FRIDAY...and time to lock up a seat!

My question, obviously, is..."Will anyone show up for this $1600 Main Event?" I decided I didn't want to sit and take a bunch of shots at the Mega...not at $340 a pop. I mean, I would almost rather just buy in. Unless, of course...if I show up and there is like 40 players, in which case I would probably just say 'screw it' and close down shop for 2011.

The last two days has been pretty annoying. In the $350 on Wednesday, I was cruising all day long. Literally never was below 20 BB's once. We only had a turnout of 86 players. So when we got down to 18, paying 9...and I had 45k...I was feeling pretty good. I had a table with 3 good players, 4 complete donkeys, and 2 somewhere in between. And wouldn't you know...I would manage to find the ONE donkey to destroy my day. As would Kai...who was sitting at my table and went from 60k when I arrived at his table to 14k by dinner break when he couldn't get this fool to fold A2 to a preflop re-raise.

Well, at 600/1200...bozo, who incidentally has the last name of Stoner (appropriate) raises to 3500. I look down at AK in the SB...and I make it 10,500 to go. Now...In my tournament existence, I would say that when I make that play...there is almost ALWAYS (and by always I mean 99.9% of the time) one of two responses. They either fold, or they shove. But smooth call? Very rare. But this clown does just that...and that always creates a huge 'situation' post flop. Flop comes J-10-5. I have a gut shot and a back door flush draw...and 24k in the pot. I am not surrendering this one to the guy. If I check I know what he's going to do. I bet out 18k. He goes all in. And then says "You probably have me." Huh? Not likely fool. I can't fold....I'm getting a stupid price to fold. And when I see his AJoff I want to puke.

I, of course, didn't improve, and just like that was out 17th. And yeah, I did have a few choice words for him. I don't mind losing, and I certainly don't mind being outplayed. But losing like THAT...to one of THOSE? Just pisses me off. And to make it worse, there was no other tourney to play, no SNG's being played...and you just come away with that annoying feeling of just having driven 170 miles round trip, 3 hours, $40 in gas....and played 10 hours...just so you could go home -$350 and having lost to the idiot. Again. He told me 'I was putting you on a small pair!' Uh huh. Okay genius.

When I returned yesterday, I noticed he had made the final table. No shock there...since he only needed to fade 6 more players after I lost. Cameron Ainsworth also made it, and was easily the ONLY...and by only, I mean O-N-L-Y decent player at that final table. I walked up there to say hi to him...noticed he was about average in chips...and whispered in his ear:

"It is clear to see you are the best player at this final table...so much so that I fully expect you to be the 9th place finisher. Maybe 8th if you get lucky!"

Guess what? He finished 9th. Whoa. Didn't exactly mean to put the Kaibosh on him...but well, I did call my shot. Who finished 8th? Mr. Stoner. Who by the way was in violation of my policy that calls for all men who are at least 30 pounds over weight to stop tucking their shirt into their pants. Well in his case, he was sporting a polo shirt...and had it tucked into SWEAT pants! Sexy look. Nice! How does any woman say no to that? He looked about 8 or 9 months pregnant. Solid.

So how was yesterday going? Not so great. In my first purchase, I would pick up JJ...raise, get re-raised by Andrew Becker....convince myself he had AK...on a ten high flop, and go broke when he produced two aces. Whoops. Get up. Go rebuy. Play for awhile...run fairly good, had a pretty soft table...things were looking up. Then on a hand where 6 people limped for 800...I checked A7 in the big blind. The flop comes 4-2-7 and I check with the intention of check-raising. It checks to the button, and I figure the guy is just trying to take down the pot with a bet of 2700. So I ship all in for 12k and change. He almost folds...but calls, and rolls over two JJ's. Oh. Shit. Nice hand sir. Can't be upset with that one. Just have to leave.

So I was too late for the 5pm tourney...which was PLO anyway. But got into a SNG right about the same time the 6pm Mega was starting. I just wanted to finally say I've played a SNG on this trip. So I plunked down my $125 and tried to start a last longer. Yeah...you know, that thing that happens on about 576 of the 600 SNG's I play a year? Only problem? These guys were looking back at me like I had turned into a fucking frog. Ribbit? Three of them asked me to explain what a last longer means. Oh my gawd. I really have died and woken up in hell, haven't I? No one wanted to do it. Perfect. 

After watching a number of stupid plays...and the guy in the 6 seat continue to play chip suicide with his stack so he could either get lucky and chip up...or get busted and get to his seat in the 6pm Mega...I pick up 10-10 utg. I decide to limp with the intent to raise if someone does it for me. Oh it gets done. A guy makes it 150, gets two calls...and Mr. I Want To Run Over this SNG or Get the Fuck Out of Here makes it 450. I shove all in for 1500. The 3rd guy who called the 150...sits there doing this very weird squinting and blinking...and I start to wonder if its a human or a fucked up robot. I'm just waiting for him to fold...I mean...if he had such a great hand, would he have just flatted the 150? Oh wait. He calls! Weird. Mr. 450 also calls. He turns over AK. The other guy flips over AQ. You know that King is going to hit the flop. Of course it did. And I was out.

Off to the $340 Mega. Things started slow. Lost a lot, won a little and was down to 3500...then caught fire. My table was soft...and everything was working. Then the 27 players made it to 10...I was the chipleader...and it was paying 4 seats, with 5th getting $1100. Guess where I finished? TENTH! Yeah! I literally double up FOUR shortstacks...all but once having the best hand...then got it in with 99, running into 66 and having him flop a 6. And I was gone. Just like that. Holy crap. 

No sit n go's to play. No more tourneys. I decided to go try and recoup my losses in cash game. Things started very well. Bought in for $500 and had it up to about $1200...then a succession of bad rivers had me back down at $700. I floundered for awhile...then had a war-of-words with this small-handed elf-like moron sitting in the 2-seat who seemed all excited to be sitting next to 'Mr Monkey' and being able to rattle my cage. Only problem was, he was one of those tools who you couldn't really take seriously. But I had one semi-amazing 5-minute rant where buried him verbally, and had most of the table laughing pretty hard. I shoot. I score. Then put my headphones back on and returned to watching my new favorite show on NetFlix 'Friday Night Lights.' I am currently on episode 12 of Season 2...with plenty more still to go.

As for crybaby? I sat and watched him and his buddy, who I am pretty positive he was colluding with, both lose all of their chips. Why is it that the most pathetic of the pathetic losers seem to play cash game? Another reason I'm not so fond of cash game. I got up around 2:30...walked to my car and drove home again.

So...I am planning on doing something...but not today, because as I look at the clock, and realize that I slept in til 3pm today...I have to get ready and get over to NOLA for the Tournament of Champions freeroll, which is supposed to be awarding 6 seats into the Main Event tomorrow. It starts at 6pm. You only needed to make a final table with 70 or more players in the event....to qualify. And since I got 2nd the other day, I'm in. Interested to see how many actually show up. Hopefully 7! 

Oh but what am I doing? Yeah, sorry...I will be doing my COLLEGE BOWL predictions...picking every game. That coincides with my 15th Annual Bowl Pool...which starts tomorrow! We already have close to 100 players and always get a late rush near kickoff of the first game.

I reckon if I lost by 8pm in the TOC...I may have to play the 8pm $340 Mega. If I lose that...I might just have to skip this Main Event altogether. We'll see how it goes.

MONKEY