Eluded by the Ring once again....but I didn't get 'Erin Holt'ed' this time!

Nope...this time, it was Adam "The Rulebook" whatever his last name is...and as I was going to delete him from my Facebook just now I discovered he isnt even ON my Facebook. Good, no wonder! This makes about 3 or 4 ridiculously disgusting torture beats he has put on me this spring. Between him and Mark Cain...who had now zapped me from about 11 poker tourneys this MONTH....and got me again in the 7pm tourney last night...after getting me in the 4pm tourney...its almost getting comical!

Yah before I rush into that...I will just cut to the chase. I made the Final Table of the noon tourney yesterday. Don't get excited, only 30 people played in the $440. So making this final table was no grand accomplishment. When 4pm rolled around I decided to sign up for the $250 contest, 'just in case.' It never would prove to be necessary, so when I had a chance to go play a couple hands, I had Justin Jones, a guy I hold in high regard...quickly raise my BB...and thinking he was probably just stealing my blind..knowing I had to get back to the Final Table....when the guy on the button went all in for only 1100 (blinds were 100/200) and I looked down at KQ, I figured re-shoving might not be such a bad play. Whoops, J.J. turned over QUEEENS and the all in guy had AK. Whooooboy! Nice timing. Mark flops a one-outer Q.....I lose all but 700 of my chips, which left a few hands later when I shoved with A10 and lost to 58!

Then on dinner break I decide to buy into the 7pm tourney, since it was only $120 and was actually better attended, with 75 players. I never won a single hand in this tourney. Well, I only played 4 hands. And on the 4th, when the Final Table had concluded, I had only 750 chips left at 150/300 and got it in with AK....against 3-4..Mark Cain again....drops a 4 on my ass...and I was out of that one.

So...the nooner. I started out with a very good table. I, once again, had James Reed at my table...and his wife Nicole. If you all have been watching the coverage of the January final table from the Beau Rivage you will have seen these two. I also had Kenny Milam and a few other decent players including Ricky...'lil Ricky' as I call him...who I used to be on 'Battle Terms' with until we resolved things a year ago...after he called clock on me late in a tourney at the IP about three years ago.

Early in the tourney I was in the SB with A10 and just completed the blinds at 50/100. The flop came A-10-5. I checked. Ricky checked. Kenny bet 300. I smooth called. Ricky raised it another 500. Kenny called. Hmm...decision. Now...realistically I should have just raised it another 1000....and not really sure why I didn't, I guess because I was 99% sure that Ricky had A5 and would never fold there...mainly because he had been having a frustrating day so far and now only had another 4k in his stack. And him delaying told me he didnt have a set of 5's so after shoving all in instead of just raising...he tanked for literally 15 minutes. Then he pulls a move that the dealer regarded as an angle shoot move...grabbing his stack, lifting it...moving towards the center of the table with it...and says "Okay Monkey, here ya go...." looks at me some more...then slowly pulls them back. Hmmmmm......

Then the dealer calls the floor over and the floor tells him he is going to recieve a one-round penalty for his action but that it is NOT a call...but that he still has the option. He folds...and does in fact show the player next to him A5. Well Kenny Milam...who I simply am crazy about...makes a boneheaded call (which he fully admits to!) with A2 for about 2300 more and I do stack him off. I really should have played that hand better...but I didnt think Ricky would fold...so, whatever. I would get Ricky's chips in about 2 orbits anyway.

Erin Holt was dealing to us...and for the most part, Erin and I have been coexisting on the Planet Poker the last month or two without any major calamities. I have to give Erin credit...she has been handling all of my ribbing like a great sport. I think all you dealers know...I dish it out to you all when your crushing me and I am just messing with you. As the deliverers of the death and destruction, you are simply going to be my personal little whipping boys/girls. You KNOW that right!??? I made a deal with Erin a while back...Erin, like me...is a lover of animals, and wants badly to go to Vet School...but its very expensive. I told her...as a way to get her out of the box and not having to destroy me, that if I win a million bucks this year, I will put her through Vet School! Maybe that's why things have turned around between us lately!

She pushed in and started dealing me winning hands, one after the other. Then the big one hit. A fairly aggressive player, a kid who has been at my table a few times this week and is a nice kid, but kind of slow/dopey...not sure whats up there...maybe he's just one of those guys who talks real slow....I don't know....he raises to 700 from 100/200. Nicole, Jame's wife...calls the 700...and I look down at AA. Wheeeee. I raise it to 2200. The kid who raised has a stack bigger than mine, and I reallllly don't want to get caught up in a big pot with him and get sucked out on. As soon as I raised, Ricky jammed his stack in there....THANK GOD...that should guarantee that we play this hand heads up and not 4 handed. And I was right as the other two folded...the kid with 55 and Nicole with 33.

Here comes the flop....the first card I see in Erin's hand is a K and my stomach sinks...but then she slides all 3 and I see an Ace! Far out...I don't react, I just sit there....waiting for the other king...but it fails to show up. Erin's face glows. Ricky angrily storms off. I scoop a pot of about 6000 and was on my way. Thanks Erin!!!!!

A little while later I decide to try raising light with QhJh...to 1100 from 200/400. James Reed goes all in for 3100, and the BB goes all in for 1100. The big blind was a nice guy from Florida who played tight all day and just never could catch a break. I knew I was so behind...and wanted to fold...but there was just so much in the pot that a fold would have been stupid. I call. James has, predictably, KK...and the other guy had AQ. Two really nice hands. Jackson, the dealer just looked at me with that....'wow, Monkey.....this is gonna be a tough one.'

"okay...well, give me 8-9-10 of hearts Jackson!!!!" And we all laughed. Hell, I had resigned this one...telling them both 'nice hand.'

Then Jackson throws out a flop of J-J-4! No way...turn a 4 for the boat and a harmless 5 on the river, and I had two more punchouts. Now I was starting to get that feeling of invincibility that comes when you win tourneys...like you can never lose a race. Its awesome.

We get to the Final Table at 300/600 and I have an above average stack. Then I lose a big pot against this old guy to my right. This guy would end up being my nemesis, and eventually win the damn thing...through the biggest 'smoke and mirrors' act I have ever seen. He is the guy who never knows how much the blind is, how much he can bet after the flop...who's turn it is....always slowing down the action. You know who I'm talking about?

Yeah I raise to 2100 UTG with AJ....he calls in the BB...with 10-10. Okay. Fair enough. The flop comes 8 high and he bets 600. Yeah.....600 into a 4600 pot! Huh? I sheepishly call with my ace high. Then a Jack hits the turn. Thank you. He now bets 1200. What the hell is going on here? I should have raised huge there, but didn't...I just called, having no idea where he was but feeling a set maybe. So when the river was a 9...and he checked, I had to think I was good. I bet out 4500. He goes all in. What the hell!??? I fold. He shows the 10's...which, with the river...made him a straight. I kicked myself for about ten minutes.

Then he limps UTG for 600...for about the millionth time...and I fold QJ. The button calls, as do both blinds. So when the flop comes K-10-3 I cringe as they all check. The turn is an Ace and I want to throw up in my mouth. Old Man Clueless is sitting there with A4...the other guy on the button has A6....they end up getting into a betting war...one which, had I been in there with my QJ...would have probably felted one of them, and crippled the old man. But no...I stayed out of the hand. ANOTHER chance I would have had to erradicate that old coot!

We eventually get down to 5 players. Now mind you...this thing is only paying 3 spots, so yeah...it was kind of stressful. I get my huge double up with Kurt Dau in the box. Sitting in the BB with AQ...and this guy (the Camouflage Hat guy that I always worry about) limping on the button ONCE AGAIN....I just move all in on him...for a LOT....like...we're talking 71k. It was a stupid all in...but I never expected him to snap call...but he did, with 88...just like he did the other day in another tourney. I catch nothing on the flop. A 3 on the turn...and as he had me covered...by only about 2500...I was on my way out the door when Kurt saved my ass with an ace on the river...and made me a massive chipleader. I mean...MASSIVE...with over 150k in chips.

Well then something absolutely retarded happened. That guy only had ...oh it must have been about 3200 left...I pick up 79 on the button and decide to just let the SB take care of this guy. Blinds were 800/1600 so it was kind of a no brainer. And plus the SB had about 80k...so when he CALLED the blind....I never would have dreamed that he would fold when the guy went all in. But he did just that. I was just frozen. HUH? I mean...that was almost an illegal act! Who folds there? But he did. As it turns out...this guy is also just kind of clueless. He had spent the entire day listening to his BOSE headphones while reading the latest David Baldacci book...my new favorite author. When I asked him how he could fold there...he says..."I only had 2-6....I didn't want to double him up."

Okay...so then FOLD preflop.....once you limp in your in there! In fact, don't even look at your cards. Holy cow!

Well, now shorty just starts jamming every hand. He jammed in the SB...and won. Jammed on the button, and won. Thats it. He needs to be stopped. He jammed on my BB...and I called his ass, with J8c. He had K6...okay I'm live and suited. I whacked him with a flush. My stack was growing.

Once we were three handed my final table experience really began to show...I was just chipping away at these guys...and had the old guy down to only 24000. Then I get 10's on the button and raise him from 1500/3000 to 8500. He announces raise...I mean, we all know he only has one raise...but it took him an eternity to finally get his raise together...and he doesnt go all in. He raises another 10k. Yeah yeah....whatever, I'll put you all in. He calls and turns over 55. Cool....Dan Fouts is dealing....no kidding, his name is REALLY Dan Fouts. Flop..... A-2-5. Noooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!! Dammit! And I fail to hit a ten or go runner runner for a split pot straight. And this guy suddenly chips up to over 50k. OMG. No...don't do this to me.

Then...and this one REALLY sucks...the old man gets a GIFT of about 50k in chips...when music/book guy doesnt hear the dealer tell him the old man is all in on a queen high flop...and goes to make a bet, only it constitued a CALL of the guys all in. Oh wow...old man has AA. It holds. Now Book Boy is crippled and Old Man luckbox over there is getting dangerous...up to about 125k now...with me sitting on over 200k. A few hands later I raise the shortstack with A3. He goes all in for not much more and turns over A9. Hmmm...okay....

"Well, you are ahead, but I have a wheel draw. Okay Dan...make up for those fives and hit me!"

He does...he flops me a 3...and it holds, and I eliminate the other guy. Thanks Dan! So now we are down to heads up. All I need to do is avoid a suckout disaster against this guy...and I FINALLY pick up a ring! First place was $5800...2nd was $3100...but I really just wanted a victory, and a ring. The old guy wanted to chop it....and I'm 100% sure that I would have walked away with the ring...but dammit, that is NOT how I want to win my first ring. I want to WIN it. Not be handed it. Its not how I am wired!

I was killing him heads up...pretty much every time he limped in, I would let him...and then just outplay him after the flop. I never had to bet much to get him out...so it was a gradual process of whittling him away.

He limps in on me with A7. I check with A6. The flop comes A-8-5. He checks. I check. The turn in another ace. Nice! Now he sticks 1000 out there...even though the blinds are 2k/4k. Huh? This again...me and the dealer kind of snicker.

"It has to be 4000 sir." Ohhh...okay, 4 thousand then...."a value bet," he claims.

"Yeah? Okay, I raise to 12,000."

He goes all in....and in my head I am thinking...THIS IS IT...this is the win...my first ring....yeah baby yeah! I call!!!!  And I see his A7. Oh shit....can I get a 6, or an 8 or a 5 on the river please????  River? a SEVEN!!!!  Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Oh no....son of a bitch. I just stand there staring at Adam and his bald head....and this old guy....as my chips go sliding to the other side of the table. This is NOT happening! He now holds a massive chiplead over me. I am feeling sick to my stomach.

But I get it together...I slowly start to chip away at him again. I get from 7 to1 down to only 3 to 1 down....I am starting to regain hope.

Then it happens. He limps on the button for 4k again. I look down at AhKd. I raise, big...to like 20k. He fumbles around...and finally calls. CALLS? WTF? Okay...well, I pull a bold move and announce that I am all in, in the dark....and shove my stack...about 75k in the middle. Which looks genius when the flop comes 7 high...ALL HEARTS! I mean...could you ASK for a better flop? Then he CALLS! I am fearing nothing here...and turns over KJ.....with a Jack of hearts. Perfect! I mean....PERFECT! All he can hit here is a J...on of three cards in the deck. Thats IT! So what does Adam do? He puts the Jack of diamonds on the turn. And the 7 of spades on the river. I lose it. I say nothing, but I march to the bathroom and freak out. I can't remember being more completely sick.

Once again....a win that was right there....POOF....gone! I couldn't speak to anyone for half an hour or so. I go over to my remaining stack at the 7pm table and get 'Mark Cain'd' with the AK....then eventually go get my pay out. No, I didn't stiff the dealers. Although I might have if I had went to the payouts right away. But that would have been childish. I just have to suck it up and realize that shit happens. I should be happy with my 6th final table of this event...and the 3k I got for 2nd place, right? But...somehow, I wasn't.

I decide to go get some sushi at Tien. I walk in there at about 10pm...and they are still open. The sushi counter is open. I go to make my way there and get intercepted and cut off by a very sassy/rude hostess who obviously has fallen in love with the tiny amount of power afforded her by the management. "can I help you!??"  I would like to go eat at the sushi counter. "I can seat you!"  Um...can't I just walk over there and sit down? I mean...there are like 15 empty seats.  "Do you have a reservation? Can I have your name please?" What? Why? No! Can I just please go eat?  She finally lets me escape her. Jeezuz what the hell. I sit down, and they have these chairs that spin on their base...I have my hands on the base of the chair and go to spin around in my chair and my finger gets crushed. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know that feeling when you hit your finger with a hammer? Or slap your finger in the door? Imagine this feeling. I got up and quickly ran out of the restaurant, and horrible pain. I just sat there waiting for the pain to stop....she comes down there..."are you okay? Do you need ice?" No! I just need you to leave me the hell alone while I wait for the pain to stop.

I eventually go back in there...but as I try to look over the menu...and my finger continues to throb...I just couldn't find my appetite again...I just got up and walked out.

I went down to Chill and met "Bozz" and Jim Sterling for some drinks and conversation. It actually ended up being a pretty fun night...as one of the IP's cocktail waitresses was having a birthday party...and since I know most of those girls pretty well, we all had a fun night. A couple of the massage girls were there too, so it was a good time. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 1am...about the time Squirrel got off work, and I was anxious to get home to see her so I left.

I guess overall it was a good day. Another 'too long' blog and now it is 12:07 and I have got to get my ass back down there for the $550. How many will show up for this one? Could be scary. That three-team deal is at 7pm tonight. That could be fun...if I end up having to play it. Before I went to sleep last night, I jumped on Full Tilt...did the Rush Poker thing....playing PLO H/L...buying in for $40 and running it up to $180 before I logged off. I love that. Okay...thas all folks!!!

MONKEY