Slump Broken?

Really, you say?

Is it possible that Justin "Tripset30" Cherot actually had a good session?

That produced profit?

Yes, it is. By no means am I claiming to be world-beater (especially after blowing a sizeable 3-1 chip lead in my last sit-n-go), but I think tonight I had my most solid session in about six months. I only played two low limit sit n go's tonight, but I saw some really encouraging signs that my slump is, if not done, about to be a memory.

Sit-n-go poker is definitely different than cash game poker, but I can take principles learned from playing tonight and apply them to my next cash game. One thing I did tonight that maybe I hadn't done in a long time is really focus, and I think I can attribute that to the fact that making a profit at such small limits wasn't as important to me as working on my game and making the correct decisions at the table. Or, if not always making the right decision, at least not the costly one.

I made some good laydowns and some hands where I called with the thinness, once for all my chips. My recall was sharp and my deductive reasoning was on point. I felt like tonight was a real good night...

But, perfectionist that I am, the last hand I played tonight really bugs me.

My dumbass didn't save the hand history, so I shall re-construct it in pure Justin Cherot form.
Lemme set the table:

Five or six hands into heads-up with the blinds at 100-200 (quick tourney). The villain, a loose-aggressive but solid player, had me by about 1500 chips, like 7500-6000 or something like that. I came in with the chip lead but he was the aggressor, raising every button and check-raising two flops when I led out.

The hand before I felt like I had had the best hand with a pair of fours on a K-K-4-6-A board, but I folded, not wanting to risk my tourney life on a pair of fours. The next hand, I guess I try to send a message by raising on the button with K-3 off, a message that I'm not easily bullied or detered by attempts at bullying. I wasn't surprised when he called. After all, heads-up is a different ball game.

The flop came 4-6-3, two spades. He checked to me, and I fired $400. I wanted it to look like a continuation bet, because I thought that at that point I was winning. I wanted him to check-raise, and he did exactly that, a min. raise, same shit with the K-K-4 flop the hand before.

I really thought I had him, and I just smooth-called. Yes, I was slow-playing bottom pair because I thought I had him.

The turn was a K. Money card, especially in heads-up! I checked to him, this time hoping I could get a check-raise in. He bet $1200. I thought for a minute and really thought he was trying to run me over. Then, I back-tracked. Maybe he really did have a set, or 5-7. But, I came back to my senses. Why wouldn't he just let me hang myself, why wouldn't he just check-call? I re-popped all-in, and when he paused initially I thought I had caught him, maybe even scared him away from the hand.

Turned out his Internet connection was weak. He had 7-5 of hearts. I prayed futilely for the miracle K or 3, but, well, even online poker shouldn't reward such a miscue.

You can make the case that, especially in heads-up, once I hit the turn as hard as I did there was no turning back. But, honestly, I got outplayed. Hey, it happens. More often than it honestly should, but it happens.

That doesn't change the fact that for the most part I felt really good about tonight. I'm hoping I can ride the momentum.

"We just might be okay... after all."