Schmack!

$20+$2 - 9th - -$22
$20+$2 - 3rd - +$18
$20+$2 - 4th - -$22
$20+$2 - 5th - -$22

Well, almost done with the $20+$2 level already. I really should have stopped at the 3rd place finish, but I felt good about my chances and kept pressing on. Not sure what happened with the 9th place finish, but the 4th and 5th place ones was once again a card draught and some better/aggressive players that wouldn't roll over to blind steals. Since I had no cards, and I couldn't blind steal, I got to watch myself get blinded away again. Very frustrating. Meanwhile I spun up a 50/1 ring game and managed to get bonked for an additional $8 loss thanks to my flopped trips also ending up being a flopped boat for the guy across from me. That was enjoyable.

So, for the challenge, I'm down -$48, and a total of -$55.50 on the bankroll. The challenge bankroll I'm not too concerned about yet, but my ring bankroll hasn't taken a positive swing in quite a while, which is disconcerting. It would be nice to start winning on the ring games again. I've gone down to the .50/1 level again, since, with the $110 I took out of my bankroll for the challenge plus the $50 I withdrew for the deposit on the motorcycle I never got (check is being returned, and will probably not end up back in the bankroll), the ring bankroll is now below $300.

As for the challenge, I'm still in the $20+$2 level, by a buck. One last chance to redeem myself on that level, I guess, then it's back to the $10+$1 grind. Second verse, same as the first. Of course, unlike the $10+$1 level, two wins and I'm on the next buyin level already.

As for the skill of my opponents, I really honestly can't say I see much difference between the $10 and $20 levels. Maybe a little tighter, but not appreciably, and since the $10 tables were plenty tight, I've been getting some good practice at dealing with a rock garden.

Unfortunately, I have a bit of a short attention span with these tournaments, and in the beginning of them I tend to wander off and surf the net or play a ring game on the side. This isn't really such a good idea as in the early portion of the tournament is where I can try to get information on my opponents, like what they're raising with, how the respond to blind steals and other such stuff. I'm pretty good about keeping my hands off the CALL and RAISE buttons in the early portions of the tourneys in spite of my boredom, but it makes the frustration of not getting cards more, well, frustrating. Especially when after scratching along for so long trying to survive on shit cards I get rivered to die on the bubble.

After that 4th place finish, I was ready to throw my monitor across the room. I really had no business sitting back down at the tables.

I'll try again tomorrow. At some point, I think I'm going to have to abandon playing these sit and goes in the daytime and try to play more when the fish are around. Unfortunately, that would slow this challenge to a friggin crawl, as my opportunities to play in the evening are few and far between.