TANSTAAFL

Live poker tournament (NL Texas Holdem) today, with rebuys and addons.

Not much to say, same procedure as last live tournament, I made rebuy and addon, did well (My KA-allin stood up against pair, my calling a KA-allin with pair (nines) worked (flopped a set). Then a large portion was eaten up by chasing a nut flush draw and I get rags for a few blinds and get very short and the last all-in didn't work, as per usual.

I helped out by providing and running a laptop with Tournament Director on, and counting out the prize money. (I love handling MONEY.) For that I got "comped" the table fee and intermission meal.

But TANSTAAFL means "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch". I made the buy-in, rebuy and addon and ended up in 17th place of 29 players. Oh well, 16th place went to the winner from last time. Variance, you know.

Played a quick S'n'G online when I got home. 4th place of ten, not in the money. Pocket aces, all-in preflop and the b'strd who calls with 9T rivers a straight.

Regal colors

Tadaa! Today I got a Royal Straight Flush (Ten to Ace straight in the same suit) online. My first, on- or offline.

But... As I exclaimed in the chat window; "Why NOW?!"

You see, it was in a multitable tournament, only one player against me after the turn comes (where I get the nut flush) and when I river the Royal he (as you can see in the transcript below) doesn't even have a flush with four Clubs on the table, just two pair. So I only rake in a mediocre pot (300 with blinds 15/30).

Why couldn't it have come sometime somewhere where it mattered? At the final table of a televised event. At the final table of a huge multitable online tournament. In a position where several players have flopped, turned and rivered good hands and go all-in in an orderly fashion. Somewhere at a table with a High Hand bonus/jackpot.

Later, I was knocked out in fourth place when I stood up against a player who went all-in on almost every hand when the blinds hade gone up to something substantial. I have KAo, he has pair of fives and I'm not helped. Dang! That is my nemesis hand. At a live tournament a while ago I got a caller with K5o against my KA and he flopped a pair of fives and I was out at 42nd of 48.

I see in the Hand History from this tournbament that the last hand was a pair of aces (player dealt Ac, 7c) against a pocket pair of fives and the Aces won. Oh, NOW it works the other way! Because the ace-winner was the all-in maniac from before who knocked me out with fives.

I'm Marthyn.

***** Hand History for Game 2767115362 *****
30/60 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 16024575)
Sat Sep 24 12:19:31 EDT 2005
Table Table  11623 (Real Money) -- Seat 9 is the button
Total number of players : 8
Seat 1: arl39c (380)
Seat 3: listendick (760)
Seat 4: jjjed6 (560)
Seat 6: genoa2005 (3005)
Seat 7: flajetq (310)
Seat 8: Marthyn (615)
Seat 9: Boomern (735)
Seat 10: No1Auzzie (1635)
No1Auzzie  posts small blind (15)
arl39c  posts big blind (30)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Marthyn [ Kc, Tc ] 
listendick folds.
jjjed6 calls (30)
genoa2005 calls (30)
flajetq folds.
Marthyn calls (30)
Boomern calls (30)
No1Auzzie calls (15)
arl39c checks.
** Dealing Flop ** :  [ Jc, 4h, Ac ] 
No1Auzzie checks.
arl39c checks.
jjjed6 checks.
genoa2005 checks.
Marthyn bets (30)
Boomern folds.
No1Auzzie calls (30)
arl39c folds.
jjjed6 folds.
genoa2005 folds.
** Dealing Turn ** :  [ 3c ] 
No1Auzzie checks.
Marthyn checks.
** Dealing River ** :  [ Qc ] 
No1Auzzie checks.
Marthyn bets (30)
No1Auzzie calls (30)
** Summary **
Main Pot: 300
Board: [ Jc 4h Ac 3c Qc  ]
arl39c balance 350, lost 30 (folded) 
listendick balance 760, didn't bet (folded)
jjjed6 balance 530, lost 30 (folded) 
genoa2005 balance 2975, lost 30 (folded) 
flajetq balance 310, didn't bet (folded)
Marthyn balance 825, bet 90, collected 300, net +210 
[ Kc Tc ] [ Royal Flush -- Ac,Kc,Qc,Jc,Tc ]
Boomern balance 705, lost 30 (folded) 
No1Auzzie balance 1545, lost 90 
[ Qs Jh ] [ two pairs, queens and jacks -- Ac,Qs,Qc,Jh,Jc ]

Another win

Yes! Regular biweekly homegame (NL THE), five participants and I won.

Made good calls on the hands that mattered, set traps and often won with ace kicker or overcards.

The final hand was great. Had A6 of spades and at the river there was 2345x on the table, although the last three cards were diamonds. Do you see it coming? Our regular female player (also the hostess) whom I was heads-up against also went all-in with the remaining 4050 she had (about 30000 in chips in circulation, and we have rebuys) and I promptly called. As I thought, no flush, she had an Ace and had hit the Wheel (A2345 straight). I first showed my Ace "Oh, split pot?!" and then my 6, 23456 straight "Daaamn!".

I deserved that win, having played our homegame twentytwo times now and with this only won twice and lots of second places. But she deserves a win too, not just this time. :-)

Twice the fun

Our biweekly homegame tournament, NL Texas Holdem, was very popular this time. Eleven players, so we had two tables.

One female player (not our regular, but a new player), one other completely new and a few who have played with us occasionally and many of the regulars.

New Guy finished last. New Female came in sixth after conservative good (tight-passive?) play, yours truly fourth and Occasional Player Who Has Won Once Before won.

And much fun was had by all. Table talk, interesting hands, cake provided during a break by one player with birthday coming up.