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Sunday, November 9, 2008

Final Table Monkey

Well everyone...the pressure is off!My little Joe Namath-like guarantee of 3 final tables has been met (He made it to me pretournament--WB). My 'gut feeling' of at least 5 final tables has been met. My first WIN (without a chop) has been achieved.

And now...this morning...I sit here preparing to go and Final Table my first ever Main Event. Missed the final table in the last IP Main Event by 3. I really want to take this sucker DOWN! What is the damn deal with CardPlayer? PokerPages has posted every final table from this event.

Well, mostly. I guess the 4pm tourneys aren't getting posted. Which robs me of the Omaha final table, and well Monkeys Midnight Drunk Fest certainly does NOT make the cut! Last night...at 20 to six...and sitting on only 3500 chips in the Noon tourney, a $340 buy in...which made it both Cardplayer POY eligible and ROUNDER pt eligible...which was the main reason I realllllly wanted to win it...

I had a rare opportunity. A guy with a lot of chips, who had been raising a lot...raised again. No big surprise. A guy behind him...who loved to re-raise with any big ace...RERAISES. I look down at 8-9 spades. There are 16 players left. Its only paying 9. Blinds are 600/1200. I need to make something happen. ON the other hand...I am on the button and have probably 6 chances to find something better. But I think...there is a good chance they both have an A...and probably a K and/or a J or Q are out. My cards are live as hell. And here is a chance to go from 3500 chips to about 15K! And put myself in a good spot to win this damn thing. So I ship it.

I don't get much help. Turn a straight draw...but miss, dammit, and go out 16th. But I was just in time for the 6pm 2nd chance tourney...a $230 buy in with a 10K guarantee. They end up getting a pretty good-sized field and first place ends up being as much as first was in Thursday's tourney which I got 2nd place in. It starts out rocky....like almost every tourney this week has. But then I get my courtesy double up...flopping Q-J-10....holding QJ and doubling up through the guy with J10.

THen I just kind of started picking up one nice pot after another. Got to 14K and dude who deals (who had beaten me the night before in a SNG heads up when his A8 found an A on the river against my 99 to beat me then) moves all in for 5500 and I look down at AK in the BB. Flops A-Q-4. It holds. Lovely.

It then became a seesaw battle for two hours...before we finally made the final table. Long before that I had started drinking Red Snappers...then the Midnight Drunk Fest started and I was ordering shots for them too. I get this old gal on my left...Wilma...who at 75 was a real spit fire. For a time I was sharing my iPod with her...we were jamming to the Bee Gees while I was stealing her big blind with 2-3 off and a board of A-Q-J-8-6 and her holding Q9.

She really made some horrible plays. Oh well. She was cute, and fun...and she was drinking with me. I was having a blast. And luckbox dealer/player suckout boy continued to get lucky. Three handed I had them both 3 to 1 in chips. He raises my BB....I have Q10. I call. Flop comes Q-8-5. It all gets in there. He has 88. Jeez. We finally decide to chop the money 3 ways and play for like $500 additional.

I lose another race. Finally I ship it with 7-9..just ready to be out of there. I hit a 9. He hits something else...cant remember. I lose. Whatever. I take my $2500 and call it a day. Another good day. 3 noon final tables. 3 other final tables. A great event for me so far. I got a text from Cub last night. He told me he took down the $550 event up in Tulsa for 15K. Awesome. Good job Cub.

I think between Me, Gabe and Cub...we have like 35 final tables this year. Maybe someone will give the three of us some kind of deal. I don't know...Cub and I are both crazy as hell...Gabe is my buddy, but he sure doesn't fit the mold of NUTSO BOY like Cub and I do! And he is lacking the animal nickname. Might need to work on that!!!

Watched Gene D and Reid both take their tourneys deep last night only to fall short. That blows. Sorry for those guys. Rooster managed to win his Mega satellite last night and will be joining me in today's Main Event. Couple of the good players showed up last night, presumably for today's Main. TK reared his ugly head around 10pm but didn't say hi to me! (just kidding about the ugly part TK!)

My boy BJ from Baton Rouge, who just got 2nd to "Clownie" last week up at GoldStrike showed up around 9. Should be a good event today. I'm fired up. I really, really want to win this thing! Big game today. Alabama vs. LSU. Of course I live with a Bama fan. And half of the poker room is either a Tiger or a Tide fan...so this should get ugly today!

There is another Hurricane out in the Caribbean..a Category freaking FOUR...in NOVEMBER!!!! You kidding me!??? Doesn't look like its coming this way though, just gonna wreak havoc on Cuba...again! I just finished reading a book, titled CATEGORY 7....basically it was about manufactured storms, pretty good book, really makes you wonder about some of these storms. Our government is pretty sneaky and devious. Pretty good book to read if you live down here.

Johnny Groomes, Ken Lambert and Eric Comer all showed up in the poker room yesterday. Not sure why. Scouting? Curious? No idea. But they were all smiles. Ken was quick to say Hi and shake my hand. Pretty awkward moment for me. I was sitting on a great chipstack at the moment...and had just gone on break, and didn't feel like getting into ANY kind of discussion that would alter my playing mood. Besides...what the hell was I going to say?

So...just curious...when will I be allowed back into your poker room? So, just curious, why didn't you guys respond to my letter? So, just curious, why did you guys tell me it was pending Gaming Commission investigation when it wasn't? SO, just curious...why do you guys hate me so much? Whatever. It just really hurts my feelings, knowing that none of them will look me in the eye and be straight with me. I, for years have always thought that Johnny and Ken were my true poker friends.

I have always said SUCH nice things about them. And recently Eric and I had smoothed out our differences and made friends (I thought)....he wouldn't even LOOK at me yesterday, like I was some form of plague. I just don't understand people sometimes. I guess it doesn't matter how much respect and admiration I have for someone, or how good I make them out to look to other people. Life isn't fair sometimes. It really isn't.

But I have to say, I have had a VERY fun week at the IP. They have really done a good job with this event. A few glitches here and there...but nothing major. The structures have been great. They have been really cool to the players, bringing in hot dogs and/or pizza once or twice a day for the whole tournament room. Giving away shirts and shot glasses. The Rounder girls have been buzzing around, always providing a nice distraction. And I've been winning, which always makes it more fun. I've met more new players and had fun with them...its been a good week. I hope I can cap it off with a big win today! Hope to see you all soon!!!!!! Gotta go get showered and ready for this one. (11:05am)

MONKEY

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