Day 1 1500 Shorthanded

I was really looking foward to the 6-max 1500. It plays to a lot of my strengths. All that being said I haven't really played that well as of late. I won a coin flip early with AK vs 88 to allow me to play a high percentage of pots and obtain the table image I want. Despite taking a bad beat for 8k (JJ vs 88 aipf) I still had 14K at the first break (started with 4.5k). After getting up to 20K I tried a 3 barrell bluff against a very good young player. He picked it off and I was down to 13K. UTG raised to 800 (blinds 150/300 25 ante), button called, I called with 99 in the SB, and the BB called. Flop was As9s2d. It checked around to my suprise, thinking someone had an ace or would represent one. Turn was Ad. It checked around again. River was a 4c. I led out 2600 into a pot of about 3400. BB folded and the original raiser made it 6500 total. It folded to me and I had to figure out if there was value in shipping in my last 7800. With the passive play on the flop and the turn I felt I could rule out A2 or A4. Leaving A9, 44, and AA as possible hands. I had played with my opponent in the past and know him to be a very solid player who likes to bet his hands fairly face up. I figured with the flush draw on the flop he would even led with AA. So I correctly put him on 44 and ripped the rest in there. The pot pushed me over 30k at dinner break. I worked my stack to 50ish when I got moved to my new table. I had the only other aggresive player on my right and was ready to go on a tear. I lost a big flip with QQ vs AK to knock me back down to 30K. I would continue to steal and build my stack only to see myself losing the bigger pots. Though it was frustrating I felt I would win one soon and I would be on my way. The hand never came and I limped out of day 1 with 33,300 in chips well below avg, but still 27ish BB. We are in the money with about 100 remaining from the 1450 that started.
Hopefully I will have some good news for my next blog.

Justin "robert07" Young