Collection

I muddled through the field yesterday. As I muddled, I wasn't happy with my play. For the first 2 hours, I played rather crappily. The only reason I was still alive was because of the 5000 starting stack.

Iggy set up it. A deep stack starting at 8pm with 30 minute levels. If you have a good game, you will do well if you can sidestep the bad beats. Patience could be paid off. Plus, the little guy is probably figuring it is the best way to train his players for the WSOP.

Yes, I said his players. With the enthusiam and zeal he had on this project, I see this as Iggy's Army. He probably would get as much satisfaction of seeing one of us bloggers win an event this year as the person winning.

So I was dancing through the tables, dodging minefield like my internet connection (went down twice) and the players around me. It started with CJ on my left. Not what you would like to see. Huntsvegas, an eventual winner, was just to his left. Then Bobby Bracelet shows up on my right. Not what I wanted to see.

Later I would have Maigrey on my right and Wonka two spots over. Every time I put a blind out there I knew I may have to fight to keep the thieves away. Thankfully I got a couple good hands to send a message but that would only last for the time being.

As I had said before, I wasn't too happy with my play early on. I was too loose. Making some flop calls with just bottom pair, hoping I would get lucky. It was just shit poker I was playing. CJ did put a great move disguising his A A on one hand. It was that hand that would send me into a funk and give chips away like Halloween candy.

So I had to tighten up. I set an immediate goal to get back over the starting stack. I felt one hand could do it. That hand came in the form of K K. I looked at it and drooled a bit. This was my hand. With an aggressive short stack on my right, I was already counting his chips as being mine. What I didn't expect was the UTG limper, Shep, to come along for the ride as well. My kings held up and I was in much better shape. Like I was reborn.

I continued to chip up until I was in 11th place. I felt good now feeling I could make a serious run at it again. After the 3rd break, I made a steal attempt that backfired. With J 10 I made my move from the button. But the BB raised it. I called hoping to catch a piece of the flop. J 10 x. Nice. My oppoent bet out. I raised wanting to just take it down. But he reraised. Hmm...what does he have. I was confident he didn't have a set. With that flop and the re-raise preflop, I put him on A J. I pushed. He called with A 10. Not quite what I expected to pop it in with second pair. But of course an A spiked the turn and I was crippled.

I folded a couple more hands when the Hilton Sisters came to visit. I thought this would be nice. I figured I could get the short stack to my left's chips at the very least. I raised it 3.5xs the blind and was immediatley re-raised all in by the short stack. But the next player took a timeout to think about what he would do. He then re-raised. ??? It folded back around to me. I wasn't necessarily committed here but felt a need to get back into it. I pushed my remaining chips and was called by ... 10 10? This baffled me. Why would you re-raise with just 10s? He was putting out a third of his chips for what may be a small advantage at best over just A high? Not a good play in my mind. But of course he would spike a 10 on the turn to win the pot and send me out.

Each time I got my chips in with the best hand but was drawn out on. Nothing you can do when the poker gods are not on your side. Oh well.

Congrat to Huntsvegas and Lucko for winning their seats.

I also had another thought. Since Iggy kicked in some cash to get another seat last night, the least we can do is take a collection to pay his buy-ins in the rest of the tournies. A nice gesture to pay back his efforts and work to make these happen. Let me know your thoughts. It would cost you just a buck or two.