This is becoming my favorite game! I was on the fence about going last night, but finally decided to go. After dodging not one, not two, but count 'em three state police radar traps in the short 20 minute drive I arrived safely at the Tsunami Grill. After a warm up beer (my new favorite Old Chubb, a dark strong beer), we began play with 2 tables, 18 players. It was decided to pay 4 places, the advantage of no rake and no external management.
I chipped up pretty well by the final table but then went completely card dead. Think double down blackjack hands like 9/2, 7/3, 8/3, etc. and really bad blackjack hands (adding up to 13-16). The entire night probably had no more than 2 pairs. One kid was kind of annoying and lucky. He kept overplaying his hands and winning. I was looking to trap on the button with AK suited and him in the small blind. To my surprise he bet really big and with a similar stack I folded my AK face up. He turns up A/10 off. That is what I am talking about overplaying, but I chose not to flip at this point in the game as I put him on a middle sized pair. There would be other opportunities.
As I got shorter and shorter a mini-miracle happened. We were at 6 players when 2 short stacks went all-in and were called by a bigger stack who had QQ. The weak AJ suited and the other hand (random cards, just a small stack looking for a big pot) both fell and we escaped the bubble payment option with 4 remaining. The bluffy player to my right was relentlessly raising every blind of mine and I kept on folding. Finally, with only about 3 blinds left he was messing with his chips in the small blind and I said, "I am calling any bet of yours, you have been raising every one of my blinds". He min-raised, I called and the flop was 10 high on my 10/3 hand. I shoved when he bet into the flop. He turns over.....QQ!!!! Crap!!!!! Except look at the turn card, another 10. Nice. Except that there are now 3 diamonds on the board and he has (naturally) the queen of diamonds. River bricks, I double up. Whewwww.
It comes around to my big blind again, and he is now the short stack and shoves. I have K/9 suited and insta-call. He shows his 5/8. The flop has a king and he is now drawing officially dead. Player down in 4th place. We amiably shake hands and now play 3 handed. I get some great cards like AK twice and am now in 2nd place when this hand comes up. I have K/Q in the small blind, it is folded to me and I raise to 2400 with 400/800 blinds. The big blind, with 5800 total chips re-raises all-in. I call, he has A/10. I have about 3000 remaining when I flop a king but he rivers an ace. My next big blind the small blind limps, I check behind with 8/9 not having enough chips to move him off the hand. The flop is: 5/5/4 and he puts me all-in. I insta-call with my two over cards and he tables 6/7 for the open-ender which he hits on the river. Player down in 3rd place for $144.
If not for the river on the big pot I would have had 14,600 in chips out of a starting pool of 19,800 chips. Hmmm. That river cost me a probable first place. I had joked when we were at 4 players and me the short stack that we could 4 way chop but that it was my "final" offer. Had I won that pot there would have been regrets.
I chipped up pretty well by the final table but then went completely card dead. Think double down blackjack hands like 9/2, 7/3, 8/3, etc. and really bad blackjack hands (adding up to 13-16). The entire night probably had no more than 2 pairs. One kid was kind of annoying and lucky. He kept overplaying his hands and winning. I was looking to trap on the button with AK suited and him in the small blind. To my surprise he bet really big and with a similar stack I folded my AK face up. He turns up A/10 off. That is what I am talking about overplaying, but I chose not to flip at this point in the game as I put him on a middle sized pair. There would be other opportunities.
As I got shorter and shorter a mini-miracle happened. We were at 6 players when 2 short stacks went all-in and were called by a bigger stack who had QQ. The weak AJ suited and the other hand (random cards, just a small stack looking for a big pot) both fell and we escaped the bubble payment option with 4 remaining. The bluffy player to my right was relentlessly raising every blind of mine and I kept on folding. Finally, with only about 3 blinds left he was messing with his chips in the small blind and I said, "I am calling any bet of yours, you have been raising every one of my blinds". He min-raised, I called and the flop was 10 high on my 10/3 hand. I shoved when he bet into the flop. He turns over.....QQ!!!! Crap!!!!! Except look at the turn card, another 10. Nice. Except that there are now 3 diamonds on the board and he has (naturally) the queen of diamonds. River bricks, I double up. Whewwww.
It comes around to my big blind again, and he is now the short stack and shoves. I have K/9 suited and insta-call. He shows his 5/8. The flop has a king and he is now drawing officially dead. Player down in 4th place. We amiably shake hands and now play 3 handed. I get some great cards like AK twice and am now in 2nd place when this hand comes up. I have K/Q in the small blind, it is folded to me and I raise to 2400 with 400/800 blinds. The big blind, with 5800 total chips re-raises all-in. I call, he has A/10. I have about 3000 remaining when I flop a king but he rivers an ace. My next big blind the small blind limps, I check behind with 8/9 not having enough chips to move him off the hand. The flop is: 5/5/4 and he puts me all-in. I insta-call with my two over cards and he tables 6/7 for the open-ender which he hits on the river. Player down in 3rd place for $144.
If not for the river on the big pot I would have had 14,600 in chips out of a starting pool of 19,800 chips. Hmmm. That river cost me a probable first place. I had joked when we were at 4 players and me the short stack that we could 4 way chop but that it was my "final" offer. Had I won that pot there would have been regrets.
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