And once again, dear friends, we find ourselves gathered
'round the virtual felt for another WWdN Invitational.Sadly, Joanne is out doing some shopping or whatever the hell it is they do up in Canada on Tuesday nights, so the unofficial and undeclared last-longer will be more of a duel between me and Derek.
I've been looking forward to this game since I left Las Vegas after the WPBT, because now I really know many of the people I'll get to play with, and I can honestly say that taking their money is that much sweeter now.
4:00 PM (All times Pacific) - 68 players, so first place is worth $210, puls an entry into the WWdN: Tournament of Champions. I get a trash hand UTG to start, so no open for me. It's walked to Heather, who raises Daddy's blind for Victory!
4:01 PM - I just won my first pot. w00t!
4:06 PM - I'm seat 5 at table 8, with position on Heather and Daddy.
4:09 PM - The Infamous GameCock is the first to go out, and we are down to 69 players. All further updates will be in extended.
4:12 PM - I just got a walk in the BB! Sweet! On the next hand I spew half my stack to heather with AJ vs AK. Fuck.
4:14 PM - We just had a HAMMER sighting on table one.
4:20 PM - Heather just got it all in with AKs vs redtrek5's AQo. A queen on the flop and another on the turn doubled up redtrek5. I'm pretty sure redtrek5 got chips that were mostly mine.
4:22 PM - My stupid AJ play (Hello?! Gap Concept, anyone?! IDIOT!) took away so many of my chips, I couldn't re-raise with the HAMMER just now. I think I'm more steamed about that than I am the pathetic size of my stack.
4:25 PM - Man, I am so on tilt now it's not even funny. I'm only playing real hands now.
4:29 PM - I tried a semi-steal from the button with K5, and got a call from Jazzbassist the BB. The flop came K-J-9. He bet into me, and like a dipshit, I figured he had the bigger King, so I let it go. He showed 74d. I'm 4% away from TILT of Hellmuthian magnitude.
4:32 PM - Daddy just went out when his Ace-high flush ran into Tinuvial's straight flush. Ouch.
4:33 PM - It's amazing how simple, basic things like "don't try to steal from the chipleader" are forgotten when you're steaming. I am the worst player in the world. It's official.
4:34 PM - Dear Dealer, K7o is fine when I have lots of chips to play with, but I have a teeny tiny stack. Please give me something else. KTHXBYE.
4:35 PM - After a raise, I'm all-in with AKo. Darzog thinks about it for a long time, and is currently in the tank. It's stupid to risk my whole stack for what could just be 375 if I win, but if I raise 3x and have to get away from it, I'm left with nothing to really use. Harrington says that I should fold it, or push there, and since I have to get something going, I went for the push. Darzog eventually folded. He says he had pocket eights, so I'm actually glad he didn't call.
4:38 PM - PokerStreams just busted when his HAMMER ran into Tinuvial's A9 when Tinuvial flopped two pair. Just to rub it in, the following flop had a 7 and a 2.
4:39 PM - I'm back to just over 1100. Average is 1875, and blinds are 25/50. 56 players remain.
4:41 PM - On a board of 8d-Js-6c-6s, Darzog is all-in for 1460. JazzBassist, who would be all-in if he called, lets it go. Darzog was the pre-flop raiser. Eights again?
4:42 PM - I just noticed that Columbo, who is much better than he gives himself credit for, is currently in second place! Go Columbo!
4:45 PM - In the BB, I got it all in with AA vs. QQ and AK. There's an ace on the flop! YES! I just tripled up to 2905! Sweet!
4:46 PM - I was just moved to table 3. I'm in seat 9.
4:47 PM - I just flopped a set of 8s, and busted Ferret who flopped a pair of kings, and rivered two pair. Now I have 5385, which is good for second place. Holy shit. From almost out to second place in about five hands. That's No Limit, I guess. Stay smart, Wil. Don't donk it off.
5:05 PM - Oh joy. Firefox crashed and took several updates with it. Well. We're just past the break, and there are 45 players left. I find AKo UTG, so I raised it to 450 (3x BB). Folded to anamarylee who popped me back to 750. I don't really want or need to race right now, so I let it go. Doh! She showed A9s.
5:08 PM - Yestbay pushed with Presto, and got called by bdr with AK. An ace on the flop sent Dave out in 44th place.
5:09 PM - Whaaaaaaa? Just busted turtlepig with AA vs. Q9o.
5:20 PM - With JJ, I raised it to 3x the BB. I got called by bdr1968. When the flop came 5d-7d-Ax, I bet at it. Mistake number one. He raised me for almost all his chips. Anyone else see the Ace? But I figure that, even if he has an Ace, he can only call me with AK if I pop him back, and why didn't he re-raise pre-flop if he had AK? I pushed. He called. And showed AK. I never caught up, and it hurt. Now I'm down to 3600. Average is 3000. 34 players remain.
5:21 PM - Very next hand, I get AA in the BB. folded around to snazzle who raised to 450 from the button. SB folds, I come way over the top for 1200. I figure there's no way he'll read me for an Ace there, and will call with any smaller pair, especially since I've announced that I'm still totally on tilt (I'm not, by the way.) He goes into the tank, and eventually folds. Darnit.
5:26 PM - Snazzle just doubled through bdr1968 with AK vs TT when he caught an Ace on the river.
5:29 PM - Thank god for notes. I just raised into a player who I noted will only play premium hands. He came over the top of me, so I (fairly) quickly let my AQo go. He showed KK, so I was dead to an ace. *whew*
5:30 PM - I just saw that Dr. Pauly busted in 28th. Tinuvial is still the chipleader with 11140. I'm in 14th with 3330. My M is not particularly good, right around 10. My Q isn't much better.
5:32 PM - WTF? I've been dealt 10-2o back to back. Note that I wouldn't be complaining if it were aces.
5:34 PM - JazzBassist and xkm1245 just chopped when they both made Broadway on the river.
5:36 PM - We just lost Sires and bdr1968 when they both ran into AOman14's KK. The flop came7c-2c-6s, which is the normally a great flop for Kings . . . unless you're playing against bloggers!
5:39 PM - They're dropping faster than a frat guy's pants at Mardi Gras. We just lost leafsfan when he ran into xkm1245's pocket aces with 33.
5:42 PM - Whaaaaaaa? Is on My List.
5:43 PM - I've caught a mini-rush of cards, and climbed back up to 12th. I have 4080. Average is 5833. My M still sucks good and hard, well below ten. Even though I'm in the Orange Zone, I have a pretty good Q vs. the players to my immediate left.
5:45 PM - Okay, seriously. Enough with the T-2 off-suit.
5:46 PM - The massive chipleader, memento219, just sat in to my right, with 21400. Man, am I glad to have position right now.
5:49 PM - Fifteen left, since we just lost JazzBassist when his top pair ran into 787Style's set of sevens. Ten is The Bubble. I'm currently in 12th, enjoying a nice, cold deck.
5:54 PM - ipluto just pushed all-in on a flop of T-9-A rainbow. xkm had him/her/it way covered, but ipluto hasn't played a hand in FOREVER, and it was very tough to call there. xkm eventually laid it down. He says he had eights, so maybe it wasn't as tough a decision as I thought it was.
5:57 PM - There are 15 left. I'm in 10th with 3805. Each round costs 775, and the shortest stacks are sitting around an M of 2. memento is open raising every hand (a good strategy with that huge a stack) and picking up all sorts of little pots here and there. It's a great lesson, kids. When you're on your way to the bubble, and you've got 2x the nearest villain, you should apply maximum pressure to shorter stacks, because they will usually only play back at you with a very narrow range of hands.
6:02 PM - I just chopped with xkm when we both made Broadway with AQ.
6:06 PM - We're at the second break. 13 players remain. Average is 8076. The chipleader is memento219 with 26928, the shortstack is xkm1245 with 1007. When we get back from the break, each round will cost 1350. I have 3205, good for 10th place.
6:12 PM - On the first hand after the break, memento raised into xkm, who had an M of about .9. xkm called, with KQ. memento shows 94s, and paired the 9 on the flop! A king on the turn brought xkm back to life with a timely double up. Pressure is definitely on me, now.
6:14 PM - Oh man! xkm pushed with ATc, and was called by 787Style who had 99. xkm paired his ace on the flop, his T on the turn, then bused when 787Style caught his 2-outer on the river! Ouch.
6:17 PM - Here we go. I'm first to act, so I get all in with QTo, per Harrington. I got called by A6s, and made TRIPS ON THE TURN! I double up to 2610. I'm still in the red zone, but at least I made it to the bubble. WOOOOT!
6:21 PM - Darzog is the other shortstack, and we're on the bubble. I have A9h in the BB. 787Style (my new nemesis) raises 3x the BB, and right as I'm about to make my decision, Darzog gets it all-in on his table. He flops a K-high flush draw, and makes it on the Turn vs. JJ. Because he's rocketed way ahead of me now, there's no way I'm going to wait him out, so I push, and 787 calls with K9o. I win, and double up! On the next hand, we pass the bubble.
6:25 PM - Second hand at the final table, I have 88. Aracon raises, and I push to isolate (Harrington, again) and he turns over AK. Good, I was hoping for a race. Oh shit, the flop is AKx, with two diamonds. I can only win if I catch an eight, or running diamonds . . . which I do! Holy shit, I caught running diamonds to make a flush! I'm alive again! On the very next hand, I get KK, raise, get no callers, and now I have 11190.
6:28 - In the time it took me to type that, we lost two players, Arcon and Slayre, and now we're at 7. Make that 6, because we just lost Darzog when his A9 ran into Tinuvial's QQ.
6:30 PM - Just took a nasty hit when my A4 failed to improve against Tinuvial's T8, which paired the 8 on the flop. Ten eight?! At least it was soooooted.
6:32 PM - My M is about 4.6 now. Yuck. I guess KQ is good enough for a push, right Dan Harrington? Yes. From the SB, vs. an equally small stack in the BB, I can hope to get called by a worse hand, down to T8o. Oh! Good! Obie34 called me with K9o! I have him CRUSHERED! Oh, wait. No I don't. He flopped an open ended straight draw. Of course he makes it on the river and IGHN in 6th. I'm pissed that I lost on such a shitty fucking suckout, but thrilled that I made it was far as I did this week. Despite my crappy play early on, I got some chips, then used them to navigate my way to the final table. I thank Phil Gordon's Little Green Book and Harrington on Hold'Em Volume II.
Join us next week for the Obie34 Invitational!
6:53 PM - I had to take Nolan to Tae Kwon Do, so I missed 787Style busting memento with A7 vs. 99. It's a night of epic suckouts, I guess.
The remaining players are:
- 787Style 31K
- Tinuvial 29K
- Obie34 23K
- weak_player 19K
6:59 PM - While I was creating next week's tourney (16809136), 787Style was busted with K6 vs. Tinuvial's 22.
7:00 PM -We are now heads-up.
7:01 PM - On a board of 9-K-6-4 with two clubs, Obie bet on every street, finally pushing on the River. Tinuval didn't call, and Obie now has 24367 to Tinuvial's 79533.
7:03 PM - Obie just doubled up with A9 vs AK, when he rivered a 9. I had to double check to make sure this isn't called the CJ Presents How To Play Poker Invitational.
7:04 PM - Tinuvial just won a 28K pot while I was updating. I missed it, but Obie is hurt a bit with 18K left.
7:05 PM - Obie raised pre-flop, was called, then pushed on a J-high raggedy rainbow flop. Tinuvial folded and it was good for 12K. On the very next hand, Tinuvial raised it to 14K, and Obie called. They pushed on a flop of A-5-4 all clubs. Obie shows J5s, Tinuvial has A4h. Obie made trip fives on the turn to draw even in chips with Tinuvial! They both have 51K now.
7:05 PM - Bouncin' around the room: my dog Riley just ran up to me, dropped her rope at my feet, sat down and burped.
7:07 PM - These players are really battling it out, trading chips but staying within about 10K of each other all the time. Blinds are currently 1000/2000/100.
7:12 PM - We're at the third break (!) Here's how it looks:
- Tinuvial 63532
- Obie34 41468
7:17 PM - On the first hand after the break, all the money went in on a Q-high flop. Both players had queens, but Tinuvial's kicker was better, and she wins the WWdN: Bonus Code IGGY Invitational. Congrats to both Obie (who came back from vritually nothing when he sucked out on me ;) and Tinuvial, who was the early leader, lost it, and never gave up to take down the whole thing. See you in the second TOC, Tinuvial!
Thank you to everyone who played tonight. This was a great game, and I can't wait to play again next week. Don't forget the Thursday Night West Coast Game, at 7:30 PST day after tomorrow.
Good night!
