September Senior Championship: Heart of Courage?

We qualified for two monthly championship games at National League of Poker.  On this senior night, our goal was to do better than last time -- which wouldn't be hard:

:04 IN: We have A-K of clubs, and raise the minimum bet from 30 to 100.  Two players call.  The flop is K-Q-5, with the Queen a club.  We bet 100 again, and everyone folds. It's a quick gain of $515.

:14 IN: We have K-A offsuit and limp.  The flop is Q-3-9, and everyone checks.  The turn is 7, and everyone checks.  The river is 3, and we dare to bet 125.  Someone calls, but with A-Q.  We win $430.

:15 IN: In the very next hand, we have J-9. The flop is 4-Q-9, and we bet 80 (double the blind). A player calls. The turn is 6; everyone checks.  The river is 3, and everyone checks with three hearts showing. But our opponent has K-10, and missed a straight draw. Our pair wins $300.

:26 IN: We have Ah-2d under the gun, and try to get in small -- but another player raises from 100 to 480.  With a pretty good stack, we call. The flop is 7-5-6, all hearts.  Our opponent bets 480 - and sitting on a nut flush draw, we call.  The turn is 6d. The opponent now bets 1,200, and we only have about 980 left. It's a significant gamble, and we choose to fold. (No, you can't "see the last card" in this game.)

That hand cost about half our stack.  We reach the half-hour break with $835, good for 296th place with 404 players left.

:34 IN: We have 7-4 of clubs in the firsthand after the break, and fold it.  Bad decision: clubs come for a flush we would have won.  Our stack drops from there, due to a couple of tries and missed flops.

:54 IN: We have Q-Q in the small blind, starting the hand with 235 left and the blinds at 150/300.  We have little choice but to push, and a few players call.  But the flop is K-10-A, and one player has 10-A for two pair. the turn is 10, giving him a clinching full house. (The river is K, so we couldn't even make a straight.)

We played a lot longer, at least -- but still finished 227th, out of 886 players.  Next big chance: Thursday night.