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I had to work saturday before the tournament, and all day I was stressing over if I would be able to get out in time to make the first hand. I don't have the kind of job where I can leave at a designated time, my work day ranges anywhere from 7 to 14 hours- you are done when you're done. I had called ahead and instructed my buddy Chuck, the host, to hold my spot and blind me away until I had arrived if I wasn't there in time. Luckily for me, we kicked some ass @ the warehouse, I got all my drivers loaded nice and early, and I walked out of work with enough time to go home and pick up Jess, who had decided she wanted to deal with the girls. We booked it up to Chuck's house with plenty of time to spare.
Ok, so we have the 30 entries at $105 each. 250 starting chips, blinds starting @ 1-2, and raising up every 20 minutes. Final table of 6 makes the money, with $1500 to the winner. Everybody in the money is required to tip out at least 10% for the house to cover the beer and food, and take care of the girls for dealing. We draw for table assignments, 5 tables of 6 to start. I end up with my friendly nemesis, Ralph, at my table. I lived with Ralph many years ago, he's a great guy, but he's always been my rival in things like poker, fantasy football, etc. Plus my wife has commented on quite a few occasions how she thinks he is "a total hottie" (her words, not mine) so there's a little extra animosity there. Anyhow, I like seeing him directly on my right, he's one of the few guys in the room I have played with before, so I am feeling comfortable.
Through the first couple of rounds I take a few small pots, when the first important hand of the tournament for me takes place. It's the last hand before the first break, which takes place between rounds 3 and 4. I get dealt pocket queens UTG, and raise 4 times the big blind. I get one caller, an extremely loose but aggressive player who has showed down some marginal hands up to this point. Flop comes Jh/7h/2c. I bet out 50, and the loose aggresive player counts up his chips, and pushes all in, a 130 chip raise. I call, and he flips over 6h/8h. Turn comes a blank and the river is the 5h, giving him his flush. I'm steaming, and on the short stack. Thankfully it was the last hand before break, because I needed to step away and collect myself.
Right after the break I get moved to a different table, where with my 60 remaining chips I need to get aggressive. My first 2 hands are AdKd and AcJc, and I pick up a few chips with those hands. A few minutes later in the big blind I push all in against a limper and the small blind with 2/7 offsuit. What the hell, I'm feeling reckless baby! Both parties fold. I'm picking up chips here and there, still below the starting stack of 250 but getting myself out of immediate danger, anyhow. Then I was involved in one of the oddest hands I have ever seen. I'm holding J7 offsuit in the small blind. 1 limper when it comes around to me, so I call and the big blind checks. Flop comes out 10s/9c/2c. I figure this flop might have missed everyone, so I put out a pot sized bet. Big blind folds, and the limper calls. He has slighly fewer chips than I do at this point. Turn comes out Kh. We both check. I have this guy on the flush draw after he decides to see the free card. 5th street pairs my 7's, no club. I push all in, hoping my read was correct, looking to take the pot right here in case he had either the 9 or the 10. It was an aggressive, and probably reckless play on my part. He goes in the tank for a minute, and finally says that he's gonna call, since he was planning on pushing all in anyway. My heart sinks when I hear this, figuring I am on my way to the garage to play in the cash game that has started up. Then he flips over 3c/8c. He was on the flush draw like I had thought, and called my all in with 8 high!!!! It took every ounce of self control not to bust out laughing right in front of him.
After I busted out 3/8 boy we were down to 12, so we consolidated tables again. I was still a below average stack, but I'm feeling good about my play to this point. I keep hanging around, looking to get aggressive but just not getting the cards to make a move. Before you know it, we are on the bubble and my M=7. We're playing 4 handed at my table, with the gentleman on my left being forced to play just about anything with just enough chips to pay the blinds maybe 3 more times around. On the button, I pick up pocket 5's. UTG folds, I push all in, small stack to my left calls, big blind folds. Heads up, and it's a race..... small stack flips over Q7 of spades. My 5's hold up, and we are in the money!!!
Coming into the final table I am 5th out of 6 in chips. Blinds are now 50/100. Just a few hands in, I pick up pocket 2's in the small blind. The small stack calls, folds around to me, where I just call, hoping to see a cheap flop. The big blind asks small stack to count up his remaining chips, an additional 300 or so. I'm thinking if he raises just enough to put the small stack I will call, but instead he decides to go way over the top, forcing me to go all in if I wanted to call. Smart move. Ralph (my arch nemesis, remember him?) has been sitting behind me for the last couple of rounds watching me work- thoroughly impressed with how I've played the short stack into the final table. Before I muck my 2's, I show them to Ralph and tell him that I know I should be playing them, because I am about to fold the winning hand. Small stack shows AJ, big blind shows AK. Flop comes........... 10/2/2. I woulda flopped fucking QUADS! Small stack doesn't improve and goes out in 6th. Two hands later, I pick up AK under the gun, push all in, folds around to the big blind who calls me with Ah9h. He pairs his 9 on the flop, I don't improve, and I collect $200 for my 5th place finish. I tip out $30 to the house and the dealers, and go find my wife who is absolutely thrilled that I cashed in her presence. Although, sticking to her superstitions, she didn't want to come anywhere near the room when the final table was going on- lol. But I think it is safe to say that we put the notion of "bad luck" to rest.
So I played the short stack all the way to the final table, for a profit of $65 on the evening. Not exactly the $1500 I was shooting for, but all things considered, I'll take it. Throw in the $50 Jess got for dealing, the plentiful beer supply, enough food to feed an army (including wings, hot roast beef, meatballs, a 6 foot sub, baked ziti, burgers, dogs, salads, etc) and I would have to say that it was a worthwhile evening.
Ok, so we have the 30 entries at $105 each. 250 starting chips, blinds starting @ 1-2, and raising up every 20 minutes. Final table of 6 makes the money, with $1500 to the winner. Everybody in the money is required to tip out at least 10% for the house to cover the beer and food, and take care of the girls for dealing. We draw for table assignments, 5 tables of 6 to start. I end up with my friendly nemesis, Ralph, at my table. I lived with Ralph many years ago, he's a great guy, but he's always been my rival in things like poker, fantasy football, etc. Plus my wife has commented on quite a few occasions how she thinks he is "a total hottie" (her words, not mine) so there's a little extra animosity there. Anyhow, I like seeing him directly on my right, he's one of the few guys in the room I have played with before, so I am feeling comfortable.
Through the first couple of rounds I take a few small pots, when the first important hand of the tournament for me takes place. It's the last hand before the first break, which takes place between rounds 3 and 4. I get dealt pocket queens UTG, and raise 4 times the big blind. I get one caller, an extremely loose but aggressive player who has showed down some marginal hands up to this point. Flop comes Jh/7h/2c. I bet out 50, and the loose aggresive player counts up his chips, and pushes all in, a 130 chip raise. I call, and he flips over 6h/8h. Turn comes a blank and the river is the 5h, giving him his flush. I'm steaming, and on the short stack. Thankfully it was the last hand before break, because I needed to step away and collect myself.
Right after the break I get moved to a different table, where with my 60 remaining chips I need to get aggressive. My first 2 hands are AdKd and AcJc, and I pick up a few chips with those hands. A few minutes later in the big blind I push all in against a limper and the small blind with 2/7 offsuit. What the hell, I'm feeling reckless baby! Both parties fold. I'm picking up chips here and there, still below the starting stack of 250 but getting myself out of immediate danger, anyhow. Then I was involved in one of the oddest hands I have ever seen. I'm holding J7 offsuit in the small blind. 1 limper when it comes around to me, so I call and the big blind checks. Flop comes out 10s/9c/2c. I figure this flop might have missed everyone, so I put out a pot sized bet. Big blind folds, and the limper calls. He has slighly fewer chips than I do at this point. Turn comes out Kh. We both check. I have this guy on the flush draw after he decides to see the free card. 5th street pairs my 7's, no club. I push all in, hoping my read was correct, looking to take the pot right here in case he had either the 9 or the 10. It was an aggressive, and probably reckless play on my part. He goes in the tank for a minute, and finally says that he's gonna call, since he was planning on pushing all in anyway. My heart sinks when I hear this, figuring I am on my way to the garage to play in the cash game that has started up. Then he flips over 3c/8c. He was on the flush draw like I had thought, and called my all in with 8 high!!!! It took every ounce of self control not to bust out laughing right in front of him.
After I busted out 3/8 boy we were down to 12, so we consolidated tables again. I was still a below average stack, but I'm feeling good about my play to this point. I keep hanging around, looking to get aggressive but just not getting the cards to make a move. Before you know it, we are on the bubble and my M=7. We're playing 4 handed at my table, with the gentleman on my left being forced to play just about anything with just enough chips to pay the blinds maybe 3 more times around. On the button, I pick up pocket 5's. UTG folds, I push all in, small stack to my left calls, big blind folds. Heads up, and it's a race..... small stack flips over Q7 of spades. My 5's hold up, and we are in the money!!!
Coming into the final table I am 5th out of 6 in chips. Blinds are now 50/100. Just a few hands in, I pick up pocket 2's in the small blind. The small stack calls, folds around to me, where I just call, hoping to see a cheap flop. The big blind asks small stack to count up his remaining chips, an additional 300 or so. I'm thinking if he raises just enough to put the small stack I will call, but instead he decides to go way over the top, forcing me to go all in if I wanted to call. Smart move. Ralph (my arch nemesis, remember him?) has been sitting behind me for the last couple of rounds watching me work- thoroughly impressed with how I've played the short stack into the final table. Before I muck my 2's, I show them to Ralph and tell him that I know I should be playing them, because I am about to fold the winning hand. Small stack shows AJ, big blind shows AK. Flop comes........... 10/2/2. I woulda flopped fucking QUADS! Small stack doesn't improve and goes out in 6th. Two hands later, I pick up AK under the gun, push all in, folds around to the big blind who calls me with Ah9h. He pairs his 9 on the flop, I don't improve, and I collect $200 for my 5th place finish. I tip out $30 to the house and the dealers, and go find my wife who is absolutely thrilled that I cashed in her presence. Although, sticking to her superstitions, she didn't want to come anywhere near the room when the final table was going on- lol. But I think it is safe to say that we put the notion of "bad luck" to rest.
So I played the short stack all the way to the final table, for a profit of $65 on the evening. Not exactly the $1500 I was shooting for, but all things considered, I'll take it. Throw in the $50 Jess got for dealing, the plentiful beer supply, enough food to feed an army (including wings, hot roast beef, meatballs, a 6 foot sub, baked ziti, burgers, dogs, salads, etc) and I would have to say that it was a worthwhile evening.
posted by kindbits at 5:23 PM
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