Well, I get up today and decide it's time to start flexing my muscles again. So I hit my sites and try to find out what's going down.

First site I pull up is PokerHost. They usually have some kind of Freeroll going, and I've been trying to get money there, so I decide to try to hit one. And as I'm looking through, I realize I'm in luck, as there is a 7-Card Stud Freeroll registering. At least I thought I was in luck.

I sat through 4 levels and didn't hit a single winning showdown. It was totally pathetic. I was playing great, but the cards were not there. I'd start out with a great hand, and never improve. Or I'd improve, and get drawn out on. I wound up pushing all-in with 3K3 and, again, didn't improve.

Next stop was Full Tilt Poker. Nothing really happening tournament wise, so I decide to play some .05/.10 PL Omaha. I would up getting stuck 4 bucks in that one within 15 minutes. Once again, I was getting good cards, but they simply were not holding up.

So I shimmy from there to the .25/.50 Razz table, where I'm a fixture. In the first half of my session, I caught no good cards. Then, I started catching great starting hands, and watched them dissolve into crap in no time flat. Or someone would catch the cooler on me. I was starting to get frustrated, and apparently, it was starting to show, as this next hand shows.

I'm holding A79 in third position. I like to throw people off, so I complete. I get one caller, with a 3 showing.

4th street brings me a 8, and him a 2. He bets, I call.

5th brings me a 6, and him a 5. He bets, and now I'm thinking. Does he really have it? Usually, I'm spot on here. And my gut tells me he's either go A4, or Ax hiding in the hole, and the x is probably paired up. But, he's got a lot of outs left to draw on, and I figure keeping this hand will cost me dearly. So I fold.

He shows...32325! OH MY GOD! If was frustrated before, I was sure as crap steaming now!!!! So, realizing that, I leave stuck $2.25.

An hour or so later, I jump to PokerTime, and find out their free $10 has cleared to my account finally. So I started look for an SNG to play. Wierd, I cannot find anything but SNGs already started. So, I decide I'll jump to a NL Hold'Em .05/.10 cash game.

Well, it was absolutely uneventful until 30 minutes in. I raise .30 in late position with AJo, and Button calls. Flop comes T98 rainbow. I bet .80 thinking I can take it down here, and he raises to 2.40. I'm sitting on about 7.70 at this point and he at 7.40. I'm thinking that he's on the draw too, semi-bluffing like me. So I push all-in and he calls.

Sure enough, he's drawing too, except he's got JTs. Oh great, so I'm dead to a 7, Q, or Ace. Turn comes the ace, and river a blank, I'm lucky, but I recoop what I lost earlier with the $10 Free and my double up there.

Then, my favorite poker league site, AJPoker, come to find out, is celebrating it's 1 year anniversary today, and as a gift to us all, Luke, the admin, stakes us all in the $5 Tony G at Pokerchamps. $640 Prize Pool with only 128 in. This should be a cakewalk...yeah, sure. I played HORRIBLE! So, I wound up out in the FIRST LEVEL.

30 minutes later, it's time for the Poker Whore-tel...errr...Poker Cartel tournament. I won my first tournament here, and got 2nd in another one. Other than that nothing. Especially since the list of mostly decent players got watered down by a bunch of fish whose only raises are all-in, and still manage to draw out whatever monster you're holding at the time. Plus tonight's at Absolute, and this site hates my guts. But, I figure I need to get back in the swing, so I'll play.

My first big hand, holding pocket Queens UTG+1, and knocked it up for 160, SB, a big stack, calls.

Flop comes QA9. SB checks, I bet 200, he calls. Turn comes a 9...perfect. SB pushes me all-in, even more perfect, as he turns up AJs.

But then, the fish persist to be fish. I call UTG+1 with QJo, 5 callers. Flop comes QJT. UTG bets 300, and I know he's not got the straight. He may have 89, but I doubt it, and I know if he didn't raise, he's doesn't have AK. So I call.

Turn comes a 5. Now he moves all-in. I KNOW he's not got the straight. No way. So I call.

Sure enough, he turns up KQs. River's a 9, and I'm shortstacked. Stupid fish. I must've stared at the screen for 40 seconds after that trying to regain composure. Oh well, a draw-out's a draw-out. But see what I mean? Absolute hates my guts!

Well, UTG, just before the break, I pick up JTs, and move all-in. Big stack earlier calls me and turns up ATo. Flop comes Jd Td 2s. Perfect! Just let me dodge an ace. Turn is a 5. I'm now 94%, and the turn is a 9. I'm back up to 1500, but still on rocky ground. So, now I have to play tight, and move all-in to any raise if I catch something.

Come break, I look and miraculously have survived to 146 out of 556 starting. Now I'm hoping I can survive just a little bit longer to get down to the final table. Sadly, at the end of break, blinds raise just enough to put me on the shortstack again.

So, three levels later, I catch my lucky hand, K8, and move all-in. Shorter stack calls, and then BB calls (stating pot-odds...LOL). He turns up T5, shorter stack turns up pocket jacks. I don't improve, but neither does the BB. And I pick up a $5 profit. Yippy Skippy.

THE VERY NEXT HAND, I pick up KQs, and move all-in. two callers. they check to showdown, and AK high wins it, and I'm out in 90th.

Oh well...There's always tomorrow.