I hosted
Spotted Cow XVII this evening. Per usual, it was a royal affair!
Desperate to turn this month's Sketchbook around, I was determined to try and experience a profit tonight. Now that the games have moved into my basement, I don't need to clean up and worry about vacating the room by midnight. As a result, I can really concentrate on playing good poker. As a result, after the dust had settled tonight, I experienced my best night of Spotted Cow success.
In the first $30 tournament, I built a healthy stack of chips relatively early and coasted to the final four players. Up against three rookies, I really liked my chances. Alas, my cards went dry and I claimed a $60 prize for 4th place - netting me a modest profit of $30.
In the 2nd $30 tournament, I caught pocket Aces and pocket Kings (twice) very early in the tournament and again coasted to the final four players. This time, however, my cards stayed juicy enough for me to claim the 2nd place prize of $145. When this tournament ended, I was up $145 for the night.
The 3rd tournament started much slower. However, I hung around and eventually scooped a giant pot after flopping the nut straight while holding Q♠ K♠. At that point, we were down to 8 players, and I was suddenly the overwhelming chip leader - despite my slow start.
My cards dried up, however, and by the time we got down to the final two players, I was severely short-stacked versus Phil. In fact, I'd guess that Phil's chip count was five times my own. A highlight of the action (to that point) was watching Mike win a hand with a royal flush. Dealt Q
♥ K
♥, the other three top hearts appeared on the board, and Mike scooped a monster pot. Despite that hand, Mike was eventually eliminated in 3rd place - but the royal flush was rather impressive to witness.
Shortly thereafter, Phil flopped a set of 4's during heads-up action, and I made a nice laydown on the river - despite the fact that I had flopped top pair. Phil's betting pattern on this hand made me suspicious, and I would have been permanently crippled if I hadn't folded.
After Phil confessed to flopping the trips, I felt very confident about my ability to read his play. Slowly yet surely, I applied the right amount of pressure at the right times, and my stack of chips increased. Finally, I took the lead, and Phil went "all in" preflop - despite the fact that I was holding the best hand. Phil couldn't catch up, and I claimed the top prize of $290. Just like that, I was up $420 for the night - which included an additional $15 I earned for retaining my own bullseye from the previous tournament.
After finishing "in the money" in three consecutive tournaments, I was pretty tired. It's hard concentrating that long! Regardless, it was time to play a 4th tournament, and I was determined to try to cash for a 4th consecutive time. I was the only person to cash in more than one tournament to that point, so I felt good about my chances.
Alas - I fell just short of my goal. With only 16 people playing in the last tournament (21 people played in the first three tournaments), I decided to lower the payouts to three players (rather than four). Wouldn't you know it? I finished in 4th place - or one spot out of the money - and one spot from cashing in all four tournaments.
Oh, well. I still claimed a healthy profit of $390 this evening - which helps to make the Sketchbook look a bit more respectable this month.
Daily Sketch: Up $390
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $338.31
1. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (WR) - CIN
If I want to turn this month's gambling results upside down, I need to get moving. Hopefully, this upcoming weekend's 
