30DaysofPoker.com

An Experiment in Excessive Poker Play

Hard Rock Tampa

Today I am playing at Hard Rock again, but the buy in is $240+$10 dealer addon. This is a significant slice of my stack, but go big or go home! Right? Starting stacks are 7,500 for this tourney and there are about 34 entrants. I get seat 1 at table 1-1 … Sound lucky to you? 

Blinds are 50/100 and I play AQ and get a Q high flop, no further calls and I win a small pot. Blinds are 75/150 I raise to 450 with AQ and get a flop of 9TJ. I bet 900 and get one caller. Turn is a blank and we check check. River K gives me the super straight and I bet 1,250 and my opponent folds a J face up! Nice read by him. I have 8,400 in chips now. I limp with 55 in late position and get a flop of A24. A wild unpredictable player at the table bets 500 and I call with my over pair and gutshot. Turn is a blank and check check. River is a T and he bets 1,100… I take a long think and finally call him thinking he couldn’t have hit the River, and he shows QQ for the win. Oh well… I am now down to 5,900 and blinds are up to 100/200. 

I play KK from the cutoff and get called. Flop comes KJ4 and we check check. Turn is a deuce and we bet like crazy, getting it allin and he shows 22 for the lower set. River J makes it a win for me. 12,300 in chips now.  I win another nice hand with 99 -vs- 88 with a liberal amount of checking late. 16,200 in chips now. I win another nice pot with Q3 from the big blind in a limped 5 way pot when the flop comes 332. 11 people are left now. I raise and take it with JJ and am now at 21,400 in chips. We are down to 9 now and I raise with KhJd and my nemesis at the table calls. After a flop of 2c3c7s, he moves allin and I have to fold. Ugg… down to 14,200 in chips now. Blinds are huge now, 800/1,600 and after a couple orbits I am down to 10,000 in chips. A chop has been brought up about 3 times, but the 3 big stack players won’t agree to it. I raise and take it with 55 from late position, another player busts and we are down to 7 players. 

I am super short stack here but hanging on by the skin of my teeth, have only about 3 or 4 big blinds left, and finally one of the chip leaders suggests a chop scenario that everybody agrees to. Chop value 7 ways is $1,428. He suggest the 2 short stacks take $1,000 the 2 middle stacks take the standard chip of $1,428 and the 3 big stacks divide the rest ($1,713). I jump at the chance, everyone agrees and we chop it up! Nice win for me, I was about to go out soon… for no money. 

Everyone actually congratulates me for making it long enough to make the chopped money (it was obvious I have been on life support for a while). I believe my friendly personality helped me here, If I was a jerk I am sure the big stacks would have gunned for me to get me out and a more profitable chop scenario. I take my $1,000, tip the dealer $30 and give Big H his buyin insurance of $240 (that’s $480 profit after my initial buyin of $250). Whee! … Biggest win yet! and it was a squeaker… 

Btw … every time the tables broke and we moved, I got Seat 1 at the new table … lol. I don’t believe in luck, but that is some coincidence.

Chip and a Chair. – Probably Doyle Brunson. 

Lesson learned, never give up!