So near and yet so far...

So I'm back from the Ryder Cup where Europe were sadly out-putted by the Americans to lose for the first time since 1999 - the only good news being that my debit card wouldn't work on Friday morning when I wanted to back Europe. One bullet dodged there!

Played twice at the Horseshoe Casino in Indiana while staying in Kentucky - gambling is illegal in Kentucky so you have to drive just over the border to an old-fashioned river boat - LOL gotta love America.

First night I blew almost $300, mainly running QQ into a set of Js on a J64 rainbow flop, although I escaped with some of my stack by checking behind on turn and just calling his $60 value bet when board paired on river. Had a nasty feeling he had me beat by the way he check called my c-bet on the flop and then said "AK has shrunk up eh?" when I checked behind on the turn.

Second visit went much better and I turned my $300 buy-in into $1000 in next to no time - all without having better than one pair. It was largely just a case of opponents not catching a draw or sucking out. Eg; I raised AJ, horrible woman calling station calls with A5, flop is A-high, we get it in and I hold. I reraised to $25 pre-flop with QQ, guy behind calls. Flop is 10 5 5, I bet, he shoves for very little more and I call. He has 77.

Won biggest pot without a showdown. I had J10 of hearts in LP and call a raise to $10. Semi-drunk clueless guy in BB I think raises to $45 and loads of people call so I do to. Flop is K J x with two hearts, checked to me and I bet $100 and everyone folds.

Anyway, finally to last night and the "so near and yet so far" bit. Played three tourneys and busted frustratingly in all of them. First was a double shootout to the Sunday Million on Stars - won first table easily as guy I got HU with was clueless, but finished 6th overall with top two getting seats. Won buy-in back!!! Woot.

Then played a PLO8 tourney on Stars and was approaching the cash when I busted with AA5x despite flopping an Ace. Villain called my RR pre-flop with 2356, flopped the low and hit a gutshot straight on turn. Also busted just short of money in HORSE tourney on FT when clown called pre-flop raise in O8 with 2577 and made a seven-high flush to my broadway and went out next hand when a flopped two pair got counterfeited on river by guy who loved his AAxx on a Q 10 2 flop.

But hey, at least I didn't lose this hand below!!!!

Full Tilt $500/$1000 - NL
Seat 4: Ziigmund ($342,506.50)
Seat 6: Ansky451 ($130,499)
Ansky451 posts the small blind of $500
Ziigmund posts the big blind of $1,000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Ansky451 raises to $3,000
Ziigmund raises to $9,000
Ansky451 calls $6,000
*** FLOP *** [2h 9h 2c]
Ziigmund checks
Ansky451 bets $5,000
Ziigmund raises to $27,000
Ansky451 calls $22,000
*** TURN *** [2h 9h 2c] [6h]
Ziigmund checks
Ansky451 bets $21,000
Ziigmund raises to $306,506.50, and is all in
Ansky451 calls $73,499, and is all in
Ziigmund shows [9c 9d]
Ansky451 shows [Kh 5h]
Uncalled bet of $212,007.50 returned to Ziigmund
*** RIVER *** [2h 9h 2c 6h] [8h]
Ziigmund shows a full house, Nines full of Twos
Ansky451 shows a flush, King high
Ziigmund wins the pot ($260,997.50) with a full house, Nines full of Twos
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $260,998 | Rake $0.50