I decided during the day that I would play in this tourney, my first really significant online tourney except for the WSOP Main Event FPP Qualifier last May. I started off with this really LAGgy guy to my right, and he somewhat dictated the pace early on--not that it would've mattered--I was totally card-dead.

11:01 pm (T1580): I steal a couple blinds, and am starting off well.

11:06 pm (T1620): I flop top two with AJs, but get no action on my turn bet. Not bad, though.

11:16 pm (T1350): I get pushed off a pot by Mr. LAG. I have AJo, flop is A-T-T. I raise pre-flop, raise the flop, and he re-raises me. When he leads out on the turn, I let the hand go, figuring him on KT or the like. Meh.

11:26 pm (T1005): Best hand of the night. QQ in the SB. LAG boy of course raises from the button. I oblige and re-raise him. The flop is the beautiful J-8-Q, but they're all clubs. The turn is the King of clubs, I bet, he raises, and I flat call him. The river completes the flush on board, and I lead out with him calling. He shows AJ of hearts, and splits the pot. This guy was behind the whole way. Maybe I should've re-raised the turn--would you have re-raised it? Didn't think so.

11:27 pm (T1140): Next hand, I raise with QJ on the button. Flop is 6-6-5. I lead out and get called. The turn brings a Queen. I lead out and am called again in two places. The river is the Ace of hearts, and it gets checked around. LAG-boy shows me A4o to beat me. The second caller shows 84o, finishing 3rd in a 3-horse race. I'm pissed at this point.

11:39 pm (T1290): I pick up a nice pot with AQs when a Queen falls on the turn, and all I get are folds.

11:49 pm (T915): I get 33 in MP, and flop a set. No callers. Damnit.

12:20 am (T815): Beginning to run for my life at this point. Blinds are 75/150, I raise in MP with QJ (tricky, aren't I), and pick up a pot with a turn bet with just my overcards.

12:29 am (T1040): Q8o in the BB. I open-raise pre-flop, get a call from UTG. Bet the flop on a bluff and I take it down. Hey, any way you can, right?

12:30 am (T1440): Same thing with A8o from the button.

12:37 am (T1390): Big pot win. I pick up KJ on the button, and open-raise. The flop comes 9-5-K rainbow. UTG bets. I raise and take down the pot.

12:40 am (T2590): In better shape. I just noticed that I outlasted PokerStars' uber-star Jennicide. I pick up AJs UTG+1, raise it up, and when an Ace falls on the flop , take down the pot with a bet.

12:43 am (T2440): The crippler. Our table chip leader (think he was #2 overall) took me for most of my chips. AJs on the button. I raise pre-flop, and get two callers (CO-1--the chip leader, and the SB). I flop a nut flush draw, with a T-7-3 flop, bigger cards being spades. Chip leader bets, and I raise. I still get called...(is trouble afoot?). Turn pairs a 7, I bet and get called. River is a 4. It's checked around to me, so I take one last stab at the pot. Chip leader calls, and flips over [b[K3o.[/b] He called me down with BOTTOM PAIR. Worst part is that this guy got hit with the deck all night. Limps with Q2--flop comes Q-Q-6, turn is the deuce. Stuff like that.

12:47 am (T340): All-in with A4o from UTG, I don't improve and I go home in 37th place of 139 players.

Not too bad for being card-dead. An amazing fact: I finished 37th in the tourney (with the top 18 getting paid) without winning a single hand at showdown. I split the pot with the QQ hand. Other than that, not a single win of mine went to showdown. 37th is a sort of moral victory, though. I outlasted Mr. LAG from earlier, and played fairly well despite my lack of cards. A fun time. I'd obviously rather have finished ITM, but overall, encouraging signs.

An observation: The blind structures in the limit tournies on Stars are BRUTAL. At no point did the chip leader have more than 25BB, and the average stack moved between 6-8BB during basically the whole tournament. It moved the tourney fast, but it turned it into a card-catching contest at times.