Monkey Monday and big news...

DID NOT WIN THE PCA TRIP...BUT DID WIN SOME $$$ !!!!

I woke up Saturday morning and noticed when I logged on that there were 7....SEVEN people signed up for STEP 6 on the PCA satellite! Whoa...this sucker is finally gonna go! I jumped in there, to make 8...even though I was still half asleep. 20 minutes later we were off and running.

Predictably, it played very, very tight. I learned from my STEP 6 a month ago that playing tight in these is a BAD strategy...because you are going to get grinded down to very little chips when the blinds get huge. You HAVE to gamble a little bit early and get some chips. And after all, you cannot fall back to Step 5, or Step 4 by finishing 6th or higher like on the other steps. Quite simply, you must WIN. 2nd place gets $2100 and 3rd place gets $1600....so there is at least a nice consolation prize.

I lose my first few hands early...and my 3000 starting stack shrinks to 2400. But no big deal. I'm patient. I pick up a big hand and build it to 3800. Nice. We get down to 6. I take a guy out with AA vs his QQ and become chipleader. Whoa!!!! Could this be my day????

The action goes on, drags on....5 handed. Getting short. Come on cards!!!! One guy makes a horrible play and goes out 5th! Nice! One from at least making money! But I am getting horribly short. Average is 5500 and I have 2200. Dammit. Don't let me come this far and not at least make some money. Especially with my once $3500 bankroll now being down to $1800 after two horrendous days online. Well, lucky me. Guy makes a raise on the button with JUNK...gets called...and he flops his junk...but its middle pair. The caller checks. He goes all in and the other guy calls with TOP pair...it holds, and I am IN THE MONEY! SWEET! Now its time to try for the huge comeback and win the trip!!!!

We play 3-handed for about half an hour. Damn! I'm surviving though, looking for that huge double up! Or hoping one of the other guys goes out and I at least pick up another $500...but I know if I finish 2nd I am going to be miserable! Well, the moment (I think) arrives for my big double up. The button raises...for the millionth time. I look down at AQ suited. A monster in this situation. I re-raise all in. He snap calls and turns over AK. Oh shit! Flop comes K-Q-9. Damn. Need another Q or runner runner J- 10 to win or chop. It doesn't happen. I go out 3rd. Dammit. No trip yet. But I won some money! Got me back up to $3400!

Then I proceed to play a $12/180 and finish second there...for another $396. Cash another tourney for $225...and hell, it ends up being a $2000 day. A nice day online. But the best thing happened about 15 minutes after my STEP 6 PCA SNG ended.
My Blackberry makes that sound it makes when I have a FACEBOOK message. I look on there....and there is a message from JOHNNY GROOMES! As in, the Manager of the Poker Room (along with Ken Lambert, not sure of exact titles, but you get the idea) at the Beau Rivage....with a message...."Will, call me I have news."

WHOA! My stomach flutters. I call Squirrel over and show it to her. She of course takes me off the mountain with her..."don't get too excited, they might be letting you know you are NEVER getting back in" comment. Oh, sweetie...COME ON...why do you have to be like that!??? Like they would be contacting me to tell me THAT! "I'm just saying....don't get your hopes up!" Damn, so now I am actually nervous about calling him!

But I do. Come to find out he has been reading my blog. So he read about me and Squirrel having a baby. Talked a bit about that. Wished us well, very nice. And then the big news. I am having my 86 lifted effective Jan 2nd! Not sure why not the 1st....seemed like a bizarre date, but who the hell cares, right!??? I don't really like partying on New Years Eve ANYWAY!!!! Maybe we will have a bunch of friends over that night..after all, its been a great year, we have had a lot of reason to celebrate this year! But getting this news? A week or so before Christmas? HUGE! I was so happy! Of course I have to go in before I'm allowed back in and meet with him, and Ken and Warren Mason to go over what I know will be a "Monkey, you screw up even ONE more time...and you can kiss your ass goodbye" speech. I know I don't like how this whole thing was handled...but again, I know I made mistakes. I have MADE mistakes in the past. My behavior, often misunderstood, has allowed for some dicey moments that were solely my fault. So I know that I certainly bare some (okay, a lot) of responsibility for the things I have incurred. But the bottom line is, I was patient, I wasn't ugly to or about them...I didn't pester them to let me back in...and finally, they have invited me to return. I am ecstatic! And really looking forward to the upcoming event at the Beau Rivage. It is going to be HUGE!

And now, its takes some pressure off of me winning this PCA trip. I mean, if I do...I do. And that will be super cool, since its been 4 years now of frustration trying to win that damn thing and falling short. But if I don't its cool because now I have the Beau event to look forward to. Without all the travel and hotel/food/incidental costs to worry about. And I know all my friends will be down here, which is ALWAYS fun!!!!! Great way to kick off the new year!!!!!

That's pretty much it. Had a great weekend online. Yesterday took 2nd in a $22/180 for $780 and final tabled a couple other tourneys. For the weekend I won about $3500. Got my bankroll online looking very healthy now! Bout time. And I am refusing to cash out...since every time I do cash out I get hit with about three weeks worth of horrible beats. Though, I'm not sure much can top that Thursday debacle! I guess if/when I NEED the money...I will cash it out. But one thing I find...is with 5k in my account, my desire to buy into and play $11 SNGs is diminishing. So I am not sure if this is a good thing or not. I mean if I cashed out 4K...leaving me with a dime in there....those $11 buyins wouldn't seem as small. Just seems stupid to try and win $100, to add to a $5k bankroll...when I could be buying into $30, $40 and $50 sngs to win, you know...like $300-$1000. I think this IS the road I need travel if I am ever going to build a REAL bankroll online. It just scares me, because I know there is cheating on these damn sites...and I do NOT want to be the victim, for a large amount of money. Doesn't bug me as much when I know they are just scamming me for $10 here, $20 there, $7 here....ya know?

Pokerstars has a very cool promotion for those who finish in the Top 100 and Top 1000 TLB this month. I want to win that. I am sitting 456th right now for the month. I have a full week to DESTROY online...then on Saturday we leave for Florence and Squirrel's family for Christmas, where there is NO WAY IN HELL she will allow me to sit and play online! So I have 6 days to go nuts! If ya'all see me on there give me a shout out!!!!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!!!!!!

MONKEY