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Friday, September 16, 2016

MAIN EVENT STARTS TODAY

I've wanted to write numerous times. As most events typically are...this has been another one filled with episodes and characters more than worthy of my writing about. But with so much going on around me...and these start times (11am!) being such a handicap, football season, etc etc...I've been left with very little time for anything, let alone posting a blog. And on top of it all...I have played and advanced to EVERY dinner break and beyond this week...despite failing to cash EVERY single time. As some of you know, the event got off to a great start, well, sort of. I burned my first buy in for the $365 3-day event...but bagged up the 6th highest stack ($300,000) in my 2nd attempt. Ended up making the Final Table (out of 800 total players) but bowed out 8th when I played a hand about as bad as it could have possibly been played. I collected $5500 for that effort, which has basically been used for every failed attempt since Sunday. 

Last night was about the worst...even worse than BUBBLING the Omaha, BUBBLING the nightly (twice) and busting out 10 or less from the money in 11am tourneys THREE times this week! Last night...sitting slightly below average with 37k...blinds at 800/1600....this gal limped in, a gal who had been giving me fits, and who is most closely identified as a cross-hybrid of Krazy Kerri Simmons and Claudia 'The Claw' Crawford...in her demeanor, appearance, and style of play.  She limps in...and this guy...who people have been calling Jon Cena....yeah, he's gigantic, and quite muscular. He makes it 7800 to go. And as it folds around to me in the SB....I look down and see two aces. Holy cow! That moment we all fantasize about. So now I'm thinking...."Damn, how should I play this? Flat? And try to get them both in there? Raise to about 18k..and look ridiculously strong, and risk having them both fold and only winning a pot of about 10k that won't help me that much? I really need a double up. All of this took maybe 30-45 seconds...I shoved all in. Hoping it would look weak and allow him to put me on AK or JJ. She folded, and he took the bait....calling my all in. I was hoping to win and be sitting comfortably at 80+k...with the money only about 12 away.

As soon as I turned over my AA...he obnoxiously says "Oh! Of course...I knew you had AA...with your little act! Reward me dealer! Give me an queen!!!" I struggle to see what act he was referring to. I can only assume he just didn't understand the situation, or poker for that matter. At any rate, it was a little annoying. Even more annoying, was when the dealer plopped a fucking queen on the turn. He went berserk. I noticed that it gave  me a flush draw though...and as a 2 of diamonds hit the river, I felt vindicated...and was like (to myself)..."Ha! In your face, asshole!!!" But right then...the guy to my right hollers out "Wait! He has a full house!!!" Huh? Oh fuck. I look at the board, and sure enough...that deuce paired the board. I wanted to puke.

It was 7. I went back to the back table and tried to mellow out...but was clearly rattled by this one. Finally I painfully bought into the 7pm tourney. Had my aces hold up in THAT one...against JJ. Big whooop! But as they all seem to have gone this week, I would eventually get it all in versus AQ when we were getting close to the final table. Jack high flop looked good. But a ten on the turn and a king of the river punched me out. Then went to try the $250 Mega satellite.  The same dealer who knocked me out of the Nooner with my aces...then showed up and finished me off in the Mega as well. In her defense...I don't think I feel nearly as bad as she does. She's a nice gal, and a great dealer...she just really wrecked me yesterday. I hope I wasn't too hard on her. 

The Main starts today, in about 20 minutes. I just wanted to give you guys something...as I head in for this event. If I bag...great! Me and Squirrel and Carley are then going to drive up to Oxford for the big Bama game tomorrow. We will party in The Grove for the first time ever...and hopefully see our team end this two-year run of defeats to the Rebels. We will then come home after the game...and I will prepare for a Day 2 run in the Main. If I do NOT bag chips today? So be it. That will be the end of my Main Event...as I will not be playing in the 2nd flight. So yeah, today is big. I really want to see what I feel has been my exceptional play this week be rewarded by having my hands hold up like they were doing in the first event...and I make it back to the final table. I love winning. I hate losing. It's not about money anymore. I have plenty of that. There is no stress involved with poker. Not HAVING to win to survive. Now, it's just all about winning and losing. And like I said...I HATE LOSING! And really hate losing ugly. And this week has been ugly. Time to turn this shit around. 

And yeah...I have a LOT of funny stories from this week. Sorry I hadn't had time to share them all with you. Some of you caught some of them on my Facebook. Good luck to all of you playing today and tomorrow. Hope you stay out of my way!!!!!

MONKEY