Nobody Believes Me

I know nobody likes to read blogs full of poker rants, but nobody reads this blog, so awaaaaaay we go!

Background- I was chipleader with seven to go in tonight's bounty tournament at the lounge, and the only hand I had played to this point at the final table was a limp of pocket deuces which became flopped quads...let the beatings commence.

- blinds were 300/600, I raised to 1800 with 8h-7h...it's folded to the big blind (let's call him Villain #1), who thought for a bit, said "Oh well," and went all in for 1700 more. I grudgingly called, and he showed T-9 offsuit? This was someone I thought to be a good player (at least from what he's told me in the past), but I guess he's never heard of such phrases as hand ranges and zero fold equity. The board blanked out, and his ten was good. "I thought you were trying to bully me...I thought you had suited connectors or a small pair." Yeah, I'm targeting the big blind from UTG, and there's no way I could have any ace, king, queen, jack, or pair nines and higher...UGH.

- next hand, everyone limped to the small blind, and Villain #1 folded, which totally tilted me...willing to get it all in pre-flop with T-9 knowing I'll call him 100% of the time, and now with double the amount of chips he folds the small blind getting a bazillion-to-one odds? I knocked the table from the big blind with 9-2. Flop was 9-7-4 rainbow, I led out for 1000, and Villain #2 pushed all in for 1900 more. I had seen this kid raise and call down bets earlier toinght with second & third pair, so I'm either way ahead or outkicked and way behind. I called, he showed K-9, and the board blanked out.

- down to 3200 from over 10 grand a few minutes ago...still at the 300/600 level, I peered down at Ad on the button and shoved, pretending to look at the other card (5h) but not really...big blind (AKA Villain #3) said, "I don't have anything, but I'm going to call." He flipped over Q-8 (might've been sooooooted, don't remember), and guttered a straight on the turn. I had him outchipped, so that left me with 800...I tortured myself by folding until the 800 big blind came around, with my J-5 going down in flames to Villain #1's J-6 small blind special. I walked away from the table, and VN1 grunted, "You owe me your bounty." If I could've just checked my blood pressure at that exact moment...

- I moved over to the three-handed cash game & bought in for my last $35 (max is $40)...more pain please! $1-1 blinds, I raised to $4 UTG with Ad-2d, dealer folded, both blinds called. We all checked the Qx-Qs-6s flop. Turn was 7x, checked to me, I bet $6, called by big blind. River brought a third small spade, checked to me, I bet $10. Villain Numero Quatro looked into my soul for about 10 seconds and made the call on a paired, suited board with A-T.

Double you. Tee. Effffff.

I've Been a Baaad Blogger

...especially since I hung out a bit with Dr Pauly & AlCan'tHang and haven't blogged a word about it.

Jen & I drove down to AC on a Thursday in late-September for a few days of gambooooling. We were supposed to meet up with friends Scott & Jamison from DC, but they weren't able to make it. Made good time driving through New York & Jersey since most schmucks were still at work, and rolled into the near-empty valet area at Borgata as the final table for the World Poker Tour at was running...knowing that Pauly & Al were covering the event, I had to track them down.

I snooped around the ballroom area until I saw some Borgata employees head into the darkened Salon D...there were no posters or signs advertising the WPT final table, but I followed the help inside. Sure enough, there was the WPT set...bleacher seating, monitors, flat-screens, and a poker table complete with a dealer, two players, and a mountain of cash. I didn't recognize either player, but here's the winner of a cool $1.4 million. He had a big chiplead and cracked AQ with AJ on the final hand. Yep, suckouts happen live, too.

I eventually found Al in the makeshift WPT lounge/bar (big shock), and later met up with him and Pauly in the B Bar for a few rounds. Even though there were a bunch of more important WPT/Borgata muckety-mucks in the group, Pauly & Al still were kind enough to chat with me between their schmoozings.

Genuinely friendly dudes.