Monday, February, 16, 2004

Glenn let me sleep in the afternoon, to rest up for the tourney, since I still had a really bad cold. Unfortunately, he didn't watch the clock, and I slept too late. We got to the Belle and it was swarming. We were down at least 10 on every list. Nine tables were running and we thought we would be shut out of the tourney, but just before 6pm, I got a seat at the $2-5 spread limit HE table, and got one of the last tickets. Glenn was lucky enough to get in a couple of minutes after me.

I had a run of amazing cards, and doubled my $40 buy-in. By the time I cashed out, I still had $70. Spread limit is so easy. Too bad cardrooms had to discontinue the $2-10 spread limit games, since all of the fish swam away, lol.

In the tourney, I had seat nine of table two. A redheaded guy who plays at the Belle every so often was in seat ten, and struck up a conversation with me. We talked for almost the entire tournament.

My cards were so cold that I never saw a flop for almost the entire first hour. I did manage to win two pots, both the big and small blind, lol.

My only pocket pair were fours, and they were in EP, so I skipped that hand. I never was dealt a good ace during the entire tournament.

After the first hour, I was about exactly where I started, 100 chips. I did the 500 add-on. Almost immediately I was dealt AA on the button. No one entered the pot, grrrr.

Just a few hands after that, in the SB, I was dealt QQ. I went all-in to press the limper, but the redhead, in the BB, found AKs and had me covered. The limper got out of our way, and naturally an ace flopped.

I was one of the first people out of the tourney. I think about 46 out of 50, lol.

Glenn was still in the tourney, and I watched his play for the next hour. Oooh, poor Glenn, 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. He made some atrocious plays. Once he was in the BB. The SB was a calling station who isn't a good player, but can be tricky and looks to trap. The blinds were the only players involved in the hand. The flop was checked. There was an ace on the flop. The turn was a queen, river blank. Glenn made a 400 chip bluff on the river, which was immediately check-raised all-in. The SB had him outchipped at least 3:1. Ooooh, horror! Glenn had nothing, ten high. This was such a bad play, because the blinds were about to change to 200/400, Glenn only had 600 left after paying the BB, it was late in the tourney, and the river was a blank!

When Glenn was check-raised, he had to muck. Muck with only two chips left!!! He had to go all-in in the SB with T4, and luckily, won the hand with a pair of fours. Unfortunately, this only prolonged the agony. His table was broken up, and he was seated at table one, although there were still two tables left. He was fortunate to get moved out of the blinds, so he had a few hands to make a move. He made one with A7s, Larry called from the BB in the dark, since he only had to add two chips. Glenn doubled up.

When the blind got to him, he only had two chips left again. An EP raised his blind, and he mucked 52o! I told him in situations like that, you don't even look at your cards, you just throw in your remaining chips. What good would 200 do him, when the blinds are 400/800??? He was all-in in the SB, and went home in 14th place, I believe. This was horribly painful for me to watch. He has improved so dramatically in the last few months that seeing him take a few steps backwards was awful.

My friend and mentor, Dave, used a lamer to play in a $109 UB tourney today. He played tough and hard, and won 5th place! Wooohoooo! $1300! He parlayed a $10 satellite into $1300. Not a bad day, huh? He is on a roll, because he turned around and won another UB tourney for $385. That was only a $5 entry! Go Dave!