Summer Trip to Beach June 2005

Okay,

Now that my WSOP adventures are done, my wife drags me kicking and screaming to the gulf coast to spend three days with the in-laws and then seven days on the beach at Ft. Morgan, AL. Now do not get me wrong, I love my in-laws and the beach just as much as the next guy, but I would clearly rather have been at the RIO for the vacation. Anyway, I get a pass to go to the Biloxi Grand on Saturday for their weekly $200 NL event.

I have never been to the Biloxi Casinos, I am more a NOLA fan, so I have never been drawn to these places. Better food and better poker in New Orleans make up for the worse rake. In my opinion, the casinos in Biloxi are depressing, or at least dated. I went through three with the in-laws on Friday, but was not impressed. This includes the Grand in Biloxi.

I get to to the Grand a couple of hours before the tournament starts and get a seat in the 1-2 nl game. I get bad beated with KK for the first $200 and grind out the next $200, but run into the nut flush with my KQ flush and thus I am down $400 before the event begins.

There are 80 players, with the final table getting paid.

First Hand

I am in the SB (25-50), we start with 5,500 in chips and the blind levels last 30 minutes, pretty much doubling every round. I have KJo. Folds to the button, who raises it to 200. I make it 700, BB folds and the button calls. The flop comes J52. I bet 1,000, he raises to 2,500. I think for a second and call. The turn is another J. I check hoping he really bluffs at it hard. He checks behind. The river is the last J. I am hoping upon hope that he has something, but I cannot check. I bet 2,000 and he mucks immediately. I do not show. Cool, chips and a powerful image.

The remaining level, and level 2, is boring as I do not see very playable hands, but steal several blinds given my stack size. I end level 2 with around 9,000.

Fast forward to 3 tables remaining. I am now a short stack (crazy blinds) in the BB with A10. Mid position raises, I push twice as much as his raise. He calls with 109 and I make broadway to double up. I climb from there to be the second chip leader when we hit the final table. I win a huge pot early that knocks out an average stack and criples the then-chip leader to take a prohibitive chip lead 8 handed. I had 130,000 of the 400,000 in play. However, my QQ runs into KK held by an average stack so I am back down to mortal level.

We get three handed and the blinds are obscene and I offer a chip deal. It is refused. Next hand, the short stack goes out and we are heads up. It is his first tournament, but the blinds are 20,000-40,000 with 440,000 in play! He wants to play for the title. I offer to chop the money ($4000 each) and play for the "title." He agrees. Next heads up hand my 77 runs into his AA. Damn June was a nice month. I wish it did not have to end!!!!

Beach

After getting to the beach house for our vacation, I realize that the choices for internet access in coastal Alabama is severely limited. It takes me three days to get on line. I then get to a $100 NL final table (7th) on Stars. I then get to a $100 w/rebuys (8th) final table on Stars. Sweet.

I then take down a $30 NL event on UB the next day. Nice.

I end the week up a net $7,100. WooHoo.

I then decide to go back to the WSOP for the $2500 NL event. That and back to back final tables at the Palm in the next post. Until then...

Good luck and see you at the felt.