Tuesday night, I played in my usual Tuesday night home game. It was a small game this week, and pretty unremarkable. A guy we call "Snake Eyes", one of the better tournament players in the bunch, was leaving as I arrived (I was late). He had busted out twice and had had enough. There are a couple of good players in this bunch, and a couple of donks that like to dump off money chasing hands they catch way too often (lucky donks.) The lucky donks got me for $20. Oh well.
Wednesday night I went to Cherokee Casino for the Wednesday Freezeout tournament. The same one I wrote about last week. I don't usually get very deep in this tournament, not because I don't play well, but because I just don't seem to get good cards or have any luck at this casino. I think maybe the curse has been broken. Last week I got bounced from the tourney only to do well in a cash game. This week I got my first cash in the tourney.
At my first table, I sat across from Chuck. Chuck is a shark. Chuck is a very good player who is dangerous all the time. Before the cards were in the air, I told myself "No tangling with Chuck." I didn't mind getting heads up or in a big pot with any of the others at the table, although some of them were regulars, but I was staying away from Chuck.
I usually an card dead at this tournament for the first couple of rounds, which is fine. I play a very tight game in the early goings and loosen up a little as the blinds get up, turning it up a little more when there are antes (dead money) in the pot. First hand, I looked down at AJ suited. I hate playing the first hand. But what could I do. I was in the cut off seat, and raised to 5 times the big blind (which seems to be about what it takes to chase off the mediocre hands with the better players, and keep the fish in). I got a couple of calls. The board was ugly, ugly, ugly. Straight draw, flush draw (not my suit, spades) and a king and queen. I folded at the river to a big bet. Damn, down 450 chips right away.
Action was pretty good for most of the first 3 levels and I chipped up to about 8000 (we start at 4000) by the first break. The last hand before the break, I looked down at pocket 10s. I was in the big blind and raised to 5 times the blind. Chuck called. One other guy called. Everybody else folded. The flop came A-Q-A. Not a great flop for me. I led out with a half pot bet. Chuck called and the other guy folded. Shit...heads up with Chuck...just what I wanted to avoid. The turn was a rag and I bet again, about a third of the pot. "Call" said Chuck. The river was another rag. I didn't put Chuck on an Ace, and I really didn't think he was playing a Queen. Other than that, I was having trouble reading him (he's tough.) I checked the river, not sure why, maybe because I thought I was pissing away chips to a better hand. Chuck bet 2000, overbetting the pot by about 1000. Damn. I went into the tank. I picked up my cards, looked at them, started to much them. Put them down. Looked at my stack, although I knew about what I had. Counted out the necessary 2000. Put them down. Picked up my cards. I was lost for an answer. Everybody else had gone on break, and it was just Chuck and me. I finally said "Oh hell. I call." Chuck said "good call" and mucked. The dealer made me show him the winner (not sure why). Chuck was a little taken aback. I said "I hope that's the worst call I make all night." Chuck's response was "it was a pretty nutzy call...but it worked." At the break, Chuck walked up, patted me on the shoulder and asked, "Ok, so you made that call after nearly mucking your cards twice. What made the decision for you? What was the difference between calling and folding?" I said "I had seen you, at least twice, bet the river and muck when you got called. They were smaller pots, but that stuck in my mind." I was just wondering if there was a tell, something I did that gave me away?" "No, other than your previous play, you were pretty stone faced and solid." So, a good player asked me for some advice to better his game. Nice. I probably shouldn't have helped him, because that will inevitably come back to bite me, but it was an interesting experience.
Of the 10 people at the final table, I had played and knew from other places 4 of them. One of them had ridden up there with me, one had worked with me at the liquor store at which I work some, Snake Eyes was there, and there was me. Not a bad showing from the people I play home games with. I finished 8th, in the money. Snake eyes came in 6th, Boz and Brook were part of the final four chop and each got paid off well.
I left the tourney final table and, with Boz still playing, went to the cash table for "just a couple hands." This was about 10:45. At 1:00, they were going to move me another table and I just decided to call it quits. I had started with $100 and was up to $275. Not a bad night at all.
Best of luck!
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