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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

MAIN EVENT......On to Day 2.

First, to those of you who actually CARE about reading this blog...I apologize.

The last 11 days have been, perhaps, the worst 11 days of poker in over two years. Since that horrendous event in New Orleans. I have decided to spare you all of the awful end results...because honestly, WHO CARES? If you read this...and you play poker...then you have been there.

You have been the guy in Level 10...who with QQ, raised UTG...got re-popped by an old guy you KNEW had AK...and had enough chips to simply flat him and try to fade an A or a K on the flop...and when doing so...and moving all in for two or three times the pot.....only to have him call...and hit a K on you. Right? We've all been there.

Im sure you have also been that person who flopped a boat...slow played it...only to find out the other person was slowplaying QUADS! Yea...just quads. You've all been there, right?

Im quite certain you have all had that week where, in two-winner SNG's, you finished either 3rd or 4th 80% of the time and didnt win an effing cent. Right? You know that feeling?

Sure you have been that guy who played the Mega satellite at noon, then again at 4...and once more at 8pm...only to lose them all...and in ugly fashion each time. Thats you isnt it?

Get where I'm coming from? I've actually been HIDING from this blog. And everyone, practically that I know. I have been skulking around, in a depressed state...murmering things to myself all week. People have repeatedly said...."Monkey, whats up? You arent your usual self this trip!" No, no I am not. Kind of happens when you have your ass handed to you day after day after day.

Then I was served a couple of other bad beats this week. Two of them involving my wife. The first was, after telling the Chase Manhattan rep that if he called me one more time before 8am, I was going to hunt him down, find his cubicle, and fire bomb his ass....having the police and bomb squad show up at our home in Biloxi. Yeah that went over well.

Then a couple days later, I get about 10 text messages in 5 minutes from her...she had attempted going into the attic to retrieve all of Christmas decorations. Some people are aware that in attics, they are contructed with 2x8 wood beams, and plasterboard. You only can place all your weight on the beams. Well, Squirrel apparantly is not aware of this. After falling through the ceiling, and landing on the garage door...she found this out. And went off on me. Jingle bells!

Then last night....I come up to my room...go to log onto my computer, a DELL, and hmmm, how bout that, the screen falls off. Yep. Hinge assembly...kaput! Same thing happened to my last Dell laptop. Wonderful. So I call Dell customer support, to find out if they will fix it. "I am sorry sir, but your warranty expired in August." Really? Of course it did. FML. Time to buy a new laptop...which I did immediately. Hopefully it will arrive in Biloxi before I do.

Okay, so that is all the bad news pretty much. Unless you consider the fact that my knee, for some reason, has swollen to the size of a freaking cantaloupe. Good thing I'm not a starting forward in the NBA...I think I would be out for a couple of games.

Alright then....on to some good news.

Late last night...I hear a cry from the back of the poker room...."one seat left on a $285 single table satellite....last one of the night!" Ohhhhh boy...okay. I had been sitting in a $1/$2 game and was up about $500...so of course I was a bit hesitant. But I go anyway. We get 6 people in a $100 last longer. One guy...who had the nose of a...well, kind of like an eagle...would make one awful play after another...and get all the chips. It was NOT looking good for me. But then things turned around. Because I was patient. He would limp UTG...I followed suit with AA...and 5 others called. I called every bet he made until I was all in...and he doubled me up with a harmless pair. Then from there, I pretty much steamrolled the table...taking it down, and collecting $2200. I gave 3rd her money back, and a little something to 2nd also. It was a great way to finish the day.

I still wasnt positive if I was going to play in the Main. After all, it had been just a terrible week...one that has seen my bankroll crushed for over $5000....so I was going to place it in the hands of my backer. I texted her this morning, telling her about last night's win, and leaving the decision to her. She texted back...one word..."YES". I love it. So it was on!

I get down there and get a decent seat draw. On the first hand I play...the 4th one I see...I get AA. Wow! Just to tell you now, I would get AA six times today! The first time was the only time I lost...and I lost a lot.  $8000 chips. So I was immediately down to 12,000. This asshole, who I would later gain enough info on to know that I should have completely played the hand different, but sometimes...early, you just don't know. So I played it cautious, and this prick rivers a damn GUTSHOT...after having RAISED me after the flop with it. Joke! Whatever, I would get revenge on his ass later.

I really don't want to get into a lot of hands...mainly because I just played 14 hours and I am BEAT! But yeah, I had AA six times. One time, Mike Leah raised UTG...and this Asian guy raised...a lot...well, I had only 16k at the time. I felt like raising 8k was the right move...so I did. The Asian guy puts me all in. He has KK. He has the King of clubs. I do NOT have the Ace of clubs. The flop comes ALL CLUBS. OH GOD! Somehow...he misses. Wheeewwwww!

Another time...Brandon Cantu raises...of course, Brandon raises a LOT anyway....he gets called by "Chingy" (more on him later) and I raise it from 1650 to 5100. They BOTH call. Hmmm...the flop comes A-4-6, two hearts. They both check. I decide not to fuck around and bet out 10k. Brandon starts making overtures that suggest he is about to put me all in. Please do, please do. He finally folds. So does Chingy.

Then the last time I have them for a big pot...after moving tables again...Mike Leah (again getting put at my table) raises UTG....I re-raise him...from 1800 to 4250. He re-raises me 10k. I ask the dealer for the red "all in" button they have been using to throw at you when you go all in. As soon as I do that he calls. He turns over KK. I have to sweat it out again...as the board goes Q-10-J-7-8. Wheeeewwww again! And that one was a HUGE double up...putting me up to 106k when the average was only 52k.

I would play very few hands the last two levels, mainly because I didn't get shit for cards. But when the night ended, I bagged up 100,300 chips...with the average at 62,000. I feel excellent about where I am in chips right now. And it feels good to finally be coming back for Day 2. We started with 269 players...a lot more than I expected, to be honest. At the end of the night we were down to about 85...and its paying 27. So hopefully, things go well tomorrow, and I can at LEAST cash this thing. Then once we get in the money...I can start focusing on the Final Table, and hopefully...the win!

Now....back to this earlier table. Wow. First...this black guy comes to the table, sits next to me in the 7 seat. Wearing the gaudiest jewelry, a Kobe Laker's jersey, the sideways ball cap with the stickers still on it...carrying two phones, his iPod...and a white leather jacket with straps all over it wrapped around his waist...he would become the talk of the tourney. Oh...did I mention? He was drinking Belvedere...like it was his mission in life. He was being warned by every dealer that came to our table....for a gambit of violations. Talking in the hand. Talking on the phone. Taking too long. Swearing. You name it. The guy was actually pretty likeable. He told me he was a rapper and owned a record label. I don't doubt it...his jewelry had to be worth a ton.

Coming to this table later would be Mike Leah....then Chad "Lil Holdem" Batista....then Brandon Cantu...who is kind of a buddy of mine, and who I have NEVER had at my table in a tourney. Brandon had a shit load of chips when he arrived. In fact, it was ridiculous how many chips were being accumulated on our table. The average after Level 5 was like 31k. I had 36k and felt totally shortstacked. This black guy was making one silly ass, loose call after another...and hitting everything. At one point he had like 180k. I think the average stack on my table had to be about 85k. But I am incredibly patient. I don't get freaked out by the neighboring stacks. Well, we started calling this guy "Chingy" because...well, that just seemed to fit! I was actually calling him "Mr. Belvedere" also.

He would take a bunch of hits finally...and this was after guaranteeing everyone at the table that he was going to win the tourney. I wasn't sure he would make it out of Day 1. He wanted to be me $30,000, with NO ODDS...that he would win the tourney. Holy crap. If I could get my hands on that money...I would have jumped at that. Duh! Well, after the table broke, I was kind of keeping an eye on him. He had another thing he liked. Getting massages. If you couldn't find him...you just needed to look for the massage girl. OH! There he is!

Well, he was over there, about two tables away...doubling up one player after another...and at last glance, he was now slumming with only about 25 to 30k. Not good, Chingy...not good. Not sure where he ended up.

There are some good players in this event. And lots still left, with chips. Tomorrow we go back at 2pm. Should be a good day of poker. I really, really want to cash in a Main Event for the first time. And I would REALLY like to make a sizeable score towards the end of the year....it would be good for everyone, me (and my confidence) Squirrel (for peace of mind in dealing with me..and of course, Christmas presents and everything else) and my backer! Just let me have a day tomorrow like today, please! Hopefully, when they do the re-draw...I get a table with a bunch of crappy players and small stacks.  Yeah...that'll happen!!!!

Okay I think that is good, right? I am going to take a long hot bath, read some of my book, and hit the hay! Sorry bout the big delay!

MONKEY

2 comments:

AlBrian said...

I'd love to have the problem with missing a few games because of a swollen knee!

Good luck in day 2 and be sure to ask Cantu about his taser experience.

btw, did Chingy make it to day 2?

Poker Monkey said...

CHINGY did make it to DAY 2...but did not last very long.