A night at the "V"

Saturday afternoon, my buddy the M4NT1S called me and asked if I was going to play any poker tonight. I had not planned on heading out to the casino, but when he told me tonight was the $40 freeze out donkament, I was compelled to go. My tournament game has been running well as of late so I wanted to see if I could make a final table as well as dabble in some 1/2 NL action.


So me and the wife and the mother-in-law head out to Viejas, one of the local casinos out here in San Diego. We got there early and I decided to play some 1/2 NL while I waited for my tourney to start. Bad idea.

My cash game play is VERY weak, and I know the only way to get better is to keep playing. So I bought in for the max, which is only $60 at the 1/2 tables. After taking down a few no brainer pots I look at the time and its about 6:10. My tourney starts at 6:15. I figure I will wait until the blinds get to me which is only a couple hands away.

I folded until I was UTG with JcJh and raised it to $5. We were 4 ways to the flop: 6h 4d 8h. I bet out $20 and only the OTB called me after tanking a bit. Turn: 2d. I was trying to figure out what he called the flop with and just guessed that he was either on a flush draw or maybe a straight draw. So I moved all in for my remaining $50ish and he tanked again for a bit, muttering possible hands I could have and finally made the call. River: Kc. He looked at me and I said Jacks. He flipped over 6c8c for the winning 2 pair. Doh!

So after getting felted, I got up and took my seat in the tourney; which literally began the second I sat down. I played my usual tight aggressive style and picked up a few pots here and there. A few levels into the tourney, I realized I was not accumulating chips fast enough to keep up with the blinds so I decided that if I picked up a decent starting hand like AK or AQ, I would ship it all in and see what would happen.

I was in the BB and was looking at a MP limper, OTB limper, and the SB completed. I looked down and saw AQo. I then announced all in and slid my seat card and all my chips forward. The MP immediately called and OTB insta-called as well. The SB folded but I felt I was WAY behind since they called so quickly. The MP tabled a slow played KK, and OTB had QJ. Well, I couldn't of asked for better in this case i guess. At least no one had a bigger Ace than me, or any Aces for that matter. The dealer then dealt the flop: A x x. Turn: x River: x. Woo-Hoo!! Triple up baby.

I pretty much went card dead after that and had to fold some marginal hands due to the action pre-flop. I folded 99 UTG at one point because I didn't want to raise and have to fold to someone moving all in on me. After I folded the 99, there was a 3 way all in and guess what... my 99 would have made me the winning straight. I also folded JJ from the BB with 2 all ins before me. If I had called, I also would have made the winning straight. I knew my patience would pay off sooner or later.

Another notable hand was when I limped in from MP with TT and the BB raised it about 3BBs (I don't remember what the blinds were at this point). I reluctantly called with my marignal pair and the Flop came: 8 3 A. He checked and I instantly announced all-in. He looked disgusted and started to stir in his seat. My heart was beating nervously but I knew he didn't have an Ace when he checked the flop and didn't insta-call my shove. He folded QQ face up mumbling something about how I out flopped him. I breathed a sigh of relief, mucking my hand face down. Whew!

When we were down to 3 tables, a hyper-aggro player sat down and looked absolutely ridiculous (he did have a monster stack though). He was wearing a powder blue Chargers beanie, yellow ski goggles, and these huge black work out gloves that covered his entire hand up to his wrists but his finger tips were exposed. It was classic. He busted a few players but also spewed a lot of chips making crazy plays and trying to push players off their hands.

I told myself to be patient and patience paid off when I found myself with two red Aces in MP with the Hyper-Aggro Clown in the BB. I think the blinds were 1500/3000 and I raised to 16k. It folded around to the HAC and he moved all in on me; he had me covered by about 20k. It then folded back to me and I called of course. He tabled As8s and looked disgusted with his shove when he discovered he was WAY behind. I doubled on that hand and later busted him when I woke up with JJ in MP with blinds at 2500/5000. I raised to 25k and it folded to the HAC in the BB and he shoved on me with JTo. He basically got up and walked away before the dealer even dealt the flop knowing there was an extremely slim chance of him winning. He did flop a Ten but that was about it.

I then went card dead once again and slowly bled my decently sized chip stack away as I could not make any calls to short stack all-ins from the the BB. It got to the point where we were on the bubble and I found myself all in by default when I became the BB. It folded around to the SB who completed of course. I flipped over my measely 23o vs his 68o. But it IS Christmas time. The time of miracles. The flop: T 5 5. Turn: A. River: A. Woo-Hoo! A chopped pot, I was still alive. And the very next hand I woke up with AKo which held against the BB and another all-in and tripled me up. That popped the bubble and my super short stack was enough to get me an even chop for $359.