Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Satellite 05/21/2011
An incredible tournament! I was doing great the first 2/3
of the tournament and then my hands dried up.
I got the chip lead very quickly and kept it through 3
levels. Nothing spectacular, just good solid poker and
decent cards. What helped was getting pocket Qs three
times. I folded them once, but the other times I knocked
out a player. Then, I was dealt pocket 8s. I bet to the
river and then had to fold losing a nice chunk of chips.
The following hand was pocket As. I made an average bet.
Another player bumped the bet 3 times. All players folded
to me and I pushed all in. He called. He had pocket Ks. 2
outs. The flop gave him one of his outs. That took half of
my stack.
I rebuilt through solid playing and soon regained the chip
lead. A couple of hands worth mentioning were back to
back. The first hand was an AQ and I got the straight on
the turn. I milked it and then pushed on the river. The
other player folded. The following hand I had A10 and got
the straight on the turn again. The other player had AJ
and there were two Js on the board. I pushed again and he
called and was completely in shock seeing my straight.
After that my hands dried up. I held on as long as I
could, getting into the final table. But with blinds at
4000/8000 and antes at 500, chips were going quick, since
we had 5 at our table until the other table lost the
bubble. When we got to the final table, I was the small
stack. I managed to double up once, but the chips kept
disappearing. I finally got a hand worth investing and
pushed my remaining 13000 chips. The BB only had to put in
another 6000, so she called. She had a J7 unsuited to my
A10. The flop was A109. I had two pair. The turn was a J
of diamonds and the river was another diamond, giving four
diamonds on the board. None of my cards were diamonds. She
had the 7 of diamonds. I was out in 8th place. Sounds like
my previous two chances at the WSOP.
Regardless of the results and the fact that I was just 3
players from the money ( 5 players were paid, the first
player got the seat), I felt that I had done very well. I
had played good solid poker.
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Capitol Casino - WSOP Satellite 04/02/2011
Interesting tournament! I started out losing a few hands
and was starting to get disgusted. I finally got a pocket
pair of Js in the big blind. This annoying person in
second seat raised my blind, so I bet three times his
raise. He bumped it again, so I pushed all-in. A rather
dumb move, since I just had Js and it was obvious that he
had a bigger pair. He called and flipped over a pair of
Ks. I stood up to go when the flop gave me a set. The turn
gave him a straight draw, but the river gave me a full
house. I was chip leader and stayed that way until about
the 6th level. While I was at that initial table my hands
were incredible or would develop into an incredible hand
and I kept gaining chips. Near the end of the 5th level,
they split up our table and I was placed at seat one at
the new table. I could not get a hand or my hand would not
develop at this new table. I watched as my chip lead was
passed my several players at my table. When I would get a
great hand every one would fold, so I couldn't get any
traction. I got 9 10 in the BB and called the person who
had doubled the bet. The flop was A 7 8, so I had a great
drawing hand. I saw that he had 6K left, so I put him
all-in. He called and turned over pocket Ks. I never got
my straight. A few hands later the person sitting to my
right went all-in. I had A 4 suited, so I called. Another
player called, as well. Me and the other player checked it
down. I had paired my 4, but the 3 on the river had given
the all-in a straight. More chips lost. During the 10th
level I got pocket 9s. Someone had made a nice bet so I
called. The flop was 10 9 8. The other player made a bet
and I pushed all-in. He called. He had pocket Js to my
trip 9s. The turn didn't help either of us. But the river
gave him the straight and I was out in 32nd place.
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Capitol Casino - WSOP Satellite 03/05/2011
I was getting shit. Shit, do you hear? I went 8 levels
just barely getting enough hands to stay in. The blinds
were up to 600/1200 with a 200 ante before I started
making any headway.
I got a few nice hands in a row and picked up enough chips
to breathe. Then I got a pair of pocket Qs and bet them. I
got one caller. The flop was AKQ, so I checked and the
other player put in about half the number of chips that I
had left, so I pushed all in. They had K8. I doubled up.
Then I doubled up again when I got an A10 and the flop was
3 10 10. I checked and the other player made a huge bet. I
pushed all-in and they called. They had A3.
I was doing pretty good. We got down to 11 players and
were that way for about 90 minutes or more. When the
blinds were at 1000/2000 with a 300 ante, I got an AK on
the button. An aggressive player, whom I had played 3
years ago at Colusa, put in 6000. The rest of the players
folded. I doubled the bet to 12000 - I should have tripled
it. He called. The flop was AQ8 of diamonds. I didn't have
a diamond, so I looked back at my hand and immediately
pushed my chips in. Hoping that he would think that I had
a high diamond. He took about 5 minutes before he finally
called my all in with K7 (the seven was a diamond). He had
several outs, but he would have been crippled if I had a
diamond larger than the 7. Fortunately for him I didn't
have a diamond. So when a diamond came on the turn, giving
him a flush, I was out of the tournament in 11th place.
Since there were only 50 players, 1st place got the WSOP
seat and everyone else got nothing. I didn't think that I
would get 1st place, but I would have liked to at least
make the final table. Being the bubble isn't much fun.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 02/21/2011
Wow!! Has it really been 6 months since I played poker?
I felt great. I wasn't getting many hands, but the hands
that I did play were all going my way. I was building up
my stack when I got dealt an AK unsuited. I was the BB.
One player raised my blind by triple, so I tripled his
raise and he pushed all in. I called. He turned over KK. I
had three outs and my hand never got any better. So, I
lost 50% of my stack, but I was still in the game.
There were two times that I messed up after that. The
first time, I had pocket 3s. I called the flop, but folded
on the turn. The river was a 3. Was very upset about that
hand. The second time, I had A-10 unsuited. Two players
bet the hand before it got to me. I didn't think that my
hand was worth the extra chips, so I folded. The flop was
10 high. The river was another 10. Arrrrg.
I managed to play until the final table. The second hand
gave me AK suited and again I was the BB. The large stack
raised my blind, so I pushed all in. He turned over AQ
unsuited. I had the best hand with all my chips in. I was
thrilled. However, no more hearts came up and the river
was a Q. At least, I was in the money. I had played that
hand correctly and he got lucky. That's poker!
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Lucky Derby Casino - 08/21/2010
After a long break from poker, I went to the casino
without warming up. I was playing brilliantly, if I say so
myself. I was second chip stack for most of the
tournament. We started with 21 players and I was still
second chip stack when the top stack knocked me out.
I had AK in the small blind. Everyone folded around to the
big stack, who doubled the bet. everyone folded around to
me. I didn't take him seriously, as he had been betting
aggressively the entire tournament and either intimidated
others into folding or got lucky when they called.
I tripled his bet and he called me. At this point the
blinds were 3000/6000 and there was roughly 80000 chips in
the pot. The flop was all low cards, with two clubs. We
both checked. The turn was the A of clubs. I figured that
he wouldn't have called my large re-raise pre-flop with
just a couple of clubs, but I didn't want him to have any
odds to draw a fifth club if he had one, so I pushed
all-in. He called. I flipped over the AK and he flipped
over 10 6 of clubs. So, this time he got lucky at my
expense. I was out in 8th place.
I believe that I played great and he made an extremely bad
pre-flop call and got very lucky. I don't feel too bad
about it, since I know that I was the better player in
that hand and even good players lose to bingo players.
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Capitol Casino - WSOP Satellite 05/01/2010
I didn't get much to work with during this tournament.
Every time I had a passable hand someone would make a huge
bet and I would be forced to fold. I managed to get enough
hands to stay in the tournament until the 9th level. The
blinds were 400/800 and the ante was 100. A player two
seats to my left was getting unbelievable hands and he had
at least 4 times as many chips as I had. I finally got a
decent hand, KQ suited, so I called a raise to 2 times the
big blind. The guy two seats to my left made it 4000 to
go. I was forced to fold again as my only other choice was
an all-in. A few hands later I got another great hand AJ
with only 10 blinds left. I called a raise of 3 times the
big blind. The guy two seats to my left went all-in. The
person that I called folded and I called. He had QQ and it
held up. I was out in 32nd place out of 81. Not that good,
but I shouldn't have lasted as long as I did with the crap
hands that I was getting.
I had one hand early on which I felt great about. I had an
A4 suited. I raised to 3 times the big blind and got two
callers. The flop was all low including a 4. I put in 1/3
of my stack and one of the two called. The turn was a Q.
The board was showing 3 diamonds. I bet half my stack and
the remaining player thought about it for quite a long
time. I had stacked my remaining chips and was going to
push on the river. He folded. It turned out that the other
two players both had AK. The one that folded last had a K
of diamonds and was pissed off when I told him what I had.
He was steaming for several hands after that.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 04/19/2010
I wasn't feeling well and getting no hands for two levels
didn't help my disposition. When I finally got pocket 8s I
decided to play them aggressively. The other player in the
hand called my all in with a K9 and found a 9 on the flop.
What can you do when you play against idiots?
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 04/16/2010
Arrrrggggg!!!!!!
This tournament was a nightmare. I started out hot and
knocked two players out early on with great hands. Then I
didn't catch much for quite awhile. I kept the chip lead
until there were 4 of us left.
At one point I actually went to 3rd. That happened when I
was dealt pocket Ks. The other player in the hand had
raised half their stack, so I pushed them all in. They had
a 45 suited. As soon as I saw that I said, here comes a
straight. And as fate has it the straight came on the
river breaking my Ks.
I was able to regain 2nd place by the time that we were
down to 3. The person that broke my Ks was the short
stack. I got 56 suited and made a huge bet. The same
person went all in. I called, as it wasn't too much more.
She had an AJ. I said that maybe I'd get the straight this
time. The flop looked favorable for me to get the
straight, plus I also had a flush possibility. The turn
gave me an open ended straight draw as well as the flush
draw. The river gave me my flush. I had knocked this lady
out of these satellites all three times that I played her.
She was extremely pissed off.
Earlier in the tournament, I wasn't paying too much
attention and mucked a wheel straight to trip 4s against
her, so I was glad to knock her out. Especially after she
had compounded that error by breaking my Ks.
That is where my game went downhill. My opponent heads-up
got Ax for all 5 hands that were dealt heads up bringing
my chip stack pretty low. On the final hand, I went all-in
with suited cards. He turned over AJ and knocked me out
with quad Js.
So, this is the third time that I got knocked out 2nd.
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Capitol Casino - WSOP Satellite 04/03/2010
I decided to try a different casino. This casino was
running a WSOP satellite with a $220 buy-in. We started
with 6000 chips and could buy an extra 2000 chips for $10.
There was a re-buy if you were knocked out during the
first three rounds.
On the third hand I got an AK in the small blind. The big
blind was not at the table. Everyone folded to me, so I
showed my hand. The next hand gave me an A5 suited. I
raised the hand from the button and the BB called. The
flop was 558 giving me trip 5s. The BB bet 300 chips which
was called by me and another player. The turn was an A
giving me a full-house. The BB bet 600, the other player
folded and I pushed it to 1800. The BB called. The river
was a useless card. The BB made a bet of 1500 and I pushed
all-in. He thought about it for a long time and then
called. I was the chips leader and he was on life-support.
During the second round I caught an AJ and bet and got one
caller. The flop was 34J. I bet 600 and he bumped it to
1200. I bet 600 more and he called. I was thinking that he
a Jx and I had him out-kicked. The turn was a useless
card. I bet 2500 and he doubled it - I called. The river
was a 4 putting 2 fours on the board. I didn't think that
he had a 4 since he was raising my bets, so I called his
all in, which was a small amount compared to the pot. He
turned over a pair of 4s for quads. I was back down to
just over my starting chip stack.
I didn't catch any hands for the remainder of the second
round and nothing in the third round. Right before the
third round ended I was moved to another table.
On my second hand I got an A7 in the small blind. The big
stack, just to my left, was a big bluffer and chased
people to the river. I just called the BB. An A came up on
the flop, so I made a sizable bet and got two callers,
including the BB. The turn was a 7 of spades giving me two
pair. I bet a third of my chips and was called by the BB.
There were now two clubs and two spades on the board. The
river was a spade. I figured that he wouldn't chase a
runner runner flush, so I pushed. Well, he had the A3 of
spades and got the nut flush knocking me out of the
tournament.
I feel that my play was good except for the AJ against the
quads. I should have been more cautious when he called my
raise, but for some reason I never suspect trips on the
flop.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 03/26/2010
Today's tournament, like Monday's tournament almost did
not take place. I was about ready to tell them to refund
my money when someone decided that they would play giving
us a full table.
The tournament started really slow for me. It was well
into the second level before I finally got a hand worth
betting. I raised 3 times the big blind and everyone
folded.
The next hand that I got was pocket Ks. Again, I raise 3
times the big blind and I got one caller. The flop was 77A
- a very bad flop. Two of the cards were diamonds, as
well. I bet 500 chips and was called. The turn didn't help
me, so I just bet another 500 chips and was called. The
river was a diamond. I immediately pushed all of my chips
in. I was reasonably sure that he had an A, so was keeping
my fingers crossed that I sold the flush to him. He
thought about it and decided that I might have an AQ and
folded. I was very relieved, but I am sure that I played
it right.
After that whenever I got a hand worth taking a chance on
I would either get no callers and just pick up the blinds
or someone would go all-in and I would have to toss my
hand. Finally, in the 5th round, I got another hand -
pocket 9s. I bet it normally and the person that I had
bluffed with my pocket Ks pushed all-in. I called and he
turned over pocket Js. They stood up and I was out in 6th
place. I feel somewhat good about that placement, as these
were very good players.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 03/22/2010
A dismal showing. I got 3 hands, not including the one
that knocked me out.
Two of the hands paid off slightly. The third was a split
pot. The hand that knocked me out looked like it was going
to be a split pot, but he paired up on the river. I was
forced to go all-in at that point, as I had less than 10
blinds left and wasn't catching anything, not even good
bluffing hands. I was quite patient waiting for something
to happen and nothing did, so I was surprised that I
actually finished in 5th place.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 03/19/2010
I was playing very well. I gained the chip lead almost
immediately when someone was too aggressive with pocket Js
and I had an A with an A on the board.
I got pocket As twice and made a lot of chips both times,
knocking someone out of the tournament the second time.
When we were down to four players I made a major blunder
which cost me over 60% of my chips. I had A 10 and bet it
up. There was one caller. The flop was 10 8 2. I bet 1500
and the other player pushed all-in. I felt that having top
pair with top kicker was a winning hand and called. He
turned over two 8s. His trip 8s held up.
Not too long afterwards I got an A 8. The same player bet
high and I pushed all-in. The player to my left called me,
so the player on my right folded. He had A 10 suited. The
player on my left turned over pocket 6s. I caught an A on
the flop and thought that I was back in the hunt, but he
caught one of his two outs on the turn and knocked me out
of the tournament in 4th place. He won the tournament
within 5 minutes after I was knocked out. He was the same
player that knocked me out of the final last year
heads-up.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 03/12/2010
I am getting quite frustrated. I started out hot. I
knocked out three people within the first 30 minutes and
had a huge chip lead. Then my hands started getting bad. I
would get a good calling hand, but the flop would kill me
or someone would make a big bet which I would be unable to
call.
When it got down to 5 people my chips were only slightly
larger than the next person. However, my hands started
improving and I knocked out two more players, putting my
stack back up there. When it came to heads up I had a 3:1
chip lead. The other player would either fold or go
all-in. After this had gone on a while, I got a pocket
pair of 3s. He went all-in and I called. He had A8
unsuited. The flop gave him an 8 and he won the hand. He
now had a 2:1 chip lead on me. His all-in strategy dropped
my chips down to 4:1. I finally started to make a come
back and was back to 2.5:1 when I got A6. He called with
45 suited. He caught a 5 on the river to knock me out in
second place (again). So I just got the $50. I will be
playing next Friday.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 03/05/2010
This tournament was quite opposite of Monday's tournament.
I only got one hand worth betting during the first round
(pocket 3s), but when someone bet 4 times the BB pre-flop
I figured that it wasn't good enough and folded before I
committed any chips. The hand would have lost.
During the second round (blinds 50/100), I finally came up
with a decent hand (KQ). There were two callers when it
came around to me, so I bet 500. The BB called and so did
one of the other players. The flop was Q83, so I bet 1500.
The BB pushed and the other player folded. I called and
the BB turned over pocket Ks. I was left with 400 chips.
The next hand I got AK. I went all-in. The next player
raised the bet and I told him to quit chasing away my
action. The player in 2nd position went all-in and the
player after me called. The player after me had AK, as
well. The other player had pocket 9s. I knew that I was
out. Since two of my outs were already taken. The 9s held
up, so I paid for next Friday's tournament.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 03/01/2010
It has been quite some time since I played poker at the
casino. Lucky Derby started satellites for the 2010 WSOP
Main Event today. The cost is $30 ($5 more will give you
twice the amount of chips). I spent the $35, as did the
other 9 players, so we all started with 3000 in chips. I
wasn't getting any hands for quite awhile, just the
occasional A with a nice kicker, but they were few and far
between. It was obvious to me when the blinds started
climbing that I would need to change my game.
I was down to 1700 an the blinds were 600/1200. The BB
came around to me and the SB put me all in. Fortunately, I
had an AK which held up. I started getting hands after
that.
When we were down to 4 players I was dealt an A Q. The low
stack went all-in with J7 suited. I called. The flop gave
her another 7, which stuck. The following hand I was the
BB. She was the SB. She called and I checked. I had 4 6
unsuited. The flop was 234. She checked and I bet 4000.
She called the 4000. The turn was a 5. She went all-in. I
called. She had 35 giving her 2 pair. I had a straight,
which held up. I was a huge chip leader over the other two
players.
I knocked out the player to my left which gave me a 4:1
chip lead. I made a few mistakes heads up and lost my
lead. The final hand gave me QJ. The flop was K94. The
other player went all-in and I called - not sure what I
was thinking. That only gave me 4 outs. He had K 10, which
took one of my outs. His Ks held up. I got $50 for second
place and he got the seat to the the final satellite in
May.
I was quite disappointed having blown a 4:1 chip lead, but
felt pretty good about how I played leading up to
heads-up. I hadn't played in months and I came quite close
to taking the tournament. That makes me feel better about
the loss. Hopefully, I will get my skills back quickly, so
that I take down the next seat I play for.
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Missing In Action - 12/01/2009
As you might have noticed, there has been very little
activity in this blog. I was very busy for several weeks
and the day before I was about to play in another
tournament I was laid off. I have been spending all of my
time looking for another job. Unfortunately, this area is
technologically limited and no one seems to be interested
in tele-commuters.
I had a large gap last year at this time due to Isis'
death. This isn't a great time of year for me.
Personally, I am glad that I was laid off. Back in July,
the company that I had been working for since 2001 sold
off the part of the company that I was working on to
another company. That other company couldn't afford to pay
the staff, so they eliminated over half of us. Since I did
not see any opportunities in that company, I am glad that
I can now concentrate on my job search. It may take awhile
and I may have to take a pay cut, but I need to get back
to what I do best and I haven't been able to do that for
several years.
I am studying for a few Microsoft certifications so that I
can place those on my resume, as well.
I don't expect to get back to poker until I have found a
new job, so BCNU.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 08/08/2009
I haven't played in quite some time as I was pretty angry
about not getting the seat at the WSOP Main Event.
However, since I decided to go kayaking up in the
Victoria, BC area, my anger subsided. I had a much better
time in Canada than I would have had in Las Vegas.
When I arrived for today's tournament, I ran into the
owner of the casino and asked him how Gary (the person
that won the WSOP seat) had done. Well, it turned out that
he had had a medical emergency and had to cancel out of
the Main Event. This made me angry all over again since
that basically had made the tournament a cash game. The
$10,000 should have been split up between the satellite
players.
I had been reading several chapters in the Book of Bluffs
since the satellite and decided to make use of the new
knowledge. The first hand, I was in the BB, so when the
play came around to me, I raised the bet just enough to
make all of the limpers think about it and fold. However,
for the first couple of levels I was getting incredible
hands. I was knocking players off left and right. My stack
was so huge at the end of the second round that I knew my
luck was going to break soon.
When the third round began I got pocket Qs and bet out. I
put another player all in, but this time he pulled a
straight on the river. Shortly after, I got an AK suited
and made a large bet, forcing all but one of the limpers
out of the pot. The flop had a Q high and based upon the
other players bet I figured that he must have had an AQ.
Since I didn't feel like chasing and possibly losing quite
a huge percentage of my stack I folded.
I didn't start getting hands again until late in the 4th
level. I was able to double up to keep my stack from
disappearing altogether. During the 5th level, I received
an AJ of clubs and made a huge bet. Another player went
all in. I figured that my luck might still be good and I
had a pretty decent hand so I called. He turned over AK.
There was a K on the flop and no clubs came up. I was out
in 8th place. I had paid $60 to enter the tournament and
got $61 for 8th place so I made a whopping $1.
Still, I felt very good about the way that I had played
and saw where I needed to improve. It was a very good
learning experience.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Satellite 05/11/2009
I arrived at the casino at about 6:20pm. I saw that a
tournament was going on, and it was a WSOP Satellite. I
immediately thought that they had changed the time and not
notified me. Well, it turned out to be that it was a Super
Satellite and the winner would play in the Satellite
immediately following. So, I watched the game and tried to
figure out how each person played. I figured out who was
the strongest player and figured that he would win the
seat. So, I concentrated on his game, so that I would have
an edge. He eventually did win the tournament and get the
seat in the Satellite.
I was sitting at Seat 6 Table 2, while I was watching the
Super Satellite. The owner came by and gave me my seat
assignment (Seat 6, Table 2). That was a good sign. When
the dealer dealt the cards for the button, it turned out
to be seat 6. Another good sign.
I started out strong and won a few hands and got my chips
up from 5000 to 8000 right away. But then the cards
started to fail me and my great hands would end up getting
folded because the board had only low cards. My stack
dropped back down to 4900 before it reversed direction
again.
I kept my stack at around 6000 for quite some time, as the
cards weren't coming and when they did, no one called my
bets. I was starting to get worried since the blinds were
continuing to rise.
When we went down to one table, my stack was a little
below average.
I got a pair of As in the Big Blind. The chip leader
(small blind) raised the bet to twice the BB. I hesitated
for a moment and then cautiously called him. Everyone else
folded. The flop was crap, but the small blind made a big
bet, continuing to be aggressive toward me. I called his
bet. The turn couldn't have helped him either, but he made
another large bet. I moved all-in and he called. I flipped
over the pocket As and he just mucked his hand without
even waiting for the river card.
I finally started to get some hands again and built it up
until I had a little less than a third of the total chips.
The chip leader sitting to my right still had more than I
did. He had been chip leader for the entire tournament.
The remaining chips were split between the rest of the
players.
The chip leader started attacking my stack and did a
pretty good job of it. I decided that I had better tighten
up my game, before I lost all of my chips to him or the
blinds.
One player got a small pocket pair and went all-in. I
called with AQ suited. No A or Q or spade came up, so his
small pair won. A few hands later, I got an AK. The player
that I had just doubled up made a big bet, so I just
called him. The flop had two Qs. The player checked and I
played with my chips for a long time, thinking of what the
best bet would be and then made a bet of half the pot. He
folded and showed his AK. I said, that what I had too and
flipped them over. He wasn't too happy about my bluff. The
rest of the players were now aware that I bluff, so they
were a bit more loose when I bet.
My stack had dwindled down to about 12,000. The person to
my left had about 15,000. The chip leader had the rest
(about 70,000). The person to my left went all-in with an
A and was called by the chip leader. He had a Q6. He
caught the 6 on the river and knocked the other player
out, leaving me heads up.
I started building my stack by going all-in. Not sure why
he wasn't calling. Whenever he made a bet, I would fold. I
had built my stack back up to 15,000. I was dealt a K9 and
went all-in. He called with a A7. The flop had an A and I
thought that was it, but the owner said - you have trips,
didn't you see the 9s. The flop was A99. So, I doubled up.
A few hands later I got K9 again. I went all-in and he
called with Q5. The flop had Q54, which gave him two pair.
He had won the seat to the WSOP.
I was so close. I had my chips in with the best hand. If I
had taken that hand I would have had the chip lead and
then I would have dictated the game. I am sure that I
would have won the tournament if I had won that hand.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 05/02/2009
I arrived at the casino 30+ minutes early today so that I
could play a little $1/$1 NL Holdem prior to the
tournament to warm up. I was a bit tired, but as the game
went on I started to wake up. I was down about $15 and
managed to get back to $3 down when they broke up the
table for the tournament.
I was given seat 7 at table 1, so I was pretty happy. I
usually have good luck at seat 7. Today, however, was
different.
We started with 4000 chips and I never got above that. I
just kept going down steadily. I just couldn't catch a
hand. I was surprised that this would happen two weeks in
a row. Hand after hand was garbage. I got a total of 2
hands worth betting and I only got the blinds on both, so
they didn't help me at all.
When I was down to 2200 chips and the blinds were up to
400/200, a player, who had only 1200 left went all in.
Everyone folded to me, so I went all in. The blinds both
folded. I had pocket 3s, which was actually one of the
better hands of the day, and he had K9. The flop was JJ6.
The turn was another 6, which counterfitted my 3s, so I
was down to 1000 chips. The next hand was my big blind, so
I was pretty much committed. One person called my all in.
I had J 10, he had KQ. The flop paired my J. The turn
didn't help him, but the river was a Q and I was out.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 04/25/2009
Today felt great. Unfortunately, I ran into someone who
disguised their hand so well, that I lost 70% of my chips.
I know, I shouldn't have been fooled into losing that
much, but I had a great hand. He had a full house.
So, I waited patiently for hands for 90 minutes. I was
stunned. Almost 90% of my hands were 92, 82, 72, 62, 32. I
didn't think I could see that many of the same hands over
and over again. Too bad that they weren't all good hands.
I managed to get 5 good hands during the 90 minutes. One
hand wasn't too great, but I had been getting nothing for
45 minutes and the blinds were going to kill me soon, so I
went all in with K3 of diamonds. I got one caller. They
had pocket 7s. The flop paired my 3 and the river paired
my K. The only other hand of the 5 good hands that paid
off was an AK in first position. Unfortunately, no one
called my bet, so I only took down the blinds.
The final hand was KQ of hearts. The person to my right
raised enough pre-flop to put me all in. Since I was sure
to be blinded out soon anyways and this was the best hand
that I had seen in quite some time, I went all in. He had
AK. The flop had a K and two hearts. So, I had 12 outs -
the 9 hearts remaining and the 3 Qs. Unfortunately, they
didn't come up and I was knocked out in 35th place out of
55.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 04/18/2009
I knew immediately that today was going to be a bad day. I
was exhausted and couldn't concentrate. I was repeatedly
told "it's on you". Once, I even missed a raise.
I got a nice hand (KQ) right away and bet it. There was a
large bet on the flop (JJ2) so I folded. The following
hand was AK and someone bet 5x the big blind. I called.
The flop was AJ6, I bet 600 and the other player folded.
Later, I got pocket Js and bet them. The flop didn't have
anything above an 8. The other player bet 300 and I
doubled him. He folded.
Outside of those few hands, I had nothing and no chances
at bluffing. One hand I folded was an A2 in second
position. The turn and the river were A2, so I would have
won a huge pot if I had stayed in.
My final hand was an A6 in middle position. I bet 4 times
the big blind and was called. The flop was 57J. I made a
continuation bet of 600 and was called. The turn was an A,
giving me top pair but a bad kicker. I bet 1200 and was
called. The river put three diamonds on the board. I
pushed all-in and after a long hesitation, was called. He
had a better kicker and I was out 30 minutes into the
tournament.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 04/04/2009
I guess I got a bit cocky over my win last week.
I was just lucky to last as long as I did. In the first
few hands I got an AJ. I bet 3.5 times the BB from the
first position. The BB called me. The BB happened to be
someone that has gone over the top of my bets quite often.
He is very loose and gets knocked out early most of the
time.
The flop was K 8 9. I wanted him to think that I had an AK
or pocket Ks, so I bet 2/3 the pot (major mistake number
1). He called. I repeated this all the way hoping that he
would drop the hand, but he called all the way. He had a
K. So my stack went from 10,000 to 3,000 in one hand. I
was lucky to survive with 3,000.
It took me about an hour to build my stack back up to
average stack size, but I did manage it. Our table broke
up and I was placed at a table where there were some very
good players. I didn't get very many good hands, but
managed to keep my stack growing.
At about 90 minutes into the tournament I got an A 10. The
blinds were 300 600, so I bet 2,000. The BB went all in. I
called (major mistake number 2). She turned over pocket
Js. I had three outs. The flop was all low cards, as was
the turn. The river gave me my A and she was knocked out.
I felt bad that I kicked out a good player with my
terrible playing, but that is poker.
The second hand after we came back from break was pocket
8s. The blinds were 500/1000. One person limped in and
everyone else folded to me. I raised it to 4,000. The BB
raised it to 10,000. That should have set off alarms, but
I figured that I was in a race situation and that I could
put him off the hand by pushing. So, I went all in (major
mistake number 3) and he called. He turned over pocket As.
That gave me 2 outs. The flop gave him trip As, so I was
out of the tournament in 21st place.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 03/29/2009
As with last Sunday, I called ahead to verify that there
were enough players to fill the tournament. The person
stated that there were 4 players, so I asked to move me to
the Monday night tournament.
The lady asked for my name and then said that she had
tried to reach me last Sunday because right after I
cancelled, several players signed up. She said that I
should wait and that she would call me if the tournament
filled up. I said okay. When I spoke with her 20 minutes
later there were 7 players and she assured me that the
tournament was a go.
When I got there, there was only one position left, which
filled in a couple minutes.
This tournament was charmed from the first hand. First of
all, I would like to add that a very annoying lady and her
boyfriend took seats 2 and 3 seats to my left. They kept
talking, rather loudly, making it difficult to
concentrate. Anyways, back to the first hand. I was dealt
AQ of spades. The blinds were 25/50. I was in position 3.
Position 1 folded, position 2 limped, I bet 150 chips,
position 4 and 5 folded and the noisy lady (continuing to
talk incessantly) raised me 300 chips. Everyone folded
around to me, so I raised her an additional 500 chips. The
dealer stated raise 500, but she kept talking, so I said
"its 500 to you". She said, you're real eager to get me to
call. I replied, no, you were talking so I thought that
you missed the raise. She folded and then stated, I can
multi-talk, I'm intelligent that way. Obviously, covering
the fact that she had made a bad bluff at the pot. I was
now chip leader.
One hand that I was a bit miffed about was a 3 4 of
diamonds. There was a large raise, so I folded it. The
flop would have given me a straight flush draw and the
turn would have given me a straight . I would have knocked
two people out of the tournament had I just called that
initial bet.
Many of my hands weren't very remarkable, so I will just
comment on the ones that stood out.
I was dealt a pair of Js, but just limped in since Js are
not my favorite. The boyfriend of the chatterer raised,
everyone folded and I called. The flop were all under the
J, so I bet 2/3 the pot. The boyfriend went all-in and I
called. He had A 10 of hearts, pairing the 10 on the
board. The turn and the river didn't help him and I now
had more than twice the number of chips as everyone else.
One of the players was extremely low on chips. I had A7.
He bet 500 leaving him with 1200 chips. I put him all in
and he called. He had A3. The flop had a 7 and he was out.
At one point me and the person sitting to my right were
very close in chips. We had a commanding lead over the
remainder of the table. I was dealt AQ. The blinds were
300/600. He bet 1800 and I raised it to 3600. He pushed
his chips in and I called. He had a pair of 10s. The flop
had a Q and he got up to leave and said good game. I told
him that it wasn't over yet. But the turn and river didn't
help him. I now had 90% of the chips. It was just a matter
of time before I knocked the other two players out. I knew
I had won.
When we got to heads up, I started getting great hands and
chipping away at the remainder of his stack. I must have
had at least 3 pocket pairs, one of which went to a flop
and got trips. The blinds had gone to 500/1000. I got AK
and was small blind. I raised it to 3000. He shoved his
remaining chips in, which was 3200 more to me. He had QJ.
The flop and turn didn't help either of us. The river was
a Q and I groaned, then took another look and noticed that
it was a Q of diamonds. There were four diamonds on the
board and my A was a diamond. I had won the tournament
with an A high flush.
So, I have my entry into the WSOP satellite in May. Last
year I had entered 6 tournaments at $65 per to get my
seat, which is $390. This year I entered 3 tournaments at
$70 per for a total of $210 to get my seat.
Last year, I was knocked out of the satellite in 6th
place. Hopefully, I will be able to get the WSOP seat this
year.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 03/23/2009
Did much better. Again started out hot. Stayed hot and was
either the chip leader or just below chip leader most of
the tournament. When we were down to 5 players, I got
pocket 3s. I limped in as small blind. The flop gave me
trip 3s. I started playing with my chips and saw the big
blind reach for his chips, so I knew he was going all in.
I bet 1000 and he went all in. First position folded,
second position folded and the button went all-in. I had
more chips than both the all-ins, so I called. My trips
held up. After that, my hands went cold. The blinds went
to 500/1000 and being a three person table my chips went
down rapidly. I eventually had to go all-in with a KJ. I
was called by someone with an A5. The flop was Q 10, so I
had outs. I was hoping that he would get his A. No such
luck. I went out in 3rd place. The person that took me out
went on to win.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Super Satellite 03/16/2009
Not very good. I started out hot, but my hands cooled off
after the first round. I went out in 7th place (out of
10).
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Lucky Derby Casino - 02/08/2009
Today was supposed to be a satellite to the WSOP Main
Event but it required 50 people. Since only 22 were signed
up it was a cash tournament. I did incredible initially. I
got pocket As and someone went all-in, so I doubled up.
Then I had a down-turn. I got pocket As again and someone
called my huge bet. After the turn, I put him all in and
he called. He had pocket Qs and the turn was a Q. I also
had a KQ and a K on the flop and bet it out. Fortunately,
there was a pair of 10s on the board which we both
checked, so I didn't lose to much when she turned over AK.
After that my fortune turned and I started getting good
hands once in a while. Enough to keep me well above the
blinds and to the final table. We agreed at the final
table to pay the bottom 5 $100 out of each from the 1st
place winnings.
My chips started sliding due to the blinds and my lack of
catching a hand worth betting. I never seemed to get a
chance to bluff, either. Finally, I got a Q 4 of clubs in
the big blind. I got a couple of callers. The flop had an
A J of clubs and a 3 of some other suit. I bet 3,000 and
the other player raised. I counted my chips and realized
that I was committed, so went all-in. The other player
thought for quite a while then decided to call. He had a K
3, so he had paired the 3s. The turn was a 4, giving me
the edge and the river was a club giving me the flush. I
doubled up at the right time.
I got another great hand about 15 minutes later. I had a Q
of hearts and a 10 of diamonds so I limped in. No one else
bet and the big blind checked. The flop had all hearts.
The BB bet and I called. The turn didn't help. The big
blind checked, so I bet 3/4 the pot and was called. The
river gave me the flush. The BB checked, I bet and he
folded.
When we got down to 6 players, we discussed chopping the
prize six ways. I was the chip leader at this point. I had
no problem with chopping, since I knew my game was up and
down. One player said no, so we kept playing.
I got a KQ in first position and bet 3 times the BB. The
BB had been an aggressive player the entire game. Everyone
folded to the BB, who thought about it and then called.
The flop was 10 5 9, giving me a gut shot straight. The BB
checked, so I accepted the free card. The turn was a J
giving me my straight. The BB went all-in. I called. He
had A J, pairing the high card. He had somehow gotten
ahead of me in the chip count, so he still had a few chips
remaining.
That put me so far ahead of the other players, I thought
for sure that the hold out would want to split now, but he
still didn't want to.
I got a pair of pocket Ks on the button. One of the
aggressive players bet 4 times the BB, everyone folded to
me. Knowing that the flop might contain an A. I decided to
just slow call the raise. The flop was Q high. The
aggressive player put in 4,000 and I pushed it to 12,000.
He thought that I might be playing a 5 7, since the board
had a 6 8. I stated that there was not way that I would
have called his raise with that kind of hand. He
eventually folded and I showed the Ks. It is always good
to show a great hand once in a while, so they don't start
thinking that you are stealing.
Shortly after that hand. the hold out went all in and
lost. So, he ended up with only $100. Now, however, one of
the players who had been low on chips decided that they
wanted to play until there was only 4 of us. She was
playing very aggressive against me since I was the chip
leader. After two hands, I got a good hand and placed a
big bet. I was called by one of the other players. The
flop helped me and I made a huge bet. The other player
folded. The hold-out realized that I wasn't going to lose
my chips very quickly so decided to do the split. Since I
was the chip leader, they asked me if a 5 way split was
ok. I stated that I had no problem with it when there was
6 of us. So we each got $775. Since I was chip-leader, I
got first place.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 01/24/2009
This was a terrible outing. I was out of the tournament
within 20 minutes. I had two great hands both of which
were called and lost on the river. 56th out of 56.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 12/27/2008
It has been quite some time since I played at the local
casino. The day after I last played we discovered that my
favorite cat, Isis, had lung cancer. We put her down two
weeks later, as she was failing fast and the doctors
couldn't do anything to help her.
Two weeks ago, we got another spotted bengal, Alissi. She
is quite a handful, as are most kittens. But being a
bengal, she is definitely attempting to make herself the
alpha cat. She is helping with the grieving, as she looks
quite a bit like Isis and has all of the bengal traits
that we loved about Isis. However, unlike Isis, Alissi
purrs and licks us. I can understand not licking, but I
have never heard of a cat that didn't purr.
Anyways, I finally decided to go to the local casino. I
got a few great hands, some of which dissipated on the
flop, but enough to keep me in the game. One hand, which I
was pleased with, was a 7 10 off-suit in the small blind.
The player in 7th position and the button limped in, so I
called, as well, and the BB checked. The flop was 4 8 9. I
lifted the remaining chips in my stack and looked at them,
then set them down and checked, since I wanted the button
to have a chance to make a huge bet. The BB checked, the
player in 7th position stated that I had made him nervous
the way I was checking my stack, so he checked as well.
The player on the button, who was being loose aggressive,
made a huge bet. I immediately pushed all of my chips to
the center. The BB folded and the 7th position player
folded, stating "I knew it". The button called my all-in
and turned over junk cards. I, at least had several outs,
he could only hope that he might pair his cards. He had to
call, since my all-in was only a few chips more than his
bet. The turn gave me my straight and it held up. Everyone
was amazed at my play as well as now knowing that the
loose aggressive player was making huge bets on junk
hands. He didn't get away with it too much more at that
table. However, he did go on to tie for first place.
Somehow, I managed to stay alive long enough to make it to
the final table in a field of 64. I only got 4 good hands
at the final table, but that kept me alive long enough for
most of the players to get knocked out. I started the
final table in 8th place and I was between the largest
stacks. I watched so many players make bad moves and get
knocked out. At one point, I had very few chips left and I
was going to go all in. However, another player went all
in. I had a few chips more than him, so I called from the
small blind. The big blind (the loose aggressive player
from my first table) called as well, to get rid of both of
us. I had K 9 unsuited, the initial bettor had 8 10 and I
don't recall what the BB had. The flop was K 10 10. That
gave the initial bettor trips and me two pair. The BB had
nothing. The turn was another K, giving both of us full
house, but mine was better. The river didn't help him, so
I tripled up and eliminated a player at the same time.
When it was finally down to the final three. I had 3
blinds left and the other two players had the rest of the
chips pretty evenly spread. I knew I couldn't last long,
so on my blind when I saw I had a 9 10 and the button put
in enough chips to put me all in, I called. She had A 4.
The flop was A J Q, so I had outs. However, the 8 or K
never showed. I was out in 3rd place and got $412. Not too
bad.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 08/23/2008
I felt great for this tournament. I played fairly well,
but my chip stack remained pretty much constant. I caught
a few marginal hands, but never got any action. The last
hand I was in 4th position and had A 8. The blinds were
100/200. There was one limper so I raised it to 700. The
blinds folded and the limper from first position called.
The flop was 8-9-9. I had two pair and an A kicker. I
figured that the limper might have either a straight or
flush draw, so I bet my last 1500 chips to protect my
hand. He called immediately. He turned over pocket Qs,
which held up. I didn't expect someone to slow play a
pocket pair from first position and paid the price. I
believe that I played it right, but some schools of
thought would have stated that the fact that he called my
700 bet indicated that he was hiding a strong hand. I
thought about that, but took his position into account, as
well as the fact that he was playing loose and had a huge
stack, and decided that I had the best hand. Sometimes you
guess wrong.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 08/02/2008
I got two great hands in this tournament. The first hand
was shortly into the tournament. I had just won a small
pot with a crap hand which was shown down, so getting A K
in my next hand was great. The blinds were still 25/25, so
I bet 150 and the person sitting two chairs to my left
went over the top with 450. Everyone folded and I called.
The flop had a K, so I bet 700 and the other player went
all in. He had QQ and my paired Ks held up. I had double
everyones chips. The next few good hands that I played I
either had a smaller kicker or my opponent got me on the
river. My stack was down to starting size again.
I got a J 9 hand in the BB and everyone limped in, so I
checked. The flop was Q 10 8. There were two aggressive
players at the table and they bet at the flop. I figured
that they might be trying for the flush, so I tripled the
bet. They folded and I had a nice stack again.
Again, I started getting rivered or kicked when I bet a
hand and my stack started to drop. Finally, in the BB I
caught middle pair on the flop against one of the
aggressive players. I bet out and he hesitated, but
eventually called. I should have used the hesitation to my
advantage and pushed on the turn, but instead I just bet
half the pot. He called again, so now I put him on either
the middle or top pair. But now I had a flush draw, as
well. The river gave me a flush so I bet out 3/4 the pot.
He called again and showed the 10 of clubs for the flush,
I only had the 8 of clubs, so he took down most of my
chips.
I lingered around and stole the blinds a few times. After
the break, we went down to two tables. The blinds were
600/300 and I was the big blind, so I already had a huge
investment in the hand (based upon my stack size). There
were three limpers, so I pushed all in with A 3 of spades.
The person to my left folded, but the other two called my
all-in. The flop didn't help me, it just gave me another
spade. The turn was a spade as well. They checked me to
the river and I turned over my cards. No one had paired,
one player had K 10 of spades, so I had him, but the other
player had A J unsuited and took all of my chips. Kicked
again. However, I didn't feel too bad about being kicked
on that hand since it was more of a desperation all-in
than anthing else. I was just hoping for no one else
calling and taking down all of the limp bets. So, I was
out in 20th place.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 07/19/2008
Not a very good showing. I got bad cards and when I would
get cards that were playable, I would get no action. I
finally got an AJ and the flop was J 4 3. I went all in
with my last few chips and was called by someone holding
pocket 4s. His trips held up and I was out.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 07/12/2008
Not a very good outing. I only got 2 good hands and 1 good
bluffing hand.
The first good hand was pocket Ks when I was down to my
last 1100 chips. Two people ahead of me had bet 400, so I
went all in and they both called. The flop had a Q and
both players bet a large amount in the side pot. They both
went all in by the river. They both had AJ off suit. So, I
won the main pot (tripling me up) and they took their
chips back. One of the players was rather confused as to
why she didn't get any of the other players chips.
Everyone explained that she didn't win. That they split
the side pot and that I had won the main pot. I think that
she was still a bit confused but let it go.
I got several okay starting hands which never developed
and I watched my stack dwindle. On the last hand before
they broke up our table I got 9 7 in the big blind and
checked. The flop gave me a pair of 7s and an open-ended
straight draw. I bet and got two callers. The turn didn't
help me, but I decided to bet anyways hoping that it
didn't help them either. They both folded. One of the two
players begged me to show him my cards (offered me 100
chips), but I mucked it. He told me later that he had
pocket 10s. I told him that he made a good fold, even
though he had me beat.
At the next table, my stack dropped continued to dwindle.
I made it to the break and sat talking to the dealer. He
had played in the final with me for the seat to the Main
Event, but had been knocked out before the final table.
When play resumed I found a pair of Js and decided that I
had better be aggressive with them. One player, the same
guy from the other table that had the pocket 10s, bet 1200
chips. I went all in with 3600 and he called, turning over
pocket Ks. His Ks held up and I was out.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 07/5/2008
I had two good hands and I played them both like crap. The
first good hand that I got was A Q. I bet it out and got 1
caller. The flop was A A Q. I bet a nice amount and was
called. The turn gave the board a flush possibility, so I
checked hoping that the caller had that suit. He checked.
The river didn't help anyone so I decided to go all-in and
hope that the over bet would make him think that I was
bluffing. It didn't work. I should have bet 500 on the
turn and again on the river, but I blew it and only got a
few chips out of it.
I was whittling away my chips for quite a while when I
finally got my second good hand. A K. I was one of the
short stacks, having just under 2000 left. There were
about 4 people that limped in at 100 each. I bet 500, it
should have been more. I got 2 callers. One caller led out
with 1000 chips. I went all-in and the other caller went
all-in. The first player folded. The second player had a Q
2. I had nothing and didn't improve. He had me covered, so
I was out. Steaming a bit since the player that took me
out was the same player with whom I had blown the betting
of my full-house. I wasn't too happy about his calling my
raise pre-flop with just a Q 2, but he the big stack and
could afford it.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Main Event Satellite -
05/19/2008
Even though it is now the 23rd, I finally feel well enough
to comment on the Satellite tournament. I woke up the
morning of the 19th with a constant cough. After taking
some cough syrup I became nauseated. The tournament
started at 7pm and by the time I was ready to leave for
the tournament, my cough had not improved. Needless to
say, I was quite angry about being sick on this date. I
took some cough syrup with me, as well as a few Riccola.
The tournament contained the winners from the 20 super
satellites, so I knew I had a challenge. My hands for the
first level were crap, so I concentrated on how others
were playing and betting. In reality, I never got a good
hand the entire tournament.
However, when I was big blind, I got 10 9 unsuited and
only one limper. The limper had been in almost every hand,
so I didn't take him too seriously. The flop paired my 9s
and was also the highest card on the flop. I bet 2/3 the
pot and was called. That set off alarms, but I was still
unconvinced. The turn was a Q. I was about to check, but
figured that I would try one more time. I bet half the pot
and he called. The river was an A. I paused for a bit,
then checked. He checked. He showed that he had paired the
3. What the hell was he betting for? He should have bet
the river if he was preparing to steal. I was now the chip
leader at our table. On a 10 9 unsuited hand.
The next hand was Q J suited. The same player from the
previous hand made a bet and I called. The flop gave me a
flush draw. He made a marginal bet so I called. The turn
didn't help, He made the same bet. I felt that this showed
weakness, but I could see that he was a calling station,
so I just called him as I hadn't got the flush yet. The
river didn't help either, but I made motions that I was
prepared to go all-in. Unfortunately, I should have been
watching his stack, as he was already pot committed. He
went all-in. It wasn't much to call him, so I called. He
had paired a 2. Sometimes idiots win. So, I went from chip
leader to last place in one hand. I made two mistakes in
that hand. First, I should have noticed his stack. Second,
I should have put him all-in on the flop (although, with
him being a calling station, you never know).
I never had a chance after that. I managed to hang on long
enough to beat the 7th place finish at one of the Colusa
satellites. I came in 6th.
I could easily blame the flu (which is still with me) or
the calling station, but the fault really lies in my
playing. This was my last shot to attend this years Main
Event.
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Lucky Derby Casino - 05/17/2008
I arrived late, so I was put on a list. The first two
levels had passed before I got a seat. I wasn't getting
very many hands, so I had to push the few that I did get.
Bluffing didn't seem wise as there were lots of chasers.
The first hand that I got was pocket 7's. I placed a large
bet and got one caller. I got another 7 on the flop and
kept betting. My opponent kept chasing and my 7's help up.
I doubled my chip count.
I was moved to another table and caught pocket Q's on my
first hand. I collected quite a bit of chips from that
hand. I caught pocket 10's a bit later, but two other
players went all-in, so I folded. One had pocket 7s and
the other had A K. The pocket 10s would have won.
I got pocket Js about 45 minutes later. 4 players had
limped (blinds were 400/200). I raised it to 1500 and
everyone folded except the big stack. The flop had an A,
but I figured that I had the best hand, as he had just
limped. I had him on KQ or a small pair, since he had
called my raise. We went to the river and I went all-in.
He called and showed his A, which beat my pocket Js.
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Colusa Casino - WSOP Main Event Satellite - 04/26/2008
It's not that I feel jinxed, but come on.
I arrived at the casino and got my seat assignment: table
9 seat 6. So, okay, I didn't get the same seat assignment
for the third straight satellite. But wait, there weren't
enough people by the time the tournament started, in fact
there are only 68 people. So, they decided to move all of
the players from tables 8 - 11 to fill up the remaining
tables. My new seat assignment - you got it - table 5 seat
9. What are the odds? So, now I felt jinxed.
Most of the time, the cards weren't coming. However, every
time I got an incredible hand, someone would go all-in.
Getting pocket As back to back allowed me to triple up my
chips, knocking two players out as well. Unfortunately,
every time I got my chip count to a nice level, this lady
sitting next to me would go over the top of my bets. Both
times I was holding A 10 and an A was on the board. The
first time, she had an A K. The second time she got me I
had made a big blunder in my bet. I put 900 chips out and
said 9 thousand ( a lapse in concentration ). Since I had
stated the value of the raise, that was the bet. I was
holding A 10 and there was an A on the board, so I felt I
was okay. However, this lady went over the top and went
all-in. It was another 7000 chips. I felt I had the best
hand so I called and she turned over pockets 2s and there
was a 2 on the board. An A came on the turn, which gave me
trip As, but gave her a full house. So, even had I not
made the blunder, the outcome would have been the same. I
definitely would have called an all-in with 3 As.
I seemed to be able to recoup the chips that she took from
me from another player. Usually a player who had just
taken a huge pot from the lady that kept taking my chips.
My stack was pretty low when we went to the second break.
I didn't think I would last much longer. However, the
first hand after the break doubled me up and I was back in
the game. Several hands later I picked up A 10 (again) and
bet 3 times the big blind. The big blind pushed all-in. He
had been very aggressive with nothing , so I felt my A 10
was good. I saw that he had more chips than I did so I
knew that I'd be out if I misread him. I called and he
turned over A 5 of clubs. I was pretty happy, but the flop
gave him a flush draw and the turn gave him the A high
flush.
I feel that I did pretty well at this satellite. I made 4
mistakes. 2 cost me a lot of chips. 1 mistake, was only a
mistake because I would have ended up with quad 9s, but
since my hand was 6 9 unsuited, I wasn't going to call.
The other mistake was not calling a bet when I was holding
pocket 8s. An 8 came up on the flop. The winner of the
hand only had pocket 6s. Other than those 3 or 4 mistakes,
I played pretty solid and my reads were pretty accurate.
It looks like May 19 will be my last try to go to Las
Vegas.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Main Event Super Satellite -
04/06/2008
There are days and then there are days....
This was one of the good days. I didn't get many good
hands, but the ones that I got were incredible. My first
decent hand was A 5. Normally, I would have folded that
hand, but I was small blind so I felt that I may as well
come in. The flop was A 5 5. I checked and the big blind
put in a huge bet. I paused and then called. The turn was
a J. I checked and the big blind bet another huge bet and
I paused even longer before calling. The river was a 6. I
bet 1000 and the big blind went all-in. I turned my hand
over to show the full house and he groaned as he turned
over his A 9. The guy on my right told me that he folded a
5 7 suited preflop because of the initial bets. I told him
that he was lucky as he would have been out of the game.
A few hands later I caught a pair of Ks. I bet 3 times the
big blind and got a caller. I was very aggressive on my
betting and so was the caller. My Ks held up and I ended
up with over half the chips in play. That's when everyone
noticed me. "I've never seen you before". "What's your
name." "You're the new target!"
I caught an A Q, and bet aggressively. The flop didn't
help me and the caller went all-in. He had a huge stack,
which would have put a huge dent in my stack. I decided to
wait for a better hand.
There was one point when the short stack went all-in. I
was holding a pair of 8s. Another player called him and I
called them. The flop didn't do me any good, and I was
going to check it down anyways. The other player went
all-in. Well I wasn't going to call that with three hearts
on the board when I only had a pair of 8s (even though one
of them was a heart). She only had a K 10 unsuited so the
short stack tripled up with a small pair. I would have won
as another heart came up and no one else had a heart. My
8s would have won, as well. Everyone chasticed the player
that pushed me out of the hand, since the short stack now
had alot of chips and he was a good player. The short
stack eventually made it to heads-up against me. I took
out the player that went all-in a short time afterwards.
She went all-in and had 4 callers. I had Q 10 and the flop
was A K J all hearts. My Q was a heart, so I was okay for
a flush draw and I already had the straight. I checked, as
I wanted to know if anyone had the flush. I guess betting
would have been a better indication. The turn wasn't
anything special, a 3 of clubs I believe, so I bet half
the stack. Everyone groaned, as they thought that I was
doing what she had done a few hands back. That would have
been true if she had a flush, but then if any of the other
players had a flush, they would have called my bet,
everyone folded. She didn't have the flush, so my straight
won.
When we were down to three players, I lost my lead. The
new chip leader went up against the small stack. The small
stack pulled a miracle out on the river and left the chip
leader with very few chips. He was knocked out in a few
hands.
I was just slightly behind when we went to heads-up. I got
A 6 on my first hand and bet aggressively. I was called
and the flop was 6 2 8. I bet aggressively and was called.
The turn was an A giving me 2 pair. The other player bet
half the pot and I went all-in. He folded. I now had a
huge stack lead 10:1. I continued to get great hands. My
final hand was an A Q. I called the big blind and he
checked. The flop had a Q. He went all-in and I called. He
was holding pocket 5s. The Qs held up and I won the
tournament. I got an entry into the satellite on 5/19 and
the second place got $50. The 5/19 satellite is a WSOP
Main Event Satellite with only 20 players. The winner gets
a seat at the WSOP Main Event. 20 players to win a
seat!!!! Wish me luck!!!!
I couldn't believe it. This tournament only took 2 hours.
I was getting incredible hands. I just sat back and
waited.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Main Event Super Satellite -
03/30/2008
Today was river day. Everyone seemed to be sucking out at
the river. I was building my chip stack and made it past
the break. There were 6 of us left. The first hand after
the break doubled me up. The following hand had three
players, two went all-in. The big stack got his card on
the river. Which is how he got such a big stack to start
with, as his card selection was pretty bad. This left us
with 4 players. A few hands later, I got a K 9 and called
the big blind. Blinds were 200/400, no ante. The big blind
made it 800, I called and so did another player. The flop
was 4 8 9, the big blind bet 1500 leaving him with 1800. I
bet 3500 to put him all in, he called. He turned over a 7
J.????? All-in on a draw????? 4 outs + 3 for the J. He
caught a J on the river. That had pretty much crippled me.
A few hands later I got A Q suited and went all-in. The
big stack called with 6 9 suited. He caught a 6 on the
river. The river sucks.
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Colusa Casino - WSOP Main Event Satellite - 03/29/2008
I knew immediately that I was going to have a problem. My
seat assignment was the same seat where I was sitting when
I got knocked out last month. Table 5 Seat 9.
I was surprised, however, when my stack just kept growing
and growing. The first 5 levels went pretty well. I was
taking down some nice pots and keeping my stack near the
top. However, during the 6th level, I had a A Q unsuited
and there was a A on the board. I was betting pretty
aggressively, but my opponent went all-in. Calling him
would have crippled me if he had trips or even 2 pair,
since I just had a pair of As with a Q kicker. I had to
fold and he showed an A 7. I might have won. We hadn't
seen the river, so you can never tell. That was the
beginning of the end. It was followed by another hand A 10
suited that went south. I had lost about 40% of my chips.
A few hands later, I was able to recoup a about half of
those back with an A 10 unsuited, but that was the last
hand of the day for me. Every hand that I bet on after
that would end up with a bad flop and in the 7th level
when the blinds were 600/300 with 100 ante, I was quickly
losing my chips. I finally went all-in with QJ unsuited
and got one caller. He had A 5 suited. The flop was KKQ,
so I thought that I might just be able to play a little
longer, but the turn was an A and the river was another K.
I was eliminated holding a full house, losing to a better
full house, just like the last time I played at Colusa.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Main Event Super Satellite -
03/24/2008
There are days.....
This was probably the worst poker that I have played in
some time. At least it is the worst results that I have
had.
I lasted only 50 minutes. We were in the third level when
I was knocked out. Every time I had a great starting hand
I bet out and got several callers. My hand never held up.
Finally, when I was low on chips and the blinds were
100/200, I had invested half of my stack and the big stack
bet 600 after the flop. I only had 1000 left. I couldn't
fugure out why he would bet when the flop was so bad 3
unsuited low cards. Since he called my bet before the
flop, he had to have something. I was thinking two high
cards, so the flop didn't make sense. He might have made a
low pair, so it would be a race. Since I was already pot
committed, I went all-in.
He had a pair of 6s, so I had 6 outs (24%). I didn't feel
too bad about my chances until the turn gave him trip 6s.
Out in 8th place.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Main Event Super Satellite -
03/16/2008
I finally broke the dreaded 7th place barrier. I was
actually doing very well prior to the break. Up until that
point I was either the chip lead or second place with five
players left. It wasn't that I was playing exceptionally
well, it was more that others were calling me when I had
great hands and the hand held up. One hand in particular I
was rather pleased with happened rather early in the game.
I had pocket 7s and a 7 came on the flop. There were two
hearts, so in order to eliminate chasers I went all-in.
Apparently, one player wasn't aware of odds and called me.
He had two hearts. My trips held up and I was the chip
leader.
The first hand after the break I got a J 9 and called the
big blind. The flop was Q J 7, giving me middle pair. The
big blind made a bet and I called. The turn was a 10,
giving me a straight draw as well as middle pair. The big
blind bet again. He had been extremely aggressive when
playing against me, usually with nothing. I called again.
The river was a 4. The big blind went all in, I called and
he turned over a Q. I had lost my chip lead and was now
critically low.
A few hands later the person who had just a few chips more
than I did went all-in and had two callers. He lost on the
river, leaving us with only four players. A few hands
later, I was down to 1500 chips. I was dealt pocket 5s, so
I went all-in. I was called by a Q J suited. The flop
showed a J, so everyone thought I was out until we also
noticed that there was a 5 as well, giving me trips. I
doubled up. The following hand I was dealt pocket Qs, went
all-in and got a caller. The Qs held up and I was pretty
much even with most of the players.
I was dealt A 5 suited and felt that it was a great hand
with only four players, so I raised three times the big
blind. The big blind put me all-in, so I called. He turned
over pocket 7s. He got a 7 on the flop, so I was knocked
out in 4th place. So the 7 is still my nemesis.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Main Event Super Satellite -
03/10/2008
I guess there are times when you just don't catch cards.
Most of the hands that I saw were one high card and one
low card unsuited. I caught pocket Js once and went
all-in. I was called by someone holding KQ unsuited. He
caught a Q on the flop, so I got up to go when a J came on
the river. Whew!!!!
But then it was back to nothing hands and no chances to
make a move, as everyone else was making moves and my
stack was low. After the break, the blinds were at 400/200
and I had 1700, so I figured that I needed to make a move
with the best hand that I could get really soon.
Fortunately, I got AQ unsuited after only 6 hands. I got
called by someone holding 4 6 suited. I actually had more
chips than him, but a 4 came on the river and held up
leaving me with 600. The next turn I was the big blind, so
I was committed. I had J 9 unsuited, which isn't too bad.
I was called by the one player who had A 2 unsuited. He
ended up with a full house and I was out in 7th place
again. I can't seem to break the 7th place barrier on
these WSOP satellites.
So, I paid for next Sunday's tournament and left.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Main Event Super Satellite -
03/09/2008
Well, I feel even more stupid today. I arrived at the
casino at 8:30 and saw that the tournament had already
started. I asked if they had started early and someone
said, "It's daylight saving time". Arrggghhhh!!!!
Fortunately, someone wanted to play and had taken my seat,
so I got my entrance fee back, which I applied towards
tomorrow's tournament. Normally, I wouldn't try to play a
night time tournament, since I have to work in the
morning, but this is only a 10 person tournament, so how
long can that last. Famous last words. Will let you know
tomorrow.
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Lucky Derby Casino - WSOP Main Event Super Satellite -
03/02/2008
OK, I'm a bit embarrassed by this entry. First, this
satellite event only had 10 people and one didn't show, so
it was really just a 9 player tournament. I was knocked
out after 45 minutes in 7th place.
I had not been getting many hands worth playing or even
bluffing. I got the third hand that I felt like playing.
A-4. The blinds were 50/100. Someone in middle position
had raised from $100 to $300, so it was $250 more for me
to call, since I was small blind. The flop was A-8-10. I
bet $500. After a few minutes the other player called. The
turn was a 4, giving me 2 pair. I bet $1000. I should have
gone all-in, as I was pot committed, but I wasn't really
concentrating. As it was, I gave my opponent good enough
odds to call the raise. The river was an 8, giving my
opponent trips. He had paired his 8 on the flop and the
river gave him the third 8. He also had a flush draw, so
had I bet the turn properly I may have been able to push
him off the hand.
So, I was out and went to the cage to pay for next
Sunday's super satellite.
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Colusa Casino - WSOP Main Event Satellite - 02/23/2008
Colusa is a small town about 90 minutes from where I live.
They have an Indian Casino and it holds satellite
tournaments to the WSOP Main Event on the last Saturday of
every month leading up to the WSOP Main Event.
I drove the 90 minutes and arrived at the casino at 11am.
The tournament began at 12pm. 93 people had signed up for
the satellite. The entry was $200+20.
The first table that I was at had a "calling station" just
to my right. Fortunately, he only affected me once, but I
lost quite a few chips to him that time. He appeared to
get pretty lucky on the river several times. This approach
eventually got him knocked out while there were still 4
tables in play.
I messed up about 4 times, as I am not used to playing at
live tournaments yet. However, I was able to stay ahead of
the blinds, keeping my stack at least 10 blinds up. One
time that I messed up, I had intended on putting the only
other person in the hand all-in before the flop.
Unfortunately, I messed up on how I bet the hand and was
only able to double the bet. He called and the flop missed
me. I made the all-in bet after the flop and the player
called me. I had A-J, but he turned over pocket As. The
flop had given me 8 outs. I could either win with a K or
an 8, since the flop was Q-10-9. The turn didn't help me,
but the river gave me the K and I knocked him out of the
tournament.
When we were down to 12 players, I only had enough for 2
blinds, so I called Ambo and told her that I would
probably be leaving shortly. However, someone at the other
table knocked out 2 people and we were down to 10.
We agreed at the final table that the first place player
would put up $100 for the 10th place player, so that all
positions at the final table cashed. I figured that it
would either be me or the only person that had less chips
than I. On the next hand, that player tripled up, so it
looked like it was going to be me. When I was big blind
and had to put in the $10,000 blind and the $1000 ante, I
was left with only $16,000, so I called someone that had
put in $30,000. Another player called, as well. After the
flop, I didn't have anything, so I got ready to go.
However, the greedy large stack put in $75,000 and the
other player folded. I beat the large stack, but the other
player would have been able to knock me out. Everyone got
on the large stack's case for that. So, I tripled up and
felt relieved.
My next big blind, I had Q 9. Two people had called me, so
I checked. The flop was Q-J-9. The small blind went
all-in. I went all-in. The small blind had a few more
chips than I did. The initial bettor thought about it for
quite some time, since there was a possible straight and a
possible flush. He finally called. We turned over our
cards. I was pretty happy with my 2 pair, but the initial
bettor turned over Q-J. His 2 pair were better. The small
blind had an open ended straight draw. The turn gave her
the straight. However, the river was a Q, giving both me
and the initial bettor full houses, unfortunately his full
house was better. Since the small blind had more chips
than I, I finished in 7th place and she finished in 6th
place. It was a little after 9pm when I was knocked out
and I still had a 90 minute drive ahead of me. This is the
longest tournament that I have played. I had played
against more people in an online tournament, but they go
much quicker.
The prize for 7th place was $245, so I made $25 (enough to
pay for the gas).
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Lucky Derby Casino - 02/16/2008
I have decided that I have to try to make it to the WSOP
Main Event. I found that the Colusa Casino is holding two
120-player satellites, where the first prize is an entry
to the Main Event and $6,000. These are on 2/23 and 3/28.
I also found out that the Lucky Derby is having one table
satellites starting 3/2. The winners of those satellites
play a 20 person satellite in May, where the winner gets
an entry to the Main Event.
I figured that I had better get some practice in, so I
entered a tournament today (and also signed up for the 3/2
satellite). I played a bit tighter today, and almost got
knocked out twice, as the structure is very tight (20
minutes per level). However, I managed to get a few lucky
breaks and made it to 5th place. There was one hand that I
was extremely happy with. I had AK suited and played it
extremely aggressive. I pushed all-in and the other
players folded. One player said, all I had was AK. So, I
showed him my hand and he was disgusted. I told him that I
was just more aggressive with the hand. I also stated that
the fact that my hands were shaking should have been a big
tell. I couldn't believe that my hands were shaking like
that. It wasn't that great a hand and I wasn't worried
about them calling me.
My last hand, I was small stack, blinds were $1000/$2000.
One person had limped in, so I raised to $8000 with AQ
suited on the cut-off. Everyone folded except the limper
who sat for a while counting his chips. He was one of the
big stacks, so I would only have cost him about a third of
his stack if I went all-in on him. However, he went
all-in. I figured he had a pair, but I had to race since I
only had 3 blinds left, so I called. He had pocket Js, so
both of my cards were good and they were suited. I felt
good with my chances. Unfortunately, the flop gave him
another J. The turn gave me a shot at a flush, but the
river was a heart so I was out in fifth place. I made
enough money to pay for the tournament on 1/26, today and
the satellite on 3/2, as well as a nice tip for the
dealers.
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PokerStars Tournament #75504854 - 01/28/2008
I entered a Sit & Go on Poker Stars for $20+2. I came in
first. Woo Hoo!!!!
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Lucky Derby Casino - 01/26/2008
I decided that I had better try my newly acquired skills
at a local casino, as the next two weeks I would be on
production support.
I practiced the skills that I was taught and was doing
pretty well. There were a few times where I made mistakes
or ignored the lessons and "each" time I paid for it by
losing several chips. I made it to 19th place out of a
field of 79 players. I received 100 points, which don't do
me much good, as I do not play there enough.
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Commerce Casino - Sit & Go - 01/20/2008
The Commerce Casino is running satellite tournaments for
the upcoming LAPC, so the only tournament that I could get
into for a cash prize was the sit & go's on the electronic
tables. I entered a 9 person sit & go to test out my newly
acquired knowledge from the WPT Boot Camp. I was chip
leader for most of the tournament, but I made a mistake
(for which the instructors would have chastised me) and
dropped to third place. I was able to hang on long enough
to finish in second place. Since only the top two
positions were paid, I was happy with the outcome.
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WPT Boot Camp - Day 2 - 01/20/2008
I woke up at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep. So, I got
ready and went to the cash games. I sat at a table with
about 7 other people. One person looked very familiar, but
I couldn't recall where I had seen his face. I guess that
he must be in the class, as well. Someone asked him what
he did and he said that he was an actor, but wasn't doing
anything due to the writer's strike. Then I recalled where
I had seen him before. He was on a new show that had just
started when the strike hit, so he was only in a few
episodes. I made a little bit of cash, but then the table
broke up and I lost everything at the new table, as the
player got lucky on the river. He shouldn't have called my
all-in based upon the odds. He had two outs and he hit it.
What can you do when a donkey gets lucky?
Learned quite a bit today. I feel it will definately help
my tournament play. It will make me play more
aggressively. I was takling with one of the class-mates
this morning. He was showing soneone his glasses. As soon
as he put them on, I recognised him. He was Bill
Kontaratos who I had just watched recently at a final
table on TV.
We had a full class tournament at the end of the class. I
had AQ unsuited and went all-in. I was called by two
players, who went all-in as well. One of them had pocket
4s and the other pocket Qs. I had three outs, so I figured
I was dead. The pocket Qs won. I finished in 10th place
out of the 40 students.
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WPT Boot Camp - Day 1 - 01/19/2008
I learned a few things, but mostly we went over the
basics. We played a few one table tournaments. I did
poorly. I made several mistakes, which were pointed out to
me. It was good having those mistakes thrown back at me,
as I would probably have continued making them.
The instructors were great. Each had their own interesting
way of instructing. I felt that Jules and Jan were the
best for my weaknesses, but I learned a lot from both
Linda and Crispin, as well.
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Trip To L.A. - 01/18/2008
I took today and Monday as vacation days and flew down for
the WPT Boot Camp at the Commerce Casino in L.A. this
weekend. The casino limo picked me up and the driver
stated that he had to go pick up another player in Santa
Monica. Since I didn't have anything else to do, I said it
was okay. The other player, a pro, was not answering his
phone, so after about 30 minutes of driving toward Santa
Monica it was decided that we would just head to the
casino.
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Card Player Magazine - 01/16/2008
Ambo got me a subscription to Card Player Magazine for
Xmas. I received the first copy today. I was sad to see
the cover, as it showed that Chip Reese had died. That was
kind of a shock, as I had just been watching him play an
event on TV.
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