Damn?

Tulsa told me I had to post this e-mail recapping my adventures at the Kowboys Tourney over the weekend. If you hate it, blame him.

Full field of 60 players. Scott and I played.

I drew a table that included four players who made the final table from the last $300 buy-in, plus a gent by the name of Damon, considered by many to be the best player in the field (even over Merkow).

For the most part, play was solid. Every table probably had three weak players. Structure was player friendly. Everyone started with $10k in chips and first blinds were $25-$50. Blind levels lasted 25 minutes.

Fawcett lost $5000 on the first hand when the small blind whacked him with aces. Action at my table was fairly tight with few pots worth more than $2000 during the first four levels. Won three hands before the first break without having to show anything down. Chip stack was $12,000 with the average stack around $10,500.

Saw nothing during the next four levels and my chip stack dwindled to around $10,500.

Interestingly, going in to the second break, there were still 54 players alive.

Played these hands after the second break that tolled my end:

· Blinds $300-$600. First position goes all-in for less with $400. Fold to me in the small blind and I call with 7d2d. BB calls. Flop comes rags, but I pair my deuce. I lead out for $1000. BB folds showing A-4. All-in shows 8-3 and the hammer holds.
· Blinds $300-$600. With three callers in front of me, I call with KQ in SB. Player to my left (who had a lot of chips, but only because he sucked out five times, raises to $1800. Two of the three callers call again, and now thinking that I can only get in trouble with KQ I fold. Flop comes K-rag-rag. SB and a tight player spit at each other, with SB ultimately taking down a $12,000 pot. Turns out he had ace-high, while the tight player folded pocket 5’s. Ugh.
· Blinds $500-$1000. I am on the button. All fold to player to my right who calls. I have KJo and feel I can take the pot down right there. Only player I am concerned with is BB who is short-stacked, but has laid down a lot of hands. I know he won’t call unless he has something big. I raise to $3500. SB folds and BB goes into the tank. He reluctantly shoves the rest of his stack into the middle (just over $5000). First bettor folds. Now pot-stuck, I call. BB turns over As9s. Makes his flush on the river, although I was never ahead. He later said he was getting impatient and thought he was behind when he made the call. Unfortunate time to bluff on my part.
· Now seriously short stacked, I go all-in with JJ and dipshit to my left calls saying, “Sorry, but I got you.” He turns over A-Q(?). My jacks hold.
· Two hands later I go all-in with QQ and the other donkey at our table re-raises all in to isolate me and turns over K-9. King on the flop and another on the turn and I am out in the mid-30’s (and it is after 11pm). The guy who crushed me had around $45k in chips at that point and had the largest stack at the table by a margin of over 2-to-1. Within 20 minutes he was down to $5k. Dick.

Saw this hand early on:

With blinds at $75-$150, UTG raises to $500. UTG+1 re-raises to $1000. UTG+3 calls (the donkey who ultimately knocked me out). UTG re-re raises to $2000. UTG+1 moves all-in. UTG+3 calls. UTG folds. UTG shows AKs. UTG+1 holds KK. UTG holds AA. Aces hold.

On the whole, though, solid play and a well-run tournament. Not only that, but those that placed in the tournament actually received their prizes that evening.