Tournament Madness

Bay 101 is currently gripped in what I can only call "Tournament Madness". Basically, everybody is trying to win a tournament so he can play in a bigger tournament, and in that tournament sometimes the hope is still just to play in yet another bigger tournament. It's freaking nuts. Last week I even caught myself thinking I was going to enter one of these things before I realized:

1. I suck at No Limit Tournaments
2. Even if I was good, I could make more money playing 20/40

So today I took my first trip to the Oaks since before the Super Bowl, hoping to avoid the madness. No luck! Tournament fever has struck even here.

I roll up at 12:40 and am told that "we don't have a game yet" regarding the 30/60 that supposedly goes every day at 1pm. I am, however, 3rd up for 15/30.

15 minutes later I have a seat, and 5 minutes after that we play two orbits 3 handed at a 10 seat table. Apparently the 1pm tournament, in which you can win entry into something that leads to the ME, is about to go. There are literally hundreds of people milling around, and my entire 15/30 table save one guy (literally....one...freaking...guy) gets up.

We struggle through and are back to ten handed (which is way too many...why oh why can't we have 6 max live tables?) fairly quickly. I confer with the floor man, asking "So, what are the odds of the 30 going in the next 3 hours." He responds with a simple "not good." So I'm destined to play a day of 15/30. As a consolation, I get to do this:

I limp Q9cc way too early after an UTG limper (never you mind that I am UTG+1). It goes 4 ways, me last with both blinds. Awesome result for a questionable decision. Q9 suited is kind of my favorite new hand that I've decided I'm going to play way too often. The problem is that I raise QT suited, so I reason "Surely I can at least play Q9 suited. It's SOOOOOTED!" Anyway, the flop is:

8c 6h 5d

The astute observer will note that I have flopped a gut shot, backdoor flush draw, and two over cards (one of which, the 9, cannot possibly be good). Sb check, bb bets, utg calls, I call, sb calls. This is my second mistake of the hand so far, as I'm pretty sure I should fold here. But wait, there's more!

Jc

In one fell swoop, I am double gutted (any 7 or Ten makes me a straight) with a queen high flush draw. They all check to me and I play the 3rd street in a row wrong by betting. Taking a free card here has to be the right play, as with 3 opponents there is no way I'm ever winning without making something. However, if two players call, my 15 outter is basically breaking even. Sb folds, bb calls slowly, and...UTG raises??!! I call, visibly astonished. The 23 yo white kid in seat 7 actually laughs out loud at my misfortune. BB calls.

Wait for it.....

Tc

That's right. Straight. Friggin'. Flush. UTG bets again and the blind squirrel that is me finds a nut: I raise. Woo hoo, I got one street out of four correct! BB goes into the tank...and calls? Dear god please let UTG have enough to pop me back just one more time. Alas he calls only. I table the goods and am shown 43cc by UTG, which you'll note had an open ender and flush draw as well, for a sum total of three (3) clean outs (those being the non-club deuces). BB had...Christ I have no idea. What on Earth could he have had?