3 seat. The blinds start at 25-50. There was a raise from the 8 seat to $100 and 2 callers in front of me. I call as does the BB. Flop comes 8c 3h Kc. The original raiser, seat 8, bets out $200 and the 10 seat calls around to me. I go in the tank for a few minutes wondering what to do. My 2 thoughts were 1) Move in here and take it down. The pot was nice size for being the first one, and if someone called I could get head up and double up thus putting my strategy in high gear of taking over the table with aggression. 2) play it coy with a solid raise and see what happens. Maybe get several, or at least 2 callers, and maybe get more out of the pot. Well, I decide on #2 and make it 900 to go. Seat 8 calls immediately, and 10 goes in the tank. He mentions something about having "Kicker" problems etc. I could not hear what he was saying. All in all, he reluctantly calls. Turn come the 10s. Seat 8 checks, seat 10 movbes all in, of course so do I and we turn over our cards. As I suspected he held K-10. It seems my penance to the poker gods have not been paid yet as a 10 comes on the river. See ya...on the first hand.

Hindsight...I should have chossen #1 as there is no way that 10 seat calls if I move all in with K-10.

A few comments here on this Tourney:
1) Icing on the cake was the guy in the 10 seat actually was "flustered" when the 10 hit throwing up his arms saying " Aw man...He hit a full house"...Someone had to explain to him that he had the bigger boat.
2) There was a young kid that said, "Man...that takes guts to get all your chips in on the first hand". What was I suppose to do, lay down a made set. When I play in tournaments I am going to play my hand, and "run and gun". I think it makes a statement at the table when people see you are not afraid to put all your chips in the middle on the first hand.

I had to wait to get my receipt at the counter and there was one older player that came up to me while I was standing there, and told me, "Son, I wanted to come over here and shake your hand. I know you must be playing poker for a living as you really played and acted like a true professional. You really took that beat gracefully, and wishing everyone good luck was a sign of true confidence. You will go far with that kind of attitude".

After this hand I could not get out of Tunica fast enough. I ran to my car in a full sprint, and it probablt looked to some like I had just robbed the place and I was making a getaway the way I bolted out of that parking lot.

Live by the sword, die by the sword
(Matthew 26:51-52)