Main Event...Back for Day 2 with 140k chips.

I'm telling you guys right now...I really do NOT feel like blogging today. My brain feels like mush...my raging heartburn is at it again for about the 9th day in a row, and I might not be capable of stringing together 5 coherent paragraphs. So please, be conservative with your expectations.

Okay, first of all, I wish to thank all of you for your tremendous support and feedback regarding the failed attempt by Kai and I to play the ladies event and raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. And for those of you wondering 'where are the pictures?' yes, yes...I hear your pleas, and Eric from Image Masters has quite a collection of photos of that. Along with many others. So when the event is over...and he sends me a bunch of them...I will post a lot of them on here.

Yesterday was Day 1 of the Main Event. I was very surprised and pleased with the turnout. 270 players teed it up. I had a very decent table. My buddy Don Norman was in seat 1. Chip Irvin was in 2. Adam West...a kid who final tabled the first event here was in 3. George Bronstein was in 4. Seat five would be occupied by several players...including BJ McBrayer, 1st event winner Aaron Brant but which started with Damjon, a.k.a 'The Crazy Serbian' or TCS for short. Doc Stukes was in the 6 seat. In the 7-hole was TJ Cloutier. I was in 8...and the guy in 9 immediately gave his whole stack to Chip with a preflop all in holding KK to Chip's AA.

Starting out with 40k should have ensured Chip a long day at our table...but he would end up being the 2nd player out. After that early double up, he kind of endured a shitstorm...but then got in a pretty big stack still with JJ against Doc's AA when it should have been obvious that JJ's were no good. I personally folded JJ twice yesterday preflop...once when a Jack hit the flop and I would have felted two players...but hey, you have to fold when you KNOW you are behind and its your whole stack on the line.

I've been very critical of TJ Cloutier in the past as most of you know, for a variety of reasons. One being that in the three tourneys I had played with him he had been very mean to me...as well as to other players. I just didn't think the man was deserving of any respect that I had to offer. Well, in fairness, TJ was actually very classy yesterday...and treated me with a lot of respect. If that is because of my recent run, I'm not sure. I do notice though...throughout the entire poker 'circle' that when I am running good its like night and day how the other players act towards me. I can't tell you how many more laydowns I am getting from other players right now after they say something like "Okay Monkey...I am only laying this down because its you." I like that.

So yeah...not that its probably the #1 thing on his bucket list of things to get done in this lifetime, but TJ earned quite a bit of respect from me yesterday. As a person.

The Crazy Serbian would hit me for a couple of suckouts in big pots. And I would hit him a couple times. We had a pretty solid table all day long. I managed to hover around the starting stack of 20k for most of the day. It was an extremely long day...one of those days where a lot of mental work was required, so at the end of the night I was pretty exhausted. It kind of sucks, but they have us coming back at noon today. Not sure why, since its a 3-day tourney and we only have 60 players left. With the blinds at 1500/3000 it's not going to take us very long to get down to the Final Table I wouldn't think...getting to the money should only take an hour or two I imagine.

1st place for this Main Event is $95k. Cashing 27th is good for $3200. Clearly not my goal here. My goal is to Final Table this thing...I'm not sure where I need to finish to lock up the 'Casino Champion' thing for IP...and lock up a seat into the National Freeroll...but I know that Aaron Brant has 77.5 pts. So I need at least 27.5. I got 40 for 6th in Chicago. So there is a chance that 8th place would get it done. But in reality, I am not going to be happy with anything but first place. Period.

I head back with 140k. You can click HERE for chip counts heading back to Day 2...as well as finding tournament live updates. Its on Poker News. They do a really nice job with their updates. I've got a couple good players on my table...and I am the chipleader at my table...which is nice. Dan Walsh is at my table.

Before my initial table broke yesterday, I got into a monster hand with this kid Adam West...no not the Mayor of Quahog on Family Guy...and no, not the actor who plays Batman. Just a 25 year old kid with lots of internet experience, not much live game time, and a ton of attitude. Him and Doc mixed it up several times...and he also had TJ on edge a few times. Well, he found the wrong time to get cocky with me.

I raised in early position with AK. He called from the SB. I had been on a bit of a nice run. Coming back from dinner break sitting on 25k...I found AA and KK, both times behind raisers...and picked up nice pots when both folded to my re-raises. I got it up to about 38k...then on a limped pot started by Don Norman...I checked the 500/1000 blinds in the BB with 66. The flop came 6-10-Q. I checked. Don bet out 5k. The 2nd guy called. I raised to 15k. Don folded, the other guy moved all in for another 2500. He turned over 10's. Shit. That hurt.

That same guy would later show me a bluff in a hand where the pot had gotten pretty big. He is now on my radar of people I most want to bust. Preferrably right near the bubble.

Well, I recovered from the set over set hand...getting my stack back up to around 60k. So when the flop came out A-4-5...and the kid checked to me, I bet 8500 into a 12,500 pot. He starts asking me 'how much you playin behind?' I have started to really hate that question. I think it started with that punk up in Chicago, who would ask this after EVERY DAMN person bet into him. Or was that in Atlantic City? I don't know, but I remember that kids face. I know that 90% of the time its just an angle shoot, to see how uneasy you are supposed to get at the question. But to me, its a joke.

I suppose another reason it irritates me is that due to my raging OCD and ADD....I always know almost exactly what every player has in their stack. I think you should always TRY to know, ballpark, where everyone is at with their chip count. It helps you to play better against them, as far as what you bet against them...how much value you give to their bets, etc.

So this kid...ugh...when he asks what I am playing behind, I just look down at my beautifully lined up chips, which I had been working on for some time now...and sighed, and just told him "A lot, okay?" To which TJ kind of snickered. He persisted. So finally...I started stacking the chips up and giving him an idea of what I had. Somewhere around 58k. And upon concluding with my counting he says..."Okay, I'm all in."

No way in hell I was giving him credit for anything better than AQ. Maybe AJ. No way he had two pair, or a set. I had no problem snap calling him. And he did, in fact turn over AQ. The ran out clean...and I just got up, asked the dealer to do the math for me...and went to the bathroom. When I got back they were still making the transfer so I missed nothing. That got me up to around 110k...and I was feeling damn good!

It wasn't long after that when they broke our table. The kid came over and attempted to make nice with me. And in fairness, we had gotten along all day. I just told him, as we were leaving our table...that I think he is a talented player...but that his cockiness is going to maybe work against him, especially against the older players. I told him to trust me...I knew from experience that acting cocky just makes people unnecessarily gun for you...and that isn't always a good thing. He took it well, and thanked me for the advice, and asked if we might sit down some time and talk some more. I was happy to oblige. Wished him luck and went to my new table. He would bust out shortly after moving.

My new table? Oh boy. Remember the Asian Sprinkler? From the Omaha tourney? Guess who was in the 5 seat with me in the 6 seat? You got it. And he had a ton of chips. In fact, there were a LOT of chips on the whole table...and now, suddenly my 105k didn't feel so good. And then...after sitting down I pick up QQ on the 3rd hand. Sprinkler limps in for 1600. I raise to 6000...knowing that this clown will call a lot of raises...I want to make this one sting. Well, then this lady just shoves 38k. WTF???

Doesn't re-raise...like a lot of 'good' players would do with AA or KK...just jams. Sprinkler folds. And I am left with a decision. Hmmm. Damn. That shove feels like either JJ or AK. And I don't want to see AK. I finally decide to call. And she has KK. Shit. The board runs out all rags...so I would have been good against AK. Now I was down to 70k. But I wasn't panicking. I would whack a guy with AQ vs. his AJ. Then I picked off a couple more players.

Then the guy on my left...who might be one of the worst players I have ever seen get this deep in a Main...donks off about 35k to me when he limps utg for the 100th time...and lets me see a free flop with 9c7c. I flop a flush draw and a gut shot...and lead out. He calls. I turn a Kh. And check. He checks, giving me a free river....5 of clubs. Zing! I bet out 10k. He calls. I win.

Now he is steaming...and suddenly becomes overly annoyed with me pecking away on my iTouch. Which...is me searching for music mostly. He asks the dealer to call the floor. He does. He tells the floor he is 'uncomfortable' with me typing on my device. That he wants me stop.

FLOOR: "Sir, if he is not in a hand...he is perfectly entitled to be surfing the internet or text messaging. And if he wants to make a phone call he has to step away from the table." And he left. I didn't say a word to the guy. What a crybaby.

The Sprinkler...this guy is a trip. Watched him build a pretty big pot then bluff the river all in....and show 3-6 off...which was total air. I guess he likes to gamble. I mean...I can't stand the guy...and his face freaks me out...he reminds me of those kamikaze pilots in WWII who know they are going off to die...don't care, and have that look of sheer determination on their face. But I have to hand it to him a little...he's pretty balsy. And I am guessing he didn't just build up that chip stack being a total donk. He is 2nd in chips coming back today. But I do know this; guys who play like him don't usually make it to the final table. Because its not in their repetoire to change gears. And when you are getting into big hands late in a tourney...the other guy almost ALWAYS has a top ten hand...and you aren't usually going to bluff that guy out of a hand with crazy moves.

Yeah I was happy to get the night over and get the hell away from that last table. It was full of mutants. To bag up 140k I felt pretty good. I head back today with a good seat draw....table 22, seat 5. Chipleader at my table. Couple players there I am pretty familiar with, Dan Walsh, Kevin Calenzo, and Bridget Fredericks.

It also felt good to go to Waffle House with my buddies Charlie 'Smoke' Oliver and Tim Hebert...before coming home to my anxiously awaiting dogs...and sleeping in my own bed with my wife by my side. So much better than being out on the road.

Guess that is it. Time to go get after it again.

Monkey