The Poker Gods Have Smiled Down Upon Me

This year's $100 buy-in tournament went very well - at around 4AM I was declared the winner.

There were two tables and 11 people again this year, and I once again took a seat at the table set up outside. I still had my superstitions because of last year's tournament - especially since I started at the outside table then, too. I thought it was another bad omen when, as soon as we started to play, it started raining. Luckily we were underneath a nice big tent and it wasn't windy so we managed to stay dry.

I picked up a decent pot early on, then things went dry for awhile. Later on, I picked up poket Jacks on the button and was called by Dave, who ended up showing down pocket Aces - needless to say I lost quite a bit on that one.

I wasn't faring too well after that - I wouldn't exactly say I was on tilt, but I was definitely playing too many hands and chasing too many draws. One of the newcomers busted out early, then right before intermission, I knocked Dave out. I only remember it because I was small blind, he was big blind, and I know he knows I'll limp in a lot on the small blind if I can. He also knows I'll rarely raise unless I have a decent hand, so when I looked down at A-5s I limped in. He checked, and the flop came out A-3-8 rainbow. I checked and he went all in. I think he was hoping to pick up the pot right there because I showed a bit of weakenss with the limping in and checking, so I called. He showed a pair of threes and my aces held up.

After intermission we merged to one table - there were several very large stacks - I was somewhere at the bottom yet. Luckily I was able to pick up the first three pots because of good starting hands. But the blinds had gone up a pretty good amount and people were really starting to tighten up. I lost a pot or two, then I took it as an opportunity to use my very tight table image to get some chips back in my stack. My chips were getting very low relative to the blinds. I may have had 4 or 5 big blinds left. Luckily, next hand was A-Ko so I went all in. Everyone folded and I picked up the pot. I folded a couple more hands, but blinds were going up every 30 minutes and antes just started. I began raising much more. I raised with 8-9s and picked up another pot uncontested. My chip stack really started doing well when someone raised on the button - I called with K-Qs from the big blind. I ended up flopping two pair - my opponent turned over pocket aces - I really decimated his stack and shortly after he went out.

Unfortunately the blinds were still going up, and it was getting way more expensive to make mistakes. There was still one exceptionally tight player at the table and I wasn't going to risk the little I had left to double him up.

I would have ended up in fourth place, but our host was having a very bad night. He was getting pocket pair repeatedly through the night, and none of them were holding up. He was completely frazzled, on tilt, steaming - whatever terminology you'd use to describe it. And I still can't believe this happened. There were four of us left and I picked up K-Qo on the button. I went all-in, the small blind folded, and our host was in the big blind. I knew he was pained as he was looking at his cards, and after a little bit, he folded. The dealer played it out for shits and giggles and I would have ended up with a pair of queens. I did feel bad, though, so I told him I would have had queens. He nodded and didn't say anything. I came to find out later he folded pocket kings! Sweet mother of god, there is no way on this earth I could have done that, on tilt or not. He said his pocket pair were getting busted all night long, so he didn't want to risk busting out before the money spots. I felt kind of bad - I mean, ok - I went all in because it's what I had to do, but if I'm beat, then I'm beat. So yea, I really should have placed fourth, I guess, but hey that's poker.

I tried to keep up the aggressive pressure, and I was actually quite proud of my more aggressive play when it got to three-up. It's not my character to play aggressively, but like I said before - given I have a usually tight table image, it really worked for me, I guess.

By the time it got to heads-up, it was over. The first heads up hand I got K-9o and raised. My opponent had to go all-in to call. He did and my high card held up. Game over.

I felt great about winning, but I'm also starting to feel a little bad. I have been winning a lot lately and even though "that's poker", these people are friends and I don't want anyone to think I'm out for blood or anything. On Sunday Dave went looking for instructional poker DVDs. I personally think that's fucking hilarious given I was the one ridiculed for reading all the poker books.

Next tournament is on July 7 at the American Legion. There's a potential for a great payout there, so I'm hoping I'll still be in the good favor of the poker gods and I'll finish better than last time!