Good luck in AC to Brad!

I feel like it's been a while since I last posted, but in reality it's only been a few days. I haven't been playing too much. I have just been finding myself more and more irritated at the end of the day. Not with my play, but more or less my results. I have always preached that it's not about results, it's about decisions. As long as you're making the right decisions, the results will come. Well, I feel I have been making the right decisions and things just aren't working out. I've decided to back down on my play this week and take some time away from the tables. Everyone could use a break right? It's also good that I take a break because I have a ton of school work to attend to. Midterms are coming up, and well, I hate midterms. They are definitely one of the most stressful times of the semester. I generally find that midterms are more stressful that finals.

for those of you that read the B_Log, BJU18 has gone up to AC to play in some of the circuit events up there. I'm sure he's going to have some updates on his blog, and I'll try and keep everyone posted from what I hear myself. He's a solid player and is due to breakout in one of these smaller events sooner or later. I hope he sticks to his guns and trusts his reads as reading is probably the strongest part of his game. Good luck to Bradley!

On a side note, I was playing a ton of poker last week, but mostly MTTs. I kept running good and able to push into the top 25% and then cash a good amount of times. I just wasn't able to seal the deal. I don't really think it was my play. I kept getting it in good late in tournaments, but couldn't pull out a winner on the hands I should have one. Here's an interesting decision I had deep in a Poker Stars $2+.20 MTT. Bear with me as I don't have the hand history.

Blinds 400/800/50.
Folds to me in the SB, I raise to 2,400 with QQ.
BB shoves on me for 51,000, putting me all-in.

I have around 30,000 chips remaining and am in 18th chip position out of the remaining 86 players, 198 cashed. The BB player has been playing a good amount of hands and I have seen him shove like this on players raising his blind before. He only showed AJo one of those times, the other times his opponent was on a clear steal and he took the pot. I took my time and thought he would be shoving here with any two broadway cards, any pair 55 and above. I normally raise to 2.5x the BB, but because I knew I was going to be playing OOP had he just called, I wanted to make it a little more. I don't like to vary my raise sizes based on my hands, but more so based on my position.

Another factor that came into mind was that I was pretty much in control of the table. I was able to chip up rather nicely here and there and improve my stack a lot each round from picking up the blinds and antes along with other uncontested pots. Looking back on the hand, I don't think I should have called here. I know I have the third best hand PF in HE, but I don't want to be up against three hands AA, KK, and AK. I'm not sure if this is the right thinking, but because I was able to be in control of the table so much is why I should have folded. I would have had plenty of chips and been able to continue to control things the way I wanted to I believe. The more I thought about it, the more I decided that he's shoving here with too wide a range for me to not have him crushed: AQ, KQ, AJ, A10, 55-JJ, and maybe even some other suited/connected hands. I decided that I was going to play for the win and try and grab hold of the chip lead if I won this hand. Turns out he had AK and I was racing. I lost the race, but it leaves me wondering what if? What if I would have folded, left myself with a good stack and continued to chip up and play on? I'd really like some opinions on situations like this. I feel I would have rather stuck it in here if had didn't have such a good stack and as much control of the table. I'm not unhappy about my play or my results, but I am always open to suggestions.