Sunday, November 21, 2004

¡Maldito rio!

So I went to my third live tournament full of hope. I brought my green felt table cloth, as last time, and also a toolbox with chips and decks for possible cashgames.

There were 43 entrants, five tables. The No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament starts and at the very first hand (I think, it might've been the first hand I participated in) I'm dealt QK and limp along. The flop comes TJA. Wham-zoom, an ace high straight. Some betting and raising, the turn comes and everybody folds after my betting. Nice to start off on plus.

Man, it's hard to keep a pokerface. And if you might've given something away, to counteract it with a double or triple fake. But I think I handle it well when I look at my cards and see American Airlines, pocket rockets, Alcoholics Anonymous, bullets, AA staring back at me. I raise a bit and (only) one other player calls. Flop, bet. The opponent (whom I have met at two other live tournaments and played against in one, where I folded K9o to his all-in) goes all-in. Hamina hamina hoo, I call! He has more chips than me so this is it. The cards are turned over and he has nothing, no made hand, so he is beat, beat, beat at the moment. He comments that he didn't expect a call but I understand him, this early in the tournament you'll have to play wild and maybe bluff to get anywhere (or out).

But...

The turn comes and gosh, he has a straight draw. If a six comes on the river, he'll have it and win.

Guess what comes at the river?

6


So I'm out at 42nd place of 43. Curseword genitalia intercourse feces.

When two tables are freed up (by the way, The Tournament Director is excellent for tournaments, the two guys running the tournament could manage 43 players including themselves, timekeeping, table balancing, prize money easily without hassle) I start up a cashgame, 6/12 Limit and we are about eight who play for a while. I lose a bit there too, but not because of bad play, just ups and downs. Next time I'll bring change, so you can cash out more easily.

All at the final table get a t-shirt, the three first get a cap (promotional material from a sponsor), the six first get paid.

I pack up my felt, chips, cards and sorrows and walk silently into the night. It was fun but next time, ooh, next time...

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