$9k profit in 12 hours - my best day ever, when I needed it most.

Back in late October, my wife and I made the mistake of lending a decent chunk of money to a friend. We were supposed to get it back in a few days, but almost a month later, we still haven't gotten it. My wife and I both work in sales, with me being commission only, so our income can be a bit up-and-down.

Meanwhile, we got a kid going to college out of state, and just got hit with a couple big car repair bills (about $5k total), and need to replace one of the shower floors in our house (first estimate was $4k). So, all of a sudden, money is kinda tight.

There's a weekly $340 buy-in single-day tournament every Friday at Parx Philly, where I usually play 1/3 or 2/5. It usually gets 100-150 entries, with around $10k up top. Half hour levels with a 15 minute break every 3 levels.

I've played it maybe a dozen times in the past year, and cashed four times - two 2nd place finishes (one an ICM chop, one we played it out), a 3rd place (ICM chop), and a 9th place (knocked out). I'm not a crusher. It's just a really soft field.

This past Friday, I decided to cut out of work early and late reg. I bring $1350 with me - $340 for the tournament buy-in, and $1k to play cash if I get knocked out. On the way to the casino, I was visualizing how I wanted to play - no big hero calls, no big bluffs, just my A game.

I come in about halfway through level 5. Late reg ends right before level 7 starts. Once level 7 starts, they update the display to show how many people are left. It was 99 entrants, with 52 left. They're paying out the top 11, with $9,009 up top.

About 2/3 of the way through the tournament, maybe level 12, I was chip leader and cruising. No big pots lost, not really getting out of line much, just letting the game come to me. Playing my A game, as visualized.

Then - disaster. I tried to bluff a rec-fish in the BB off of what I assumed was a weak top pair, but he snapped me off, and left me with fumes. No big deal, though. I more than doubled up the next hand I played. Then doubled up again, and was right back to where I was before I made my ill-timed bluff.

Then - disaster again. It's the final table, 9-handed. I get it in with the best of it, twice, against two short stacks, but they both sucked out on me, and suddenly I was the short stack. I look up at the display, and see that the big pay jumps don't start until two more people get knocked out.

I double up to get close to average stack. Then I start relentlessly stealing the blinds. Within a few orbits, I'm 2nd chip stack. Two or three guys get knocked out. I'm still 2nd or 3rd stack. I can see the finish line. We're six-handed when the "anyone want to discuss an ICM chop" talk starts.

Eff that. I didn't drive all the way here and play my a$$ off all day to chop when we're five or six handed. I tell them all, I'm not chopping, not now. Go ahead and look at me like I'm a d1ck. I don't care. I came here to win the whole thing.

There's another low stakes reg I know at the table, Dave. Probably have a dozen hours playing with this guy. We've been chatting a little, and "nice-handing" back and forth whenever either of us drags a pot. I tell him, "It's going to be you and me, heads up at the end." I can see it happening in my mind.

Sure enough, when we're down to four handed, I knock the other two guys out in a three-way all-in. I'm still stacking the chips, no idea how much I have, when Dave says, "you want to do an ICM chop now?" I look over at his stack, and I think I have him covered, so I tell him let's play until the end of the level, in about 10 minutes, and see where we're at.

I finish stacking my chips, but had to fold a couple hands he raised pre. I look up at the board, and see there's just under 2.475M in play. I can see I have just over 1.2M, so we're about even. But with blinds at 15k/30k/30k, it's anyone's game. I've been playing my best, but he's been a card rack all day.

Okay, Dave, how about an even chop? Sure. Let's do it. We cash out for $7,375, I put $100 into the tourny dealers' tip box, and I'm up almost $7k on the day, but I'm not done yet. It's 10pm. There's another hour left in the high hand promotion, when the room will start to empty out.

I sit down at a juicy 1/3 game with $500, and $400 more in my pocket, to top off if needed. I end up stuck early, adding on for another $250, in the game for $750 total. I run up a big stack, over $1500, give about $600 back, then just start running pure, clawing my way back to around $1200.

It's almost 1:30am. I've been here going on 12 hours. My eyes are burning. I'm tired, and should have left an hour ago, but the game is just too good. On the last hand I plan to play, I get into a massive 3-way pot with the other big stack at the table, a total rec-fish who's been on a heater.

He straddles UTG to $6 on my right. I open 54s from UTG1 to $20. Folds around to a reg in the BB who 3B's to $80 off a short stack around $275, the big-stack UTG flats, I call, and we're three to the flop of A63rb. The BB checks, the dude on my right bets $100 into $240. I call. The BB jams, but not quite enough to re-open the betting. Call, call.

Please, poker gods, put a 2 or 7 on the board.

The turn is an off-suit T. Dude bets $200 into a dry side pot. The main pot is over $800. He's got no bluffs here. This is Ax, all day. I'm getting over 5 to 1, but I can fold and still leave with a small profit. I tank-call.

And then the river - the most beautiful off-suit 2 I've ever seen. He bets $200 again, I fake-tank for about 10 seconds, then jam for around $900 more. He tanks for about a minute, then calls with AJo. I cover (barely), scoop, tip the dealer, pick up, and cash out for a hair over $3k.

12 hours. $9k profit, enough to cover the two car repairs and the new shower floor.

I love this game.