Julie’s Thanksgiving Eve $60 + $20 Bounty Tournament - 11/21/2018

On Thanksgiving Eve, Julie hosted a $60 + $20 Bounty tournament that drew 21 players (3 tables of seven players). The night before Thanksgiving has always been a popular night to host a tournament in the CPMG, as the waitlist for this one was 10+ players deep at one point. I didn’t recap each level (each was 20 minutes long), but I did jot down some notes.

My opening table starting in Seat 1 was Papa Zuited, Dana Ewing, Meat, Pyxis, Julie, me and Luckbox Linda. Aside from Meat, who is one of the best players in the CPMG, this was a great table draw. There were 4 tight players and I had position on the super-aggro Julie sitting to my right. The first break was only 1 hr 20 min into the tournament and I had chipped up to 19700 from my 15k starting stack thanks to a big hand against Meat during level 3. He raised from the cutoff and I defended my BB with Ac5c. Flop was 7 4 3, two clubs. With the nut flush and inside straight draw, I led for 700 and Meat raised to 2200. I put him on an overpair to the board and decided to call. Turn [7c 4c 3x] A. Now I think I’m ahead with my pair of Aces, but I check because I don’t want him to think it helped me. Meat checked behind. River [7c 4c 3x Ax] 6, completed my straight. I decided to bet a small 2200 (less than half the pot) to see if he’d call with a pair of 9s or higher. He did call, but I found out later he flopped a set of sevens, which was way stronger than I thought. Kudos to Meat for not going broke on the hand and losing the minimum.

Around 10pm, we combined to a final table of 8, featuring Mick, Pyxis, Chaz, TK, Papa Z, Nikki, me and Tom DV. Right before the final table, I doubled up with pocket Kings vs Tom DV’s pocket Jacks, giving me a healthy 39900 which was among the top 4 stacks at the table. After a bit, Terry and Pyxis bust out of the tournament and there are 6 left. After sitting back and playing straight at the full table, it was time to get more involved as the blinds and big blind ante were getting higher. Unfortunately, my two strongest opponents at the table - Chaz and Tom DV - had mountains of chip and both had position on me. I had to be careful in any pots against them. In one hand against Chaz, she raised to 3k and I was the only caller from the big blind with Tc9c. Flop 8c 6x 2x. Chaz bet 4500 and I called. Turn [8c 6x 2x] Kc, giving me flush draw in addition to the inside straight draw. We both checked. River [8c 6x 2x Kc] T. I check-called Chaz’s 7000 chip bet and she showed Ace-high for a semi-bluff. That pot was extremely important for me as it vaulted me up to 52500 as we approached the money bubble (4th place).

Papa Z busted around 11pm and the 5 remaining players (Mick, Chaz, Nikki, me, Tom DV) battled for over an hour. At one point, I was the short stack at the table with 40800 before I won a big pot off Chaz when she slow played 2-pair and let me hit a straight. After the hand, I had 77400 at 1000/2000 blinds with a 1300 big blind ante. I ran it up to 87000 before falling back down to 57.5k. It got to the point where everyone was just trading chips back and forth without anyone busting. Finally, Nikki and I proposed everyone pay $10 from their wallets for whomever busted on the bubble. This helped force the action as the bubble broke 5 minutes later when Tom DV hit the rail. I was glad to see him out of the tournament, as he had been playing superb. Nikki came in 4th place, falling at the hands of Chaz. With 3 players left, Chaz had a monster stack while Mick and I were within a few thousand of each other. Mick was playing pretty tight, but I wasn’t able to steal many of his blinds because Chaz was (correctly) raising most of her buttons. We actually played 3-handed for a long time before Chaz earned Mick’s bounty necklace. She had collected several bounties while I still had ZERO.

Chaz held a 2:1 chip advantage as we started heads up play. We battled for over an hour as I slowly chipped away and picked my spots, grinding my stack up to about 215k.

Unfortunately, my 2:1 chip advantage quickly disappeared and Chaz doubled up (I can’t remember the hand exactly). We finally got it all in on a T K 4 flop. I had JT and she turned over T4 for a flopped 2-pair that held. Below is a pic (credit: Nikki) with my sad face for coming in 2nd and failing to capture any bounties throughout the tournament. Cashing for $370 was nice though, and I had a lot of fun playing this one. I felt great going into the tournament and thought I played excellent throughout. Chaz complimented me for being a tough player, but she deserves kudos for being pretty damn tough herself!

$40 Tournament & High Hand Recap

On Friday, 11/16/18, I hosted a $40 tournament that drew 14 players. Everyone started with 15000 chips, 20 minute levels. I also ran an optional $5 High Hand of the Night that 13 players entered.

My opening table featured the following players, seated to my left: Doug Poker, Matt Phillips, Luckbox Linda, Steve Germani, Silent Dave and Jon Novak.

25/50 - I ran hot in Level 1. Steve raised and Jon Novak called. With AJ off-suit on the button, I 3-bet to 800. Both players and Doug Poker called. Flop J 2 2. It checks around and I bet 1500. Doug and Steve call. Turn [J 2 2] 3. Doug bets 3500 and I’m the only caller. River [J 2 2 3] 8. We both check and I win a big pot with two-pair (Doug didn’t show). Later in the level, I won 4K off Jon Novak with TT on a 5 5 6 T X board with 4 diamonds. I ended the level with 28000.

50/100 - I pick up AA and won a small pot off Jon on a board with a bunch off face cards. I have 30000 heading into Level 3.

75/150 - I have QQ UTG and raise to 700. Doug Poker moves all in for 2975. Steve thinks about it with big suited ace but folds. I call and bust Doug, who had pocket 2’s. Later in the level, Jon raises to 650 from cutoff. I reraise to 1500 with J8ss. Flop K 9 4, two spades. Jon check-raises my 1500 bet to 3500 and I call. Turn [K 9 4] 4c. We both check. River pairs my 8 and I loosely call his 3500 bet and he wins with KQ. I end the level with 22600.

100/200 - With 3c2c I raise to 800 from cutoff and Matt Phillips and Jon Novak call. Flop 5d 5c 4c. I lead for 1500 and both players call. Turn [5d 5c 4c] 9h. We all check. River [5d 5c 4c 9h] 6s. With a straight, I bet 2500 and they both fold. I end the level with 30400.

Level 5 (150/300) and Level 6 (200/400) were quiet for me and I have 29000 at the first break.

300/600 - The second hand back from break, I pick up pocket Kings in the big blind. Jon raises to 1600 I 3-bet him to 5100. Jon goes all in for about 10k total and I flop a set of Kings to knock him out of the tournament. Now 5-handed, I raise to 1500 from the cutoff with Kh7h. Matt Phillips andSteve call. Flop Ah 4h 5x. I bet 2200 and Matt quickly calls. Steve folds. Turn [Ah 4h 5x] Ks and we both check. River [Ah 4h 5x Ks] 3h and I bet 5000 with my flush. Matt calls and tables AJ off-suit and I drag a nice pot. I end the level with 49000.

400/800 - I check my BB with Ac6d in an unraised pot. Flop 663, two clubs. I bet 800 and Steve calls. Turn is a blank and I bet 1600 and Steve calls again. River is a third club and I check. Steve bets 2500 and I fold my trips face up. I had the Ace of clubs and realized I should’ve moved all in and Steve would’ve folded. Just a missed opportunity. With 10 minutes left in the level, we combine to a final table of 9, which features (to my left) Meat, Pyxis, Luckbox Linda, Steve Germani, Silent Dave, Dana, Jerry and Randy. At a full table, I slow down a bit and end the level with 50200.

500/1000 - Another quiet level. I have 44700.

600/1200 - Jerry limps in and I raise to 4100 with 65hh and he calls. Flop 6x Kh Qh. Jerry bets 5000 and I call with my pair and flush draw. Turn [6x Kh Qh] 6. Jerry bets 2000 and I raise to 12000 and Jerry says, “fuck it, I call”. River [6x Kh Qh 6x] Jd. Jerry leads for another 5k and I move all in. He asks if I will show him and I don’t respond, which upsets him a bit. He eventually folds and I have 71800 going into the next level.

800/1600 - As one of the chip leaders, I slow down a bit and play straight, ending with 66000.

1000/2000 - I’m card dead this level and head into the next level with 61000.

1500/3000 - Silent Dave busts out on the bubble when he flops three eights and is out-kicked by Pyxis’ three eights. Steve Germani busts out in 4th place and the final 3 are Meat, Pyxis and I. Pyxis went from having a few blinds at the beginning of the 2nd break to chip leader.

2000/4000 - I end the level with 57000 and am sitting 3rd behind Pyxis and Meat.

3000/6000 - I raise to 20k on the button with Qd8h and Pyxis calls from the big blind. The flop bring three hearts and Pyxis checks. I bet another 20k and Pyxis thinks about it before raising me all in. I only have 17k left and decide to call since there’s so much money in the pot. Unfortunately, Pyxis turns over the nuts with A9hh and I’m drawing dead before the Turn. Meat and Pyxis battled heads up for a while before Meat won the heads up battle.

High Hand of the Night - 13 entries at $5 per person created a $65 prize pool to the winner. Within a few minutes, we had our first qualifier - Kings full of Sixes on a KK66X board. Two players had a King and would split the High Hand if it held. It wasn’t until later in the tournament that we had a new qualifying High Hand - Kings full of Jacks - that was split by Meat and Randy. Surprisingly, this High Hand held for at least 2 hours and both players won $32.50 for spitting the hand/payout. Given how many players participated, I think I will offer an optional $5 High Hand for all of tournaments in the future.

Flushball at the JACK

It has been a while since I’ve posted. The last time I did one of these, I recounted my biggest poker meltdown. Don’t worry... I didn’t crawl into a hole and hide from the poker felt. It’s actually been quite the opposite.

Since my meltdown at Julie’s in early September, I hosted a small 10-person SNG on 9/16 that I ended up winning. I also hosted a HA tournament on 9/22 that drew 15 runners, the highest draw since I’ve started hosting. I wasn’t able to host during the month of October. I actually had a game scheduled for 10/14 but Dana was sick and I had to cancel.

Another reason I didn’t host in October is because I’ve been busy playing at the JACK downtown. I hadn’t played live poker in a casino since I was 21 or 22 years old — I think I stopped shortly after playing the WSOP Main Event in 2005 — but Doug Poker convinced me to join him bright and early one Sunday morning for the Flushball promotion at the JACK. He said their $4/$8 Omaha-8/b game qualified for the promotion, which awarded $200 for the highest ranked flush of each suit every hour from 8am - noon. Royal flushes did not qualify for some stupid reason, so the highest qualifier was AKQJ9. 

It’s pretty easy to hit a flush in Omaha. Sure enough, our measly $4/$8 O8 table hogged all the flushballs. I didn’t hit any the first time Doug and I played and ended the day stuck about $70. I went back the next Thursday though and hit a flushball and won a few hundred dollars. The next Sunday I fared much better. Doug hit 2 flushballs and I hit another one myself. I left the day up $410 between the flushball and O8 winnings. Last Sunday, I gave $300 back to the O8 villains, but video poker bailed me out and I left bailed won $430 on the day.

It’s been a roller coaster October, but I’m excited to kick off November with a some home games that I’ll be posting to the CPMG site soon. I eventually want to host a $3/$6 O8 cash game w/Kill and a High Hand payout at the end of the night (voluntary $10 or $20 HH entry before you play any hands qualifies you). Hope to see you guys soon!