|
Hey Poker Fans –
Wow! What a second day at the World Series of Poker. I made a great run, but it didn’t end well. In fact it was pretty painful. But before I cry on your shoulder – a tournament recap and the good news.
|
|
With your help and support:
1) We earned over $17,800 for ovarian cancer research (not in the main event, but in side tournaments. Still, it all counts) 2) We gave out almost 300 ovarian cancer pins 3) I think we had some fun (although I am pretty dang crabby right now, and still feeling the sting) 4) Hopefully we raised some awareness 5) We just freakin missed getting some national coverage on this important issue
Okay – now the painful part.
Wow! All Day Two I was smoking!!! I mean, I was *THIS* close, and really on a run, when WHAM! - faster than you can walk into a dark hotel room wall, I was OUT. And man, was it a cooler – let me set the stage.
So per my earlier email, Day Two started with me at just under 20,000 chips, which is where I started the whole dang tournament! So I was pretty low on chips, but not in horrible shape. Plus I had survived a murderer’s row and outlasted some pros, and gotten Day One under my belt.
And today I had a new strategy and new attitude, which really played out well. I was determined to come out aggressive, find some middle stacks to pick on, and either chip up, or be out quick. But bottom line – there would be no more running scared. This would be Dave style poker at its best!!! And boy, did I chip up.
Unlike the nightmare table of Day One – my Day Two table was a dream. All amateurs, and the biggest stack only 80,000 - and he was sitting directly to my right. Three other stacks were shorter than me, and I saw worry in many of the faces as I looked around. And, I had a really cool thing happen right off the bat. Before even a card was dealt, Norman Chad from ESPN came by as promised to shake my hand, wish me well, and tell me he would keep an eye on me throughout the day.
Let me tell you – it was nice to be the guy at the table that had the celebrity focus! I secretly hoped that all the other players would be intimidated that I had the ESPN folks tracking me. Ha! So then, it was shuffle up and deal.
I had sized up the table, and the one guy who looked the most skittish was starting out in the big blind. So I decided to make a run at him right from the start, and I did. On the very first hand I was second to act, and had a 10-3 offsuit. But I raised 4 times the big blind anyway, and everyone folded to me.
It was a good omen, and the start of a bullying session like you wouldn’t believe. Man, I tore that table up!!!
The first two hours, the best cards I saw were only a pair of jacks, but I bet aggressively and I bet like I had the nuts, and lo and behold – the other players kept folding and folding. My reads were solid, and I knew which players wouldn’t risk their tournament unless they had the stone cold nuts. So I picked my spots and when they bet, I raised them. And every time I raised them, they folded. Beautiful!
Anyway, for six hours I dominated the table, and at the dinner break I had quadrupled up to 86,000 in chips! (That includes having a pair of my aces cracked, and having the chip leader dodge a beautiful trap I set for him. Or I would’ve been over 120,000. But more on that later)
Anyway, at the dinner break I was already at my Day Two goal, which meant I was poised to go very deep into Day Three and be a strong favorite to make the money. All I had to do was not make a mistake, and I was looking good. But just like Day One, returning from the dinner break proved to be very cruel. What a reminder – they always say in No Limit Hold ‘Em, any hand you play puts ALL your chips at risk. And all it took was one bad hand to send me packing. The very first hand back did it.
I was in second position. I had the 2nd largest stack. The only guy with more chips than me was a Brazilian a couple of seats to my right. He had 97,000 chips and had been playing tighter than a duck’s rear end all day. I mean tight. He had dodged a major trap I had set for him earlier (laying down 10’s when I had a set of 2’s, but there was a Jack on the board he was afraid of). He had played only one major hand all day, in which he had kings to another guys queens, and broke him. So I knew if this guy was going to play a hand, he would have to have something very strong.
The rest of the table I had a strong read on, too. Not perfect, but positive equity and I knew I could pick up another 20 to 40,000 chips off the group if I kept it up. I also planned to only risk 20,000 or so and worst case move into Day Three with 60,000 and still a good chance to do some damage. But it didn’t work out that way.
So, first hand back, blinds are 500, 1000 with a 100 ante. The tight Brazilian is in the Big Blind, I am second to act and look down to find pocket 9’s. So I raised to 4200. (I had been over raising all day per some great advice from Ed and Fred, my poker buds, and it had been working to great effect, by keeping out the tire kickers. Figured I would continue here, so I popped it a little extra.) Everyone folded until the Brazilian. He grabbed his chips, and appeared to start to raise me, then backed off, changed his mind - and just called.
I knew he had a big hand – 4200 is a lot of chips, and this guy was playing tight tight tight. So a call from him meant he had something, let alone if he was thinking about raising. Flop comes out and it is 6, 9, Q with two spades. Jackpot! I’ve hit my set. If this guy has anything big, I am going to make a ton of money. So the Brazilian checks, and I bet 5000. He then check raises me 15000! Wow. I think “What could he have?”
At that point, the only hand that has me beat is pocket Queens. And the odds of that are so remote I am just going to have to eat it. More likely, he has Kings, or Aces. A big pair, anyway. Or a big AK spade draw? Less likely, but worth guarding against with a flush draw the board. So what is my proper move? I figure I can’t fold, I have a set!
If I raise, and he re raises me all in, am I going to call? Yes. What if he is on that spade draw? I doubt it, but I will need to make him pay to flush out on me, so that means a big raise. If I raise big, will he call if he has a big pair? If it is A’s or K’s, yes. If Jacks, probably not. But I don’t put him on Jacks, he would’ve folded on my original 5000 bet with an over card out there (that is how he dodged me in the last trap). But he sure has something.
So what to do here? If I smooth call, my hand won’t improve (only one 9 left can make my hand better), and he will have a chance to hit a K or A and beat me. Plus I am going to call down his next bets anyway. And there is that spade draw. So I take the only action I see to take, and re-raise all in. He insta-calls me!!!! Oh sh***t - never good. And sure enough – the man turns over a pair of queens, giving him top set to my middle set. Turn and river come blanks (only one card left in the deck could’ve saved me, the last 9).
A total cooler – and in the blink of an eye, I am out. Wow. Let me tell you, that is a sick, sick feeling. Sixteen hours of hard poker, down the drain. And worst of all – I was breathing all over a deep run into Day Three, the money, and most importantly – the money would mean that I’d get some air time for Nancy on ESPN. Aaargh, I just know it!!!! How in the world do I get mixed up with the only guy who can beat me, hit a set and he hits a better set, all on the very first hand back??? Either way, I was out – numb and shocked and headed out the door. Wow.
But as I write this, I’ve replayed the hand a thousand times in my head, and I just don’t see how I could’ve gotten away from it. Maybe if I’d folded the 9’s pre flop, but once the set came, I was trapped and going down. Maybe you will think different. But either way – ouch ouch ouch. So if you’ve never walked the ‘walk of pain’ – it sucks!!! <grin> I headed back to my room, called Jenny as I walked, and sobbed a trail of tears. But mostly I was pissed and just choking on this crappy chicken bone of a situation. Aaargh!!!! Called and texted a few of you and quickly got sick of telling the story, so went to seek out deep cave where I could nurse my wounds.
It was 9:15 by then so I figured I could either go get very drunk, or go see a show. Rob suggested I try a side tournament, but there wasn’t another drop of poker in me tonight. And drinking was out since I am going to drive to California in the morning. So it was off to the 10:30 showing of “O” by Cirque de Soliel at the Bellagio. “O” was good – but man, I am still bummed.
So here it is sunrise Vegas time, and instead of sleeping I am blogging to you! Which actually is a big help. Hope you don’t mind me sharing – it was fun having all of you ‘sweating’ me, and hopefully the $17,800 will make a difference.
By the way - one of the top ovarian cancer researchers in the country is Tyler Curiel in San Antonio – he came over from Tulane after hurricane Katrina. I haven’t met him yet, but I am looking forward to handing him a check in Nancy’s name. I’m sure it will help, even if just in a small way.
And I’m sure one day we’ll finally figure out this damn cancer thing. You know it got my dad, too. We’re close - I told Jenny after my first meeting of the Emerging Tech Fund 3 years ago that maybe not in our lifetimes, but I bet in our kids lifetimes, we’ll find a cure for this cruel thing that is cancer. I know from the tech fund, a whole lot of people are working on it. And I know form you guys that a whole lot of people care. So until that cure is found, we’ll all do what we can like we tried with this crazy poker tournament!!! And who knows, there just might be another poker tournament or two in my future – so I can take some more swings in my own way as well.
Sure appreciate all your support and interest. Go Orange!!!
Until next year – sign me,
Dave AKA “The River Dog” – in honor of Nancy Blumer |
|
Update #3 |
|
DAVID’S BLOG #2 |
