Borgata Open 07. Or, How Could I Play So Good...and So Bad?

First, the good part. That's me at one of the last four tables (out of 23 to start) at the Borgata Open's Last Chance Cash Tournament. I played well and didn't embarrass myself at all, busting out 34th with 27 spots paying (1st was $16,000).

So here's my question, and I WELCOME YOUR INPUT!! Do you ever find that, even though you know better, you do the dumbest things for which there is no good reason? This seems to be true mainly when playing poker....why do we do it??

Here are a few examples:

1) Cash game at the Tropicana (where I have never been able to win despite my winning record in Vegas and California, supposedly tougher places to play). It's a $2-$5 NL game and I'm holding AQ. I raise pre-flop to $15 and get 4 callers. The flop is QJx, and I make it $60 and get two callers (one loose, the other a very good player...I'm worried about him). The turn is a blank . I bet $100 and they both call . The river is an A (I have two pair, but now there's a straight on the board). I'd like to say I was thinking...they don't have K10 (by the way, they BOTH did). I called another $138 all in to see the straight.

What could I have done differently. Did I play it poorly, or did I just get unlucky? I think both players had the right odds to gamble (they had 11 outs since the K would also beat me and they knew that). I lost $400 on that hand. This hand was played when I came back from my lunch break and 1) the table had changed; 2) I was tired and 3) I had a friend with me. I shouldn't have played...that's the bottom line.

2) Multi-table tournament, 170 players, I have some chips. I flop two pair, K10, and slow play it with two to the flush on the flop and allow someone to catch the flush when 4 clubs appear.

3) I sit down in a very loose cash game with all hard to read bluffy guys and I have only an hour and play very weak and scared looking. That's just not long enough to get a read on a table and you can't play with confidence until you do.

Here are some questions for you:

-Do you think you can regain the table's respect after making a complete fool of yourself. The only thing I can think of is to try to use that to your advantage later.

-Do you ever make a play totally against what you know to be the right play? Why do you think we do that?

All in all, except for the one hand in the cash game, it was a good trip. My room in the NORTH TOWER at the Tropicana was excellent and I highly recommend that as a place to stay. The Hilton has a tournament with a great structure. And the scene at the Borgata was major and fun .