Not a good month

Pretty bad month pokerwise. If not for the win in the $20 SNG, I'd be way behind. The way I've been running is pretty frustrating.

Last night played a $2 SNG and went out in 9th place in about 10 hands. Second hand I had AK UTG, limped, and the guy right next to me RRAI. He had just lost the first pot of the game, but it was way too big for me to call that early in the tourney, so I laid it. Next hand, I get T4 in the BB with some limpers. Flop comes T8x. I chose to check, and it checked around. No way to tell whether someone has KT or AT or even QT, JT there so no need to bet. Turn is a 4h, so I hit my two pair, and 2 hearts on the board. I check with the intent to check raise, he bets, others fold, and I raise a little. I've got the best hand, and I figure no reason to scare him off this pot. I want him to call in this spot, so I raise to like 300 or so and he calls.

River Kh. I bet 120 into a pot of like 680 or so. With the small bet, I'd like a call, but it'd hopefully be able to tell me if the guy backdoored a flush or something. I'm geting called by a huge range of hands here, including KQ, etc. Opponent min raises to 240 and now I've got a decision. I was pretty sure I had the best hand, but now I'm not. He's making it cheap for me. 120 more and I have about 800 behind. I probably figure I'm beat, but he's making it east for me to call, and I do. He shows K8 for a rivered better 2 pair.

Couple hands later, I get 99, limp, get RRAI, and must fold. Two hands later, get 77 in mid pos, raise, get shipped the rest of my 640 stack or so, call, and he has TT.

I played two games this morning that went about the same way. The first game, I went out in 5th I think. Pretty card dead through it. Interesting spot where I held 55 and limped into a pot and got at least 2 others to come along. Flop is 594 rainbow or some such. I checked flop, and they checked behind. Turn is 7h, putting two hearts on the board. Since I don't like the card, I bet like 200 into a pot of 240. Then get raised and and then the third guy RRAI. I am scared of 68 and fold. The guy who raised me indeed had the 68, and the other guy had 77 and rivered a 4 for a fullhouse.

Almost like two hands later, I get 99, raise, SB calls, others fold. Flop is an uninteresting 963 for top set. Pot is 450, and that's what the SB bets. I ship, he insta calls with TT. Turn is a 7, giving him some more outs, and the river is a putrid T to give him a better set.

The last game I played this morning, I feel like I played well again - made some good laydowns with AJ, I think. We get 5 handed and I'm in the BB with about 1k left and blinds at 80/160. I'm in the BB and the SB is the other short stack. I've been pretty tight. He ships into me, and I call with AK and he has A3. Once I see the K hit the turn, I think I'm good (I'm also trying to change my daughter while playing) but then look up only to see the chips slide his way when the river comes a third heart and he takes it with a flush.

I am glad that these are just $2 games, but they are getting annoying. I find I don't have time to play a lot of MTTs anymore, so this is pretty much it.