Friday, January 10, 2014

Arizona Tournament

I played today for the first time since arriving in Arizona.  The 11:15 Talking Stick Casino (Casino Arizona) was a $70 buy-in, plus $10 fee.  In addition, there was a $10 "dealer appreciation" option to double your starting chips (from 2500 to 5000).  Duh, guess I will do that.  In addition there was an "add-on" option before the first break (1 hr./3rd blind level of 20 min. each) for another $20 to get 2,000 more in chips.  You could also re-enter if knocked out during the first 40 minutes for full buy-in.  We ended up with 144 entries and re-entries with 15 places being paid.

I enjoyed my usual card dead tournament, with only 5 pairs dealt to me, the largest being 7/7.  I got 2/2 twice and 4/4 twice.  Big cards?  AQ twice....shoved with both as a short stack and no callers....I had been playing squeeky tight as most of my hands were 5 high or big/little combinations.  Saw only a couple of hands that I would have won with any of them if played to the river.....with A/4 suited the best missed opportunity but folded pre-flop to a raise and re-raise all-in.  That one flopped two pair and turned a full house.

My 7/7 got me tripled up from my 2 big blinds, woo-hoo!, but still in deperate shape I finally called with my remaining chips a raise from AQ with my 2/2.  I hit a set on the river, but he turned the nut flush.  Insult to injury.  My final place was 41st, something of a miracle in itself but I was never much over starting chip stack.  I did outlast my friend, Don, who got booted a couple of hours earlier. Don is a great tournament player so for now I get bragging rights.  We will probably play a couple more tournaments together while I am in town.

After losing in the tournament I sat down at my old friend, 3/6 limit, and lost about $35...most of it on the last hand when I turned two pair and was counterfeited on the river.  A seat opened up in the 4/8 omaha game where I lost the remainder of my $100 buy-in from the other game.....all of it on my last two hands.  It is a great poker room, saw some really big games in progress.  How about a 50/100 game for you?  Several people had $10,000 stacks.  That is like 4 racks of $25 chips.  Monster games like that all over.  Also, I think they were playing a mix game, you know, a round of stud, then holdem, omaha, etc.  Yowsa!


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