Wednesday, November 23, 2016
America's cardroom pre-Thanksgiving game
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Pendleton Redux
Pendleton has been a total disaster to me in the past. I have written previously about the bad beats taken in the many tournaments over the years. I have jokingly called my entry fee a $230 buffet, one that I often would eat after the active players had gone through. So, while not overly excited to try it again, it would be nice to reconnect with Pasco friends and hey, a bad day at poker is lots better than a good day doing most other things.
Monday Day One
The long drive to Tri-Cities. First stop is to see my old friend, Bob Pischel. We enjoy a visit and catch up on each others lives. He is getting very frail and failing on many levels but maintains his intellect, humor, and sweet disposition. We should all be so lucky to hit our 90's like him. I drive out to my friend Ron's house and find his hidden key. Making myself comfortable I watch some t.v., surf the web and wait for Ron. He never shows up before I go to bed at midnight.
Tuesday Day Two
Ron and I catch up on things in the morning, I stop to say bye to Bob, then play in the morning Crazy Moose tournament. I play poorly and unluckily getting knocked out before the final table so head to Pendleton. It was good to see the "usual suspects" but the super turbo 10 min. blind tournament is basically just gambling. I arrive in Pendleton, check into the hotel and head down to the poker tournament. The horse tourney is in full swing so I sign up for the 4/8 omaha table. A tri-cities dealer is in the game and also Larry, a Cannon Beach friend. Later, another tri-cities player joins it. Omaha is a streaky game and it does not go well for me.....at first. After 3 100 buy-ins I catch fire and sometime after midnight cash out for $625. A fine day of poker, and a long one.
Wednesday Day Three
A short night of sleep, maybe 6 hours and I wander down to the poker room. I sign up for a $43 sit and go single table tournament. Running good, I win one of the two prizes, $200 in vouchers for any tournament. Since I had already bought in for the noon Seniors Tournament, sold the vouchers to a guy standing in line. I am now freerolling the big tournament.
The seniors does not start off well for me. I fail to connect on a couple of big draws, lose 1/2 my chips to a stubborn lady who cannot find a fold with top pair against my middle pair missed straight draw on a paired, three suited card board. I get knocked out right before the first break, but decide to re-enter. I really was not playing that badly, just not getting any luck. My re-buy turns into a good decision as I make the money in 20th place (out of 324 entries), cashing for my first time in Pendeleton for $500. Had a lot of ups and downs, doubling up several times, and doubling others up a few times as well. Some memorable hands:
1. I called an older guy's button raise from the big blind with A/7. He was tight aggressive and wore a "final table" Wildhorse hat. The flop was mostly rags with a 2, and his small bet on the flop got called by me. He checked on the turn when another 2 came, I bet and he called. An ace on the river got all his chips in. He had quad 2's.
2. Same table, second break. I am always looking for steals here, either mine or others. Folks are anxious to hit the restrooms (specially us seniors) so when someone bets, people usually fold quickly. A lady on the button raises my big blind fairly large (she has the bigger stack). Everyone else has left the table. I see a weak ace and decide to defend. The flop comes A/A/x and I decide to shove. She snap calls with...rut row.....K/K !!!! The turn seals the deal for me with another ace...QUADS!!! and I get a much needed double up. There is a giant guy at our table who has been knocking player after player out. They break our table and we both head to the same table. He will continue chipping up there as well.
3. I double up a few times, lose some chips at the new table. I get all in several times with AK, JJ, and have a very presentable stack. My final hand when down to 20 players was at the 8000/16000 blind level, 2000 antes. With around 80K in chips was just looking for a spot to shove. It is folded around to my button and I find J/10 unsuited. The player to my immediate left is a medium stack and the big blind is chip leader. He has shown himself to be a very loose aggressive player, raising with crap and calling with crap. However, he has been observant and respectful of my play and even folded an ace earlier against my re-raise shove...I showed my ace, but not my 3, when he commented that I had him outkicked...he must have had a 2. LOL!!! So, anyway, I was surprised that the small blind flat called me, leaving him open to a 3 bet from the big blind. Despite the size of the pot, around 190K with 24 already invested, and "only" $50K to call (almost 4/1 on his money), he folded pocket 4's. The small blind turns over A/2 suited!!!! WTF????? Would he have folded if unsuited? Anyway, not needing help he hits an ace on the flop. Player down. Had I folded, there was a 4 on the river and I could imagine a scenario where he would have been eliminated before me. My key question is always, "If I had it to do over again would I play it the same?". And yes, I would.
So, cashing for $500 and heading for bed I again could not sleep. 5 hours later I am up and later join a Seattle friend for breakfast in downtown Pendleton. Exhausted by two back to back 12 hour poker days I am on the road home by 11:00, finally believing I may have broken the Pendleton curse.
Monday Day One
The long drive to Tri-Cities. First stop is to see my old friend, Bob Pischel. We enjoy a visit and catch up on each others lives. He is getting very frail and failing on many levels but maintains his intellect, humor, and sweet disposition. We should all be so lucky to hit our 90's like him. I drive out to my friend Ron's house and find his hidden key. Making myself comfortable I watch some t.v., surf the web and wait for Ron. He never shows up before I go to bed at midnight.
Tuesday Day Two
Ron and I catch up on things in the morning, I stop to say bye to Bob, then play in the morning Crazy Moose tournament. I play poorly and unluckily getting knocked out before the final table so head to Pendleton. It was good to see the "usual suspects" but the super turbo 10 min. blind tournament is basically just gambling. I arrive in Pendleton, check into the hotel and head down to the poker tournament. The horse tourney is in full swing so I sign up for the 4/8 omaha table. A tri-cities dealer is in the game and also Larry, a Cannon Beach friend. Later, another tri-cities player joins it. Omaha is a streaky game and it does not go well for me.....at first. After 3 100 buy-ins I catch fire and sometime after midnight cash out for $625. A fine day of poker, and a long one.
Wednesday Day Three
A short night of sleep, maybe 6 hours and I wander down to the poker room. I sign up for a $43 sit and go single table tournament. Running good, I win one of the two prizes, $200 in vouchers for any tournament. Since I had already bought in for the noon Seniors Tournament, sold the vouchers to a guy standing in line. I am now freerolling the big tournament.
The seniors does not start off well for me. I fail to connect on a couple of big draws, lose 1/2 my chips to a stubborn lady who cannot find a fold with top pair against my middle pair missed straight draw on a paired, three suited card board. I get knocked out right before the first break, but decide to re-enter. I really was not playing that badly, just not getting any luck. My re-buy turns into a good decision as I make the money in 20th place (out of 324 entries), cashing for my first time in Pendeleton for $500. Had a lot of ups and downs, doubling up several times, and doubling others up a few times as well. Some memorable hands:
1. I called an older guy's button raise from the big blind with A/7. He was tight aggressive and wore a "final table" Wildhorse hat. The flop was mostly rags with a 2, and his small bet on the flop got called by me. He checked on the turn when another 2 came, I bet and he called. An ace on the river got all his chips in. He had quad 2's.
2. Same table, second break. I am always looking for steals here, either mine or others. Folks are anxious to hit the restrooms (specially us seniors) so when someone bets, people usually fold quickly. A lady on the button raises my big blind fairly large (she has the bigger stack). Everyone else has left the table. I see a weak ace and decide to defend. The flop comes A/A/x and I decide to shove. She snap calls with...rut row.....K/K !!!! The turn seals the deal for me with another ace...QUADS!!! and I get a much needed double up. There is a giant guy at our table who has been knocking player after player out. They break our table and we both head to the same table. He will continue chipping up there as well.
3. I double up a few times, lose some chips at the new table. I get all in several times with AK, JJ, and have a very presentable stack. My final hand when down to 20 players was at the 8000/16000 blind level, 2000 antes. With around 80K in chips was just looking for a spot to shove. It is folded around to my button and I find J/10 unsuited. The player to my immediate left is a medium stack and the big blind is chip leader. He has shown himself to be a very loose aggressive player, raising with crap and calling with crap. However, he has been observant and respectful of my play and even folded an ace earlier against my re-raise shove...I showed my ace, but not my 3, when he commented that I had him outkicked...he must have had a 2. LOL!!! So, anyway, I was surprised that the small blind flat called me, leaving him open to a 3 bet from the big blind. Despite the size of the pot, around 190K with 24 already invested, and "only" $50K to call (almost 4/1 on his money), he folded pocket 4's. The small blind turns over A/2 suited!!!! WTF????? Would he have folded if unsuited? Anyway, not needing help he hits an ace on the flop. Player down. Had I folded, there was a 4 on the river and I could imagine a scenario where he would have been eliminated before me. My key question is always, "If I had it to do over again would I play it the same?". And yes, I would.
So, cashing for $500 and heading for bed I again could not sleep. 5 hours later I am up and later join a Seattle friend for breakfast in downtown Pendleton. Exhausted by two back to back 12 hour poker days I am on the road home by 11:00, finally believing I may have broken the Pendleton curse.
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