Lies, Alibis and Running Scared: or, Fear and Loathing in Oklahoma
(written in May, 2005)
Well, today was the big day, the Wild West Shootout tournament at The Cherokee Casino in Tulsa. 330.00 buy-in, 3000.00 in starting chips, 60 minute blind rounds and blinds starting at 25/25. 321 players, paying 36 players deep and a first prize of 25,000.00. The tournament started at noon today (Saturday), with play continuing until midnight or until it got down to the final 36 players. The tournament will conclude starting at 4 pm tomorrow (Sunday).
I'm really proud of my casino. Things were well planned and laid out and ran very smoothly. There were very few dealer errors and fewer bad floor calls. I've been there since we opened the poker room, and it was pretty rocky at first. It's only in the past few months that things have improved to the point where I think we could successfully pull off a big tournament like this.
I won my seat in a 40.00 S&G. It took 3 tries, but I'm telling people it took 13. Never let something as trivial as facts stand in the way of a good story. My buddy Travis won his seat in a S&G, too.
Travis and I got together for breakfast before the tournament. I wanted to talk about patience, balance and most importantly, not feeling sorry for the other players at the table. Travis is a pretty good poker player until he tilts, and I wanted to make sure he went into this with a good mindset. About 15 minutes before the start of the tournament, I went outside and sat in the sun, breathing deeply and slowly and just trying to clear my mind. When I went in to take my seat, I was feeling great, and more importantly: ready.
I drew the 1 seat at table 23. Immediately to my left, in the 2 seat, was Charley. Charley is around 60; a long-time poker player who had his own game for years and who plays regularly at the casino; usually in the highest-stakes game available. Charley is a hoot at the table, always talking and joking (mostly at his own expense). He is great at reading people and is unbelievable after the flop. Next to Charley, in the 3 seat, is George. George is around 40, a regular 2-5 player, and is one of my favorites. He's a very good poker player and is just a great guy. He has a dry, ironic sense of humor (as I do) and is always fun to be around. While I know I'm going to have a great time at this table with these two there, I'm not crazy about having them directly to my left. They are both players I consider better than I am, and I would really like to know what they were going to do before I acted.
In the 8 seat is Nick "The Greek". Uh-oh. The Greek is another regular, playing in the highest stakes games we spread. He is a really nice guy; very good natured, but he is aggressive as hell and has A LOT of gamble in him; especially when he has chips. He is DANGEROUS! I decide to stick with my strategy of being VERY tight for at least the first several hours, watching players carefully and getting a good tag on the table. I don't play a single hand for the first 30 minutes. By the time we take our first break after two hours, I've only played 3 (including blinds!).
As I thought, I'm having a great time. Charley, George and I are constantly teasing and joking and keep the table in stitches. Just before the two-hour break, The player in seat 6 I'd nicknamed "Will Rogers" (a calling station who never met an opening hand he didn't like), gets stubborn in a hand with Charley, calling pot-sized bets all the way down with bottom pair and an Ace kicker. Charley, who never lets something as inconsequential as the fact that the flop, turn and river missed him completely stop him from betting, is now in trouble: he has less than 1,000.00 in chips. Over the next 5 hours, I will get an incredible lesson in short-stacked play. Charley is not catching cards, but he plays his position masterfully and uses his people reading skills to make a number of amazing bluffs, calls, and laydowns. He never gets his stack built back up; again, he is just not catching cards, but I think he did an amazing job just hanging on as long as he did. By the time he busts out, I have had dozens of lessons, when we're both out of hands, talking quietly to him about what other players might be holding. He gives me a lot of great tips on people-reading.
At one point, Charlie, George and I start quietly making prop bets on whether "Will Rogers" will fold or not. I pick up 30 bucks, 5 bucks at a time, with a simple strategy: I ALWAYS bet he won't fold. My best performance here is in hour 6. Under the gun, Will Rogers raises 4x big blind (he hasn't raised preflop all day). It folds around to George, who, after a lot of thinking, reluctantly folds. "Damn it", he says, "I hated to lay that down. Had tens." The other players have folded. I tell George he'd made a good laydown; the guy clearly had Aces. George disagrees.
"Ten Bucks!" I say.
"Done", says George, and we shake as Will, who hasn't heard a word of our conversation, proudly shows 2 black Aces before mucking them. George laughs as he pays up.
"Thanks George", I say as I pocket the cash, 'Prompt payment makes fast friends."
The Greek, as usual, plays aggressively and soon is the chip leader at the table. He’d started drinking Bud Lights just before 1. Around 3, George says the more The Greek drinks, the looser he gets and starts buying him beers, two at a time. Around 5, I ask George if he'd mind switching The Greek over to coffee. The Greek is clearly blasted, and is having a great time crushing the table. At least twice per blind round, the action gets around to The Greek, who dramatically waves his hand towards the middle, boldly announcing "All-In!" before taking a big swig off of his longneck. The few people who call him are getting busted; The Greek is catching cards! He soon has a massive chipstack, having more in front of him than any other two players at the table combined. I don't play a single hand for almost two hours, and The Greek has gone all-in every time I was in the big blind but once. That time, he went all-in when I was in the small blind. I realized that was simply the alcohol having dulled his reflexes to the point where he was a hand behind on crushing me into the ground.
In hour 5, I realize we have a problem. The Greek has so browbeaten the table that no-one is busting out. While this would not seem to be a bad thing, no one busting out means no new money is coming into the table. We are falling behind the rest of the tournament. I stick to my plan, waiting for a big hand so I can double up through The Greek. I'd had Aces once in hour two. I acted before The Greek and raised. He folded. Damn it, what a donkey I am! The play there was to limp in the hope he would raise me!
It's now hour 6. I've played a total of 9 hands. I've taken a beating in the last two and am down to 1500 in chips. I'm in the big blind. The action gets to The Greek. "All-In!" he says, taking a big swig off his beer. It folds around to me. I look down and see:
7d 7h
"Greek", I say to myself, "You're in trouble". I've been watching The Greek closely for hours. His pattern is always the same: "All-In!" followed by a swig of beer; BUT, I've noticed that sometimes, when he takes that swig, he sucks on the bottle so hard there's an inch of head left in the beer after he puts it down. Every time he's done that and I've seen his cards, he was raising with a weak hand. I see the head in the beer and call, figuring I'm facing two, or even one overcard. The Greek turns up:
Qc Jh
Whew! The flop comes:
Ks 7c 9h
Yes! I have a set! The turn comes:
Ks 7c 9h Tc
Holy Shit! The Greek has a freakin straight! George comes out of his seat, smacks the table and yells: "Pair the board! Pair the board!" Several other players at the table join in; "Pair the board! Pair the board!" The players at the nearby tables hear the commotion and a number of them gather around our table, many joining in the shouting. I just sit there in stunned silence, pissed that I'm about to get busted out, but also very gratified to see all these people rooting for me. I love this game. The river comes:
Ks 7c 9h Tc 7s
FUCKING QUADS!!!!! Everyone breaks out in cheers. The Greek grins and shakes my hand, as usual showing good sportsmanship. I feel like a million bucks!
Three hands later, I have around 3,000 in chips and The Greek has limped in from early position. Alarm bells start jangling. The Greek don't limp! The woman in seat 10 pushes all-in for 1800.00. I look down and see:
Tc Th
I really don't see a choice. I have to play this and I have to raise. I'm sure if I just call, The Greek will either call or put me all-in, he's just not going to miss a chance to pick off two players unless he thinks one or both of us is REALLY strong. I push all in. The Greek thinks for a minute, then folds, showing:
Ah 3d
Whew. With the way he's been catching cards, I do not want him in the hand with an overcard. The woman in seat 10 turns up:
Js Jc
Crap! I'm screwed. Oh well. I'll still have chips; I can play back. Virtue, however, is it's own reward. Utilizing my superior poker skills, I outplay her by flopping a set and take the hand down, busting her out.
A little while later, I've been on a roll and have picked up some chips. Feeling pretty good, I proceed to make my stupidest play of the tournament. I'm in the big blind with 16,000 or so in chips. The Greek is away from the table, so I get to see a free flop with 3 limpers and hole cards of:
Qd Ts
The flop comes:
Qc Tc 6c
I've got top 2 pair, but there are THREE Clubs on the board! The player in the small blind, who came in after I busted out the woman with the Jacks, has slightly more in chips than I have. He's an aggressive player, and bets 1,000 after the flop. I think about it for awhile and decide if he had the flush, he would've checked it to see if anyone would bet it for him. I put him on a Queen or a flush draw and push all-in. The other 2 players fold; he thinks about it for a bit and calls, turning up pocket sixes; he has a set! I’m way behind! With 4 outs, I’m a 5:1 underdog to win the hand. I catch a lucky Q on the river to make a higher full house than his and win the hand.
What a terrible, stupid play I made! In a tournament, measuring risk vs. reward is even more critical than it is in a cash game. One mistake and you're done. Two of my favorite quotes come into play here; it's just too bad I didn't think of them BEFORE I made that dumb move.
Doyle Brunson said: "ALWAYS LEAVE YOURSELF OUTS" (Rule of Aquisition #153). I believe this actually has two meanings. The first pertains mostly to bluffs and means you want to have some kind of a draw (however unlikely) when you bluff, just in case you get called. When you throw out a big bet with an inside straight draw, for example, you have at least a CHANCE to hit it if they look you up. I had that here and knew it. With top two pair, I could feel pretty confident that I would have the winner if I hit one of my four outs and made a full house, BUT, I believe the second meaning to Doyle's quote is much more relevant here. In this case, "Always leave yourself outs" means I should have left myself a way to get away from the hand. With three Clubs on the board and three other players in the hand, there's a chance someone is sitting on two clubs. Even more likely is the chance of someone sitting on a single, big Club. With no idea of what the two other players are holding behind me, and the player in front of me having bet the pot, I'm basically bluffing there by going all-in. In that situation, Mike Sexton would say: "The only hand that is going to call you is one that can beat you." He's absolutely right. Even more relevant is my absolute favorite poker quote; again by Mike Sexton; "All-in works every time; but the last time" (Rule of Aquisition #24).
Not only have I taken a HUGE risk here unnecessarily, I've also given the two other players in the hand yet to act, both of them on shorter stacks than mine, more favorable odds to call if they DO have a single, big club. Their odds of hitting the flush on the next card are 4:1, but, over TWO cards, the odds are 2:1. There's already 2,000.00 in the pot, my all-in makes it incredibly tempting for a player with 8-10,000.00 left to call. They won't have odds at that point, but they will if the initial bettor calls, too.
There was a much smarter way to play the hand. When the player in the small blind bet 1,000.00, I should have raised him another 3,000.00. That puts a 4,000.00 call to the other two players yet to act. With only 7,000.00 in the pot, the possibility of the original bettor re-raising, and another card and two betting rounds yet to come, there's no way that bet attracts a call there from the two players behind me who have yet to act; they're not even getting 1.5:1.
If the other two players yet to act had only called or folded, I don't think they the guy with the set would have pushed all-in there; not with 3 Clubs on the board. If he had, I would have folded, and it would have been the correct decision. I'm betting, however, thet the Clubs would have slowed him down and he would simply smooth call. I also think he wouldn't have bet the turn unless he filled up. Unfortunately for him, if he'd filled up on the turn, it would be with a Q or a T, and I'd own him, as I’d have a higher full house. I'm betting he'd check when the turn came a blank, as I would have, and I could have gotten to the Q on the river for a third of my chips, WITHOUT risking my tournament life. Having made a full house on the river, I believe he would have bet there. If he hadn't, he surely would have called my bet. The outcome would have been the same, WITHOUT all the risk.
So, back to the story: I win the hand, and now have around 33,000 in chips. There are around 90 players left in the tournament; with the average chipstack around 10,000.00. I'm in good shape, around 10th in chips. Things are about to change, though, as our table will soon break, scattering our merry band to the four winds and sending me to The Table of DEATH!!!!! Here's a hint. Never play poker when the player to your right has horns on his forehead and a pitchfork clutched in his hand.
Now, my pal Travis is still in too. He's been short-stacked for several hours, but has been very patient and has not yet gone on the infamous "Travis Tilt". I was so freaked out after winning that big hand with the QT that I had to get away from the table for awhile. I've never tilted from a win before, but I do here. I spend some time with Travis while I cool off. It was good for me and, I think; good for him too. Besides, there was a SMOKIN' hot babe at his table and, by standing just to Travis' left, I got an awesome view of her cleavage.
Well, today was the big day, the Wild West Shootout tournament at The Cherokee Casino in Tulsa. 330.00 buy-in, 3000.00 in starting chips, 60 minute blind rounds and blinds starting at 25/25. 321 players, paying 36 players deep and a first prize of 25,000.00. The tournament started at noon today (Saturday), with play continuing until midnight or until it got down to the final 36 players. The tournament will conclude starting at 4 pm tomorrow (Sunday).
I'm really proud of my casino. Things were well planned and laid out and ran very smoothly. There were very few dealer errors and fewer bad floor calls. I've been there since we opened the poker room, and it was pretty rocky at first. It's only in the past few months that things have improved to the point where I think we could successfully pull off a big tournament like this.
I won my seat in a 40.00 S&G. It took 3 tries, but I'm telling people it took 13. Never let something as trivial as facts stand in the way of a good story. My buddy Travis won his seat in a S&G, too.
Travis and I got together for breakfast before the tournament. I wanted to talk about patience, balance and most importantly, not feeling sorry for the other players at the table. Travis is a pretty good poker player until he tilts, and I wanted to make sure he went into this with a good mindset. About 15 minutes before the start of the tournament, I went outside and sat in the sun, breathing deeply and slowly and just trying to clear my mind. When I went in to take my seat, I was feeling great, and more importantly: ready.
I drew the 1 seat at table 23. Immediately to my left, in the 2 seat, was Charley. Charley is around 60; a long-time poker player who had his own game for years and who plays regularly at the casino; usually in the highest-stakes game available. Charley is a hoot at the table, always talking and joking (mostly at his own expense). He is great at reading people and is unbelievable after the flop. Next to Charley, in the 3 seat, is George. George is around 40, a regular 2-5 player, and is one of my favorites. He's a very good poker player and is just a great guy. He has a dry, ironic sense of humor (as I do) and is always fun to be around. While I know I'm going to have a great time at this table with these two there, I'm not crazy about having them directly to my left. They are both players I consider better than I am, and I would really like to know what they were going to do before I acted.
In the 8 seat is Nick "The Greek". Uh-oh. The Greek is another regular, playing in the highest stakes games we spread. He is a really nice guy; very good natured, but he is aggressive as hell and has A LOT of gamble in him; especially when he has chips. He is DANGEROUS! I decide to stick with my strategy of being VERY tight for at least the first several hours, watching players carefully and getting a good tag on the table. I don't play a single hand for the first 30 minutes. By the time we take our first break after two hours, I've only played 3 (including blinds!).
As I thought, I'm having a great time. Charley, George and I are constantly teasing and joking and keep the table in stitches. Just before the two-hour break, The player in seat 6 I'd nicknamed "Will Rogers" (a calling station who never met an opening hand he didn't like), gets stubborn in a hand with Charley, calling pot-sized bets all the way down with bottom pair and an Ace kicker. Charley, who never lets something as inconsequential as the fact that the flop, turn and river missed him completely stop him from betting, is now in trouble: he has less than 1,000.00 in chips. Over the next 5 hours, I will get an incredible lesson in short-stacked play. Charley is not catching cards, but he plays his position masterfully and uses his people reading skills to make a number of amazing bluffs, calls, and laydowns. He never gets his stack built back up; again, he is just not catching cards, but I think he did an amazing job just hanging on as long as he did. By the time he busts out, I have had dozens of lessons, when we're both out of hands, talking quietly to him about what other players might be holding. He gives me a lot of great tips on people-reading.
At one point, Charlie, George and I start quietly making prop bets on whether "Will Rogers" will fold or not. I pick up 30 bucks, 5 bucks at a time, with a simple strategy: I ALWAYS bet he won't fold. My best performance here is in hour 6. Under the gun, Will Rogers raises 4x big blind (he hasn't raised preflop all day). It folds around to George, who, after a lot of thinking, reluctantly folds. "Damn it", he says, "I hated to lay that down. Had tens." The other players have folded. I tell George he'd made a good laydown; the guy clearly had Aces. George disagrees.
"Ten Bucks!" I say.
"Done", says George, and we shake as Will, who hasn't heard a word of our conversation, proudly shows 2 black Aces before mucking them. George laughs as he pays up.
"Thanks George", I say as I pocket the cash, 'Prompt payment makes fast friends."
The Greek, as usual, plays aggressively and soon is the chip leader at the table. He’d started drinking Bud Lights just before 1. Around 3, George says the more The Greek drinks, the looser he gets and starts buying him beers, two at a time. Around 5, I ask George if he'd mind switching The Greek over to coffee. The Greek is clearly blasted, and is having a great time crushing the table. At least twice per blind round, the action gets around to The Greek, who dramatically waves his hand towards the middle, boldly announcing "All-In!" before taking a big swig off of his longneck. The few people who call him are getting busted; The Greek is catching cards! He soon has a massive chipstack, having more in front of him than any other two players at the table combined. I don't play a single hand for almost two hours, and The Greek has gone all-in every time I was in the big blind but once. That time, he went all-in when I was in the small blind. I realized that was simply the alcohol having dulled his reflexes to the point where he was a hand behind on crushing me into the ground.
In hour 5, I realize we have a problem. The Greek has so browbeaten the table that no-one is busting out. While this would not seem to be a bad thing, no one busting out means no new money is coming into the table. We are falling behind the rest of the tournament. I stick to my plan, waiting for a big hand so I can double up through The Greek. I'd had Aces once in hour two. I acted before The Greek and raised. He folded. Damn it, what a donkey I am! The play there was to limp in the hope he would raise me!
It's now hour 6. I've played a total of 9 hands. I've taken a beating in the last two and am down to 1500 in chips. I'm in the big blind. The action gets to The Greek. "All-In!" he says, taking a big swig off his beer. It folds around to me. I look down and see:
7d 7h
"Greek", I say to myself, "You're in trouble". I've been watching The Greek closely for hours. His pattern is always the same: "All-In!" followed by a swig of beer; BUT, I've noticed that sometimes, when he takes that swig, he sucks on the bottle so hard there's an inch of head left in the beer after he puts it down. Every time he's done that and I've seen his cards, he was raising with a weak hand. I see the head in the beer and call, figuring I'm facing two, or even one overcard. The Greek turns up:
Qc Jh
Whew! The flop comes:
Ks 7c 9h
Yes! I have a set! The turn comes:
Ks 7c 9h Tc
Holy Shit! The Greek has a freakin straight! George comes out of his seat, smacks the table and yells: "Pair the board! Pair the board!" Several other players at the table join in; "Pair the board! Pair the board!" The players at the nearby tables hear the commotion and a number of them gather around our table, many joining in the shouting. I just sit there in stunned silence, pissed that I'm about to get busted out, but also very gratified to see all these people rooting for me. I love this game. The river comes:
Ks 7c 9h Tc 7s
FUCKING QUADS!!!!! Everyone breaks out in cheers. The Greek grins and shakes my hand, as usual showing good sportsmanship. I feel like a million bucks!
Three hands later, I have around 3,000 in chips and The Greek has limped in from early position. Alarm bells start jangling. The Greek don't limp! The woman in seat 10 pushes all-in for 1800.00. I look down and see:
Tc Th
I really don't see a choice. I have to play this and I have to raise. I'm sure if I just call, The Greek will either call or put me all-in, he's just not going to miss a chance to pick off two players unless he thinks one or both of us is REALLY strong. I push all in. The Greek thinks for a minute, then folds, showing:
Ah 3d
Whew. With the way he's been catching cards, I do not want him in the hand with an overcard. The woman in seat 10 turns up:
Js Jc
Crap! I'm screwed. Oh well. I'll still have chips; I can play back. Virtue, however, is it's own reward. Utilizing my superior poker skills, I outplay her by flopping a set and take the hand down, busting her out.
A little while later, I've been on a roll and have picked up some chips. Feeling pretty good, I proceed to make my stupidest play of the tournament. I'm in the big blind with 16,000 or so in chips. The Greek is away from the table, so I get to see a free flop with 3 limpers and hole cards of:
Qd Ts
The flop comes:
Qc Tc 6c
I've got top 2 pair, but there are THREE Clubs on the board! The player in the small blind, who came in after I busted out the woman with the Jacks, has slightly more in chips than I have. He's an aggressive player, and bets 1,000 after the flop. I think about it for awhile and decide if he had the flush, he would've checked it to see if anyone would bet it for him. I put him on a Queen or a flush draw and push all-in. The other 2 players fold; he thinks about it for a bit and calls, turning up pocket sixes; he has a set! I’m way behind! With 4 outs, I’m a 5:1 underdog to win the hand. I catch a lucky Q on the river to make a higher full house than his and win the hand.
What a terrible, stupid play I made! In a tournament, measuring risk vs. reward is even more critical than it is in a cash game. One mistake and you're done. Two of my favorite quotes come into play here; it's just too bad I didn't think of them BEFORE I made that dumb move.
Doyle Brunson said: "ALWAYS LEAVE YOURSELF OUTS" (Rule of Aquisition #153). I believe this actually has two meanings. The first pertains mostly to bluffs and means you want to have some kind of a draw (however unlikely) when you bluff, just in case you get called. When you throw out a big bet with an inside straight draw, for example, you have at least a CHANCE to hit it if they look you up. I had that here and knew it. With top two pair, I could feel pretty confident that I would have the winner if I hit one of my four outs and made a full house, BUT, I believe the second meaning to Doyle's quote is much more relevant here. In this case, "Always leave yourself outs" means I should have left myself a way to get away from the hand. With three Clubs on the board and three other players in the hand, there's a chance someone is sitting on two clubs. Even more likely is the chance of someone sitting on a single, big Club. With no idea of what the two other players are holding behind me, and the player in front of me having bet the pot, I'm basically bluffing there by going all-in. In that situation, Mike Sexton would say: "The only hand that is going to call you is one that can beat you." He's absolutely right. Even more relevant is my absolute favorite poker quote; again by Mike Sexton; "All-in works every time; but the last time" (Rule of Aquisition #24).
Not only have I taken a HUGE risk here unnecessarily, I've also given the two other players in the hand yet to act, both of them on shorter stacks than mine, more favorable odds to call if they DO have a single, big club. Their odds of hitting the flush on the next card are 4:1, but, over TWO cards, the odds are 2:1. There's already 2,000.00 in the pot, my all-in makes it incredibly tempting for a player with 8-10,000.00 left to call. They won't have odds at that point, but they will if the initial bettor calls, too.
There was a much smarter way to play the hand. When the player in the small blind bet 1,000.00, I should have raised him another 3,000.00. That puts a 4,000.00 call to the other two players yet to act. With only 7,000.00 in the pot, the possibility of the original bettor re-raising, and another card and two betting rounds yet to come, there's no way that bet attracts a call there from the two players behind me who have yet to act; they're not even getting 1.5:1.
If the other two players yet to act had only called or folded, I don't think they the guy with the set would have pushed all-in there; not with 3 Clubs on the board. If he had, I would have folded, and it would have been the correct decision. I'm betting, however, thet the Clubs would have slowed him down and he would simply smooth call. I also think he wouldn't have bet the turn unless he filled up. Unfortunately for him, if he'd filled up on the turn, it would be with a Q or a T, and I'd own him, as I’d have a higher full house. I'm betting he'd check when the turn came a blank, as I would have, and I could have gotten to the Q on the river for a third of my chips, WITHOUT risking my tournament life. Having made a full house on the river, I believe he would have bet there. If he hadn't, he surely would have called my bet. The outcome would have been the same, WITHOUT all the risk.
So, back to the story: I win the hand, and now have around 33,000 in chips. There are around 90 players left in the tournament; with the average chipstack around 10,000.00. I'm in good shape, around 10th in chips. Things are about to change, though, as our table will soon break, scattering our merry band to the four winds and sending me to The Table of DEATH!!!!! Here's a hint. Never play poker when the player to your right has horns on his forehead and a pitchfork clutched in his hand.
Now, my pal Travis is still in too. He's been short-stacked for several hours, but has been very patient and has not yet gone on the infamous "Travis Tilt". I was so freaked out after winning that big hand with the QT that I had to get away from the table for awhile. I've never tilted from a win before, but I do here. I spend some time with Travis while I cool off. It was good for me and, I think; good for him too. Besides, there was a SMOKIN' hot babe at his table and, by standing just to Travis' left, I got an awesome view of her cleavage.
So, about 30 minutes after The Big Suck-Out, they break our table, sending me to seat 6 at table 6. I know I'm in trouble before I even sit down. I'm in 11th chip position in the tournament, but I'm in 6th chip position at this table! Two of the players at this table will finish in the top 4; 5 in the top 10, and 7 in the top 20. There are just over 90 players left at this point. Notice, please, that I am in 6th chip position at table 6, sitting in the 6 seat. It will become quite relevant later, as that "6, 6, 6," was clearly a harbinger of things to come.
I observe for over 30 minutes before I play a hand, and every single pot is raised preflop; often 3, 4 and 5-bet! This is tough, smashmouth poker, with the flop being seen less than half the time. It's been more than a year since I've felt totally outclassed at a poker table, but there are at least four players sitting here who are significantly more advanced than I am. I start to panic a little.
The player in seat 8 is in his mid 50s, with around 50,000 in chips (I brought around 40,000 with me to the table.) He's very quiet, but plays fiercely. The first three hands I play, I raise 3 x BB preflop; he calls. The flop misses me all three times, I follow through each time with 3/4 pot-sized continuation bets and he comes over the top, tripling my bet each time. I have to lay them all down. I soon realize he is just calling my initial raises so he can use his superior position and outplay me after the flop. The panic grows.
In seat two sits a young kid with a massive chipstack (he's the chip leader in the tournament). Except for the fact that he has a beard, He looks just like John Murphy (the kid who so dominated the early play at the 2004 WSOP; the one who overslept on day 2). He looks so much like him that I ask to see some ID. He laughs and shows his drivers' license, then raises me. He plays just like John Murphy, too; relentless aggression. If he bets or raises and someone comes over the top; he comes back over every single time.
In seat 3 is Steve; a regular; a big guy who plays high-stakes Hold'em and Omaha. I've dealt to him a lot and really admire his play. He is a master at adjusting his game to the other players at the table and the players he finds himself in the hand with. He's sitting on around 50-60,000 in chips.
And finally, directly to my right in seat 5, sits Satan. The Evil One, I soon learn, is 21 years old, plays online poker for a living and has balls the size of watermelons. He is second in chips at the table and in the tournament. He and the John Murphy look-a-like in seat 1 pretty much avoid each other; but, between the two of them, they are squashing the rest of the table. I tighten up, bide my time, and observe.
After an hour of not playing a hand, I find myself under-the-gun, look down and see:
Ks Kd
Now, every single pot in the past two hours has had at least one preflop raise. With Shiny Balls in seat 5 in the big blind; I feel even more confident that there will be a raise; Lucifer don't have a "check" button. I decide to take a risk and limp. Of course, there are three other limpers. After a second's hesitation, The Angel of Darkness checks. Crap! The flop comes:
Ad Kh Ts
I've made a set, but anyone with QJ has Broadway! I decide: "In for a penny, in for a pound" and check it. The next player in line pushes all in for a little over 8,000. It folds around to Mephistopheles, who calls. I push all in. After a moment's thought, El Diablo folds, showing an Ace. The other player turned up:
Ac 7d
I went on to win the hand. The panic begins to subside a little.
As my confidence builds, I realize it has come down to me or the incubus on my right; he is absolutely clobbering me. If I want to win this tournament, I must first take him out. I decide to set him up.
I guess my slow-play of the Kings made him respect me a little, as he soon strikes up a conversation, asking if I play poker online. It turns out we both play on regularly on the same site. He asks what stakes I play. "Oh," I say, "I usually play 25-50, but, when I'm running good and have my bankroll built up, I'll move up to 1-2."
Later in the conversation, we're discussing buy-ins. He says he prefers to buy in for between 1,500.00 and 2,000.00.
"Oh!", I say, "I prefer to buy in short". He asks how much.
"Usually for 50, or 60." I say "I like the challenge of building my stack".
The Imp Of Evil thinks about that one for awhile; you can almost hear the gears grinding. Finally, he says: "Ummmm ....... when you say 25-50, .... do you mean 25-50 cents?"
"Oh yeah!" I exclaim, "The only way I could afford the buy-in here was to win a sit-n-go."
"How many tries did it take?" He asks.
(drum roll) (3-beat pause)"13" I say. (ta daaaaa!!!!!!)
I barely manage to keep a straight face as Beelezebub looks down at his chips, literally muttering to himself. He will raise my big blind every single time from here on in.
30 minutes or so later, it folds around to The Duke Of Death, who, as usual, raises my big blind. I decide to snap back. I look down and see:
Kh Tc
Not great cards, but, in this situation, they're irrelevant (and likely the best hand). It's here, though, that I make a critical error. Excitement had caused me to sleep very little the night before and I'd been playing poker for over 10 hours today. Fatigued, I mentally lock-up, unable to decide whether I want to triple his raise or push all in. I finally come to a decision, but, as I'm announcing my raise to 10,000.00, I know it's a mistake. Taking all that time will read as weakness to His Evilness and he will surely put me all-in. Sure enough, he does; I fold; he shows:
7d 5s
There are a lot of ooohhhhhs and ahhhhhhhs at the table, but it honestly doesn't tilt me. Sure, I had the best cards, but only a moron would call there with my holding. He made a great play based upon his (correct) read of me. Hats off to him. That play, however, works in my favor later (sort of).
The very next time I'm in the big blind, there's one limper in front. Just as he did last time, Ash Shay Tan raises, making it 3,000.00. I look down and see:
Ac Kc
Showtunes begin to go off in my head. The Denizen Of The Depths is liable to be raising me with any two cards in this situation, and I'm confident I have him crushed here. I'm pretty sure I can take the hand down right here with an all-in re-raise, but I want to take Raisin’ Ray out. He has slightly more chips than I do, but he'll be completely crippled if he loses this hand. I count to 60, stacking and re-stacking my chips, just as I'd done in our last confrontation. Finally, I raise to 10,000.00, exactly as I'd done before. The limper folds. I pause three beats, then lean over to my right and softly say: "I'm still steamin'". The hook is baited, and, sure enough, the Romulan to my right bites: "All-in!" He says. I call before he can finish the statement. He turns up:
Ad 9h
Perfect! This is the best poker I've ever played. A set up that took over an hour and he jumped through every single hoop I laid in front of him! Of course, the flop comes:
Ah 9c 5s
No King on the turn or river, and I am history, finishing in 53rd place. To his credit, Atomic-balls sits quietly as the hand runs out, turns to me when it's over, offers his hand and says:
"Tough break, man. You totally sucked me in."
Swallowing my disappointment, I shake his hand and say:
"Nice hand. Good luck everyone, I've enjoyed it." and skulk away from the table."
Le Enfant Terrible will go on to finish 7th.
Maybe the smart play there would have been to immediately go all-in and hope I had enough fold equity to take the pot down preflop, but I'm OK with the way I played the hand. I knew the risks and analytically decided to take them. If I'd simply called his preflop raise, I would've had a hard time getting away from that hand when the Ace came on the flop, and a LAG is betting into me. The outcome would probably have been the same.
One a bright note; Travis is still in. He's been short-stacked for over three hours and has, so far, avoided the infamous “Travis Tilt”. He'll finish the day in the money and come back the next day to finish 24th, short-stacked all the way. He played great poker! The tournament gets down to four players when they decide to chop, taking 15,600, each and throwing the chip leader, Nick The Greek an extra two grand.
And there, dear readers, is my story of heartbreak and woe. It's more than a week later, and I'm still a little blue. My head is ok with it, but my guts and certain areas of my “nether regions” are still smarting."
posted by Sean at 11:01 AM
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