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Sunday, October 14, 2012

Sunday From Chicago

Event 1. 2,498 players. I finished 133rd. For $952. After logging 16 hours of play. That's $36 per hour. Not great. But that is the bane of playing tournament poker for a living. After I busted, Kai busted next....for a little bit more ($1500 I think) then Barth next for about $1700 maybe. With a 'pooled' 10% swap with all four of us...my only hope for a decent score was rooting for one of those two to make the final table. Didn't happen.

Yesterday started with a lot of promise. I came back sitting 26th out of 310 in chip count with 156,900. I liked my chances. I had the tourney chipleader at my table, in fact, on my right. And Clownboy...who would end up busting 15 or so from the money...two to my right. Action got going on the first hand...when a twerpy little fucker in the 5-seat, who made one curiously bizarre play after another (most that worked out) open shoved at 1200/2400 for 36k with JJ...and got called my the guy to my left with AK...and about 28k behind him. The jacks held. One down. 309 to go.

I picked up 77 and raised to 6000. It folded around to David 'Walnuts' Bianchi...a local, with quite a few tourney cashes. Another thing about him...he always has this derby on his head, while almost always sporting an Addidas track suit...and to top it off, a toothpick dangling from his mouth. His appearance, and accent when he talks, have always annoyed me. So he eyeballs me...tanks....I stare straight into his eyes, like I try always to do. Suddenly he shoves all in...for another 27k on top. Had I known how the next 4 hours were going to transpire, I would have SNAP-called his ass. But I was thinking more in terms of not clocking 20% of my chip stack right there...and finding a better spot...all while trying to sweat another 50 or so players until the money. ($745) I'm not going to lie...with backers, it is somewhat important that I at least focus on first making the money, also locking up Freeroll pts...and getting another WSOP circuit cash...which I am trying to add to and climb the ladder in pursuit of Doug 'Rico' Carli...who cashed AGAIN yesterday...to get to 62 circuit cashes, while mine took me to 27...and now 5th all-time. It's just kind of a fun thing to pursue.

Yeah...so this guy 'Walnuts'...after that hand...just kind of became a pest at the table. Was incessantly min-raising my blinds. And I'd call with fairly decent hands...and totally brick the flop. I was pretty card dead all day yesterday. The only time I really had a chance to 3-bet, I re-raised 'Twerpy' when he'd raised and I looked at AQ suited. He folded. Then he raised my BB and I woke up with AA. I think if I had been lower on chips (I was at about 115k at the time with blinds at 3000/6000) I would have just smooth called the raise to 26,000 and let him fatten the pot after the flop, gambling on not letting him flop gin on me. But...something told me to play it straight, and that possibly, after 3-betting him earlier in a similar spot, I might get him to spring a move on me and jam...forcing my action. Well, obviously that was the sceanario I was dreaming of. Didn't happen. I re-raised about 2.5 the amount of his raise...and he meekly folded. Dammit. 

I would go pretty card dead from there all the way till the money...and into the next couple of pay increases. I was now dropping in chips. I got down to about 90k...and here we went again. Twerpy raises that stupid min-plus raise again. And this time...as it had already happened between the two about four times, he got 3-bet by the guy who had taken the place of ClownBoy at the table. I look down at AK and think that I've finally caught them both. I jam all in over the top all in. NerdBoy snap calls. Oh fuck. The original re-raiser folded right away. He turns over KK. Shit. Well, at least it wasn't aces! And I did pick up a flush draw on the turn. But no ace, and no heart hit the river, and  I was gone. And not to pleased. But what could I do? It was the moment I'd been waiting all day for. And I just didn't win a race. Sucks...but that's poker. Had I won that hand? Well...who knows, but I'm quite certain I'd have probably at least doubled what we won.

So I busted at 5:30. The $150 Mega Satellite with $100 rebuys had started at 5...and had about 80 players. I figured I'd jump into that...and if it didn't go well, play the 7pm tourney...that would get over 300 players for the second night in a row. They only gave you 2000 chips, so it was tricky. I took a couple lousy beats, and had to rebuy once. Then...with me sitting on 10,000 chips or so....I raise with AJh...have a short stack shove with 44...and call...flopping two hearts...then missing everything on the turn and river. Five hands later, this lady shoves all in for 3400 (at 150/300) and I call in the BB with KK. She has A5h. You know the outcome. So after break arrived, I had 6500. Dammit. Kind of had to take the double add on for $200. So now I'm in for $550 to win a $1675 seat. 

I won't bore you with the details of a Mega Satellite. Just say that we were 4 from a seat...and I raised with 77...and a guy in the BB moves all in. I said 'call' and at the exact same moment...see a 5k chip on the bottom of his stack that I never knew was there. Between you and me? If I'd seen that, I think I would have folded there. Because what should have been a 9k call became a 14k call...which was gigantic in terms of my chip stack.I started the hand with 18k. But when I saw it, I kind of stopped and hesitated after saying 'call.' Called attention to the hidden chip...and then just proceeded with my action...not wanting to be that douchebag who goes for the angle shoot. I took my poison like a man. He turns over KK....ugh, and they hold. I was left with just TWO big blinds.

I shove all in with A6...and get called by AK...and by some act of Poker God...I flop a six, and it held...for a huge double up. Then after that...I just hung on long enough to lock up a seat. So I guess it was a decent day. I went downstairs and played two sngs, as I had the previous day...and once again...got knocked out in disgusting fashion. Limped with AA. This....oh I'm just going to be nice because I think he reads this....this guy...who the night before knocked me out of a $210 SNG also...when...holding A3 in the small blind in a five way raised pot...I flopped A-3-2 rainbow...and checked with the intention to raise. A bet. Him raising, me re-raising, and him shoving all in. I called and saw his AQ. The board ran out jack, jack....for a fucked up counterfeit beat. Well, last night, I limped for 25 with AA. He makes it 200. Nice. Nice 8x raise. I just call. Wouldn't have really mattered if I'd re-raised him to say 500. I'm sure he would have called. He had 10-10. The flop came 10-Q-K. It all got in. I lost. Ugh. Whatever. I'm 0-4 now in SNG's. Annoying. But nothing I can do about how they went down.

I then decided to play a little cash game and commiserate with the locals a little bit. Surprisingly, I didn't encounter too many super annoying players. That was pretty refreshing. And when I finally got around to cashing out about 5:30am, I did so with a $450 profit. So I suppose we can call Day 3 a good day...to go with a good Day 1, and a shitty Day 2. I've been sleeping on and off all day and trying to shake this cold that I picked up from this coughing, wheezing hag on the flight up here who never once covered her mouth. Knew I wasn't going to play the 1k at noon. I would have I think if I had won at least 2k or more yesterday. But instead, I am going to go play the $365 PLO tourney with $100 rebuys...and see if I can't repeat my final table performance from Bossier City. Plus, despite being a bad beat fest...I enjoy playing Omaha...it breaks up the monotony of all the hold em. 

I intend on going late. That is what I did in Bossier City and it worked out great.  If I go on time...I know its just going to end up costing me a shit ton of rebuys and will make me regret not playing the 1k. And there is nothing that happens in those first couple levels anyway that you can't make up in the course of one or two hands in Level 3 and/or 4. Its just that in those first few levels...everyone seems to want to play EVERY hand. And if you are in that pattern...in the game of Omaha...your chances of winning 60% or more of the hands you get into (which is what you NEED to win to stay even or ahead) are greatly reduced. Let me get in when there are only a max of 3 or 4 players going to every flop....my chances to win every hand increase dramatically. 

So...curious to know what happened to Clown Sandwich from Event 1? Well, first, it was funny when I showed up. He was ready and waiting...greeting me with all kinds of innuendos suggesting that he had read my updated post. Cool! Good to know I've added another loyal reader. I had fun with it. He, like I said...was an entertaining guy. I'm sure he's a fun kid to go hang out with...not the kind of guy I usually hang out with...but certainly not a dead stick. Well he would make a series of plays that would turn his starting stack of 130k into a smoldering pile of hard plastic and broken dreams. 

It started when he raised with QJ off from early position...then when a short stack shoved all in from the BB (with 8h9h) he snap called...for about 24k more. Yikes. He flopped a jack...but in a sign that his Golden Age of Rungood was coming to a screeching halt...the other guy runner runnered a straight. He moaned and groaned only a little bit. Next up...he raises UTG with 6c-8c. When it got back to Twerpy in the BB...the dork re-raises him quite a bit. Sandwich calls. And flops the word. A pair of sixes with a flush draw. Dorkzilla leads for a lot, ClownTard re-raises, and gets the nerd to shove all in...with QQ. Somehow, someway...our luckbox from Barnum and Bailey failed to improve. Now he was clearly tilting. A few hands later, he would open shove 52k, claiming to be 'short stacked now and having no other move.' He had 27 BB's. 

He shoves again....I look at my first card....ace. Drum roll please.......meh. Three. Shit. He got his comeuppance.  The way he'd been 'doing people' all day on Day 1...he got it back, with full payment. Twerpy raised on the button (with A8off). Instead of putting in a strong three-bet with AK...Clown decided instead to appear weak by shoving all in...granted, I guess hypothetically you WANT a call there with AK vs. A8. But whatever....the toolbag called...a horrible call by any stretch. And predictably, if you play this game even a little bit...Dorkface flopped an 8 and had it hold. That cued the long-overdue outburst from the kid.

"REALLLLY!!??? Ace eight? Seriously!?? Wow, man! How...HOW...do you make that CALL!??? Hey Monkey! What do you think about that call man!???"

me:  "Well, now I guess it really doesn't matter what I think of it, does it?"

I chose to take the high road...instead of saying something to the effect of: Hey Kettle...meet the Pot!

It's a funny game. He left pissed. I would be too. Busting that close to the money after sitting comfortably for 75% of the tourney is aggravating. But he really only had himself to blame, and if he figures out WHY...then he will learn and grow from it, and become a better player. But too many of these players now, they never learn from their mistakes...and they just keep coming back and playing with their same bad habits.  And they either get super lucky and get deep once in awhile, taking out several good players on their way to the promised land...or they do like this kid did, and flame out in the critical phases of the tourneys. Game. Set. Match.  Dorkface.

The staff up here has been great. The dealers have been doing a fantastic job. The food 'court' has a MUCH better setup this year than the past three years. They still charge for drinks (all drinks, even beverages!) in the tourney area...but that's a Horseshoe Hammond deal, has nothing to do with the WSOP. Still sucks though. As we play in their concert venue here...the in-house people see fit to charge us concert prices. I guess the good thing about it is it dissuades me from getting to drunk while I'm here! I know the Squirrel likes that! The temperature is always a very balanced 70 degrees. Very comfortable, and a nice change from the Igloo vs. Firepit that was Bossier City's TentLand. Fuck that shit...never again, never again. They also have magnificently huge screens with which to watch the MLB playoffs and football on. I love playing up here. I will love it a lot more if I head home next week with a ring or two, and a bunch of effing money! Work has SUCKKKKED for Squirrel and nothing would make me happier than making a mystery deposit into her account and easing her stress.

Well, that's probably enough for today. Kai showed up yesterday in his Lord Puddingsworth get up...and yes, I have pictures. And video. But its going to take me some doing to get it uploaded from my video camera to my computer...so give me a couple days to 'monkey' with that. But you won't be disappointed. It was HILARIOUS. And somewhere around Level 4 on the day...a member of security approached him and called him away from the table...and asked if he was wearing a disguise. He admitted he was. They forced him to get OUT of his disguise. I'm not sure why. I mean...as far as I know...you aren't allowed to conceal your face...as far as the casino's concerns go. He wasn't. He just had this jacked up teeth, a wig, and his usual stupid sunglasses. It was great. Almost no one knew it was him. It was the highlight of my day, for sure. Fucking Kai....he's got issues man...but it's those issues that make him my buddy. Love his idiocy!!!

Lord Puddingsworth, after his morning jog around the neighborhood!

Alright..it's 5:04 now. Time to get showered...and get over there. I plan on getting there about the middle of Level 2. Hope you all had a nice weekend!

MONKEY

5 comments:

joshua said...

this is clownboy reporting I raised under the gun with 6 ,8 suited flopped the world open ender and a flush,draw and,turn a pair 22,outs going to the river,and yes I should have,3 bet with ak but didnt wanna gamble with nerd boy hitting a flop a 3rd of his stack with a8 off I have,seen bad plays but this by far the worse I seen I am very happy on how I played and dont regret any move I made I hit my flush or straight I am one of the chip leaders and got chips to make moves unfortantely I just ran really bad in day 2 I wasnt trying to make the money I was trying to win the tourney monkey but it was,fun playing with u buddy good luck see u in the main buddy or monk

Anonymous said...

haha...I played with that dude in the costume for an orbit before our table broke. He looked like a super creepy hipster. It's was like I didn't want to take my eyes off of him because I didn't know if he would try to kill me, steal my wallet, or stench me to death. WP on the costume-

clownboy said...

Hey monkey do u think I have potential to be a regular on the circuit and ship a tourney in the future

Poker Monkey said...

Clownboy: I thank you for having fun with this. You are, like I said, a very likeable guy. Very entertaining. I think you could possibly be decent. But you bring too much cash game craziness to your tournament game. If you could use that to build a big stack...then shift gears into being a smart, calculating tourney player when every play you make is magnified? Then yeah...sure...you could be a good tourney player. I'm not sure though that you have the patience to make that transformation! :) Best of luck to you Josh!

Poker Monkey said...

TO the guy who played with Lord Puddingsworth!
Yeah...Kai is a piece of work! I knew this was going to be hilarious...so I was recording him with my video camera as he took his seat at the table and was enjoying the looks on everyone's faces when he settled in. It was too bad Charlie Cirisi (Tourney Director) had to play dictator/buzz killian and call security on him and make him change out of his 'disguise' as security called it. I just wonder when it became illegal to have a little fucking fun in poker!??