Tilt Me and Die Hard

Know what's worse than flopping two sets in a row in the $4-8 game at Red Rock and having them cracked both times by the same clueless old man's runner-runner flushes?

Getting bad beat out of your bonus.

PokerNews was cool enough to organize a $10K freeroll for the 30 or so of us that busted our asses for the last 5 weeks at the WSOP. Ten spots were paid, with $2,500 for first.

I played exactly one hand.

Three limpers to me in the 25-50 level. I raise to 300 from SB, Tony G calls from EP, two other limpers call. Flop J-T-blank with two hearts. I lead for 700, Tony G folds, 2nd limper moves in, 3rd limper folds. I insta-call with A-A. He has Q-J offsuit. Turn 9, river 8. IGHN and double up some Dutch dude I've seen like twice the entire time I've been here. He has me covered by 50.

I can't win at this game. Doesn't matter how well I play. Four years at it now. It just never seems to work out for me.

I was on such tilt afterwards I had to pound a Corona and go see LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD just to get off tilt.

And then, as I walked out of the theatre into the rancid heat, I was still on tilt.

Now I'm just waiting to go have dinner with Pauly's mom. Whom I am terrified of, yet have never met.

If I survive tonight without sticking a needle in my arm or jumping off a freeway overpass, well I just might make it out of this town alive.

And now I owe all you fuckers a dollar...