When is a brutal beat not a brutal beat? When you chop a pot you had already counted as pocketed... I guess technically it wasn't a beat, right...? Down to three players in a $20+2, I'm in 2nd (3500-2300-2200) and pick up 99. I raise UTG from 300 BB to 1000. Chipleader in SB calls and BB bails. The flop was the nice, but dangerous KQ9 of diamonds. I go all-in and get a quick (too quick) call. Chipleader turns up KQ and I'm suddenly a 4-1 favorite to take a huge sledgehammer of a chip lead. Since I've already told you it was a chop, you probably figured out what the last two cards were... AJ of diamonds and we chop the pot with the runner-runner flush.

After that, I tilted away my chips in five hands, limping and calling raises with shit hands, finally self-destructing with A2s against AJo. Still, ignoring the last five hands ("So Mrs. Lincoln, aside from that, did you enjoy the play?"), I played pretty well, although I suffered again from overtight play early, only opening up when the stakes increased. I had a chance early three-handed to break one of the survivors, but that damn A2 lost to Q5 when a Q hit the turn. Y'know, I've written here about A-rag, and then I promptly go out and lose twice with that very hand. Even monkeys learn from their mistakes...

Also, I cashed out some of my Empire money, holding it off to the side waiting to whore it out, or maybe some special tournaments. Hell, if there's a blogger tournament, I'm willing to be dead money, just to see some of the poker bloggers play. The only one I've actually seen play is CJ, who I saw early in my online playing at UB pop into some of the micro-limit tables. I have no illusions about my play or my poker expertise (or lack thereof). I'm a reasonable player, though probably too predictable for astute players. I like the level I'm at..., the game is still fun. If I ever got to higher limits, it would be like work... or there would be too much pressure on my bankroll and time. I like being a nickel-and-dime player in a penny ante game.