Tunica with Crazy Tom

I went back into the den of thieves this weekend. I was prepared to play my best, and I did for the most part.

Friday night

I get to the Casino around 9:00 PM. The Weasel is in the $500 daily event with a decent stack. I sit down in a single table right next to the Weasel and go to war. My war was shorter than our invasion of Grenada. However, I did last longer than the Weasel as he found a way to blow his stack before I got knocked out. Long story short, I went 0-4 in the single tables (losing in two that had Crazy Tom, who won two chips in two different satellites), watched a few minutes of the final table of the $500 daily, then went to play blackjack. I don't know why. Anyway, I won $130 playing blackjack and went to bed around 5:00 AM.

Saturday-Sunday (it kind of blended in - as you will see)

I slept until 1:00 PM and got up to go watch Crazy Tom in the $1500 event. My plan was to play in a couple of more single tables, then sign up for the $500 and decide my travel plans from that point forward. I lost with bigger pairs in the two $130 single tables while Crazy Tom was weaving through the 219 player $1500 field. When I got there, the tournament was already down to 160 players, and Crazy Tom had a good stack. I went to check on him after I got busted out of the second single table in time to see Crazy Tom announce: "All In" with a shorter stack and the boss stack at the table already all in. Crazy Tom had QQ, the other two players shared AK. The Board came 9 high and Crazy Tom had tripled up to a very nice stack with 60 players remaining.

I heard an announcement for a $330 single table starting up with three seats remaining. I go and look at the field, and it looks relatively soft, so I sit down. My decision was that I would play this event, and if I won one chip or more, I would play the $500 event. Otherwise, I would be done for the trip, and I would watch Crazy Tom finish while drinking a beer or two..........

$330 Single Table. Players start with T-3000, fifteen minute rounds, 25-50 and going up from there. The last player to sit down was a solid professional from Tunica who had just won his 3rd WPO bracelet to go along with his WSOP bracelet he won a few years back. He may have more than one, but I am not sure.

Hand One. This pro opened from EP for 150 (25-50 blinds) for the 4th time in the first 7 hands. A solid young player calls, the button calls and I call the additional 100 with 74s. The flop comes 737. Woohoo, now lets get paid off here. I check, pro bets 225, and young player raises to 450, button folds. I smooth called after thinking about it, hoping the pro would actually have a hand and put in a really big reraise. The pro folded. Turn is an offsuit A. I check with the very clear intention of check raising all in. He checked behind. Now before the dealer put out the river, I started to go through what hands he could possibly have here. Unfortunately, the raise on the flop was no help because he was raising an apparent continuation bet from the pro, which meant that he could have anything, including 33, but I doubted it. I put him on 66, 88 or 99. I was not sure. The river was a beautiful 4. I thought for about five seconds and bet 800, 2/3rds the pot. He thought for 30 seconds and called. He mucked without showing.

I cruised down to five players with no really big showdowns. I got AA once with the chip leader opening in EP, but he would not go further as he folded to my reraise preflop. And at five players I pushed all in with 66 in the SB to the buttons raise. He mucked and then got busted the next hand with AJ v. AK. When we got to four handed the chip stacks were relatively event and I offered a deal (primarily because I wanted to play the $500 event and buying in directly would have put me over my weekend budget). 2-4 would get one chip each and first would get 3 chips. The deal was agreed to and my next hand was the BB. The pro opened all in on the button and I look down at AKs. I instacall after the button folds. He has Q9 and my hand holds. I fold the SB and Button the next two hands. In the BB, the button goes all in and I look down at AA. I call and he is completely dominated with A6. I flop the last one and I am on my way. I have 3/4 the chips and win the tournament a few hands later with a flopped top pair. Woohoo, three chips. I sell two of the chips and use the third to get into the daily event.

$540 event

I cannot get my stack above the starting T-2000. Honestly, I lost the first chip I put in the pot and never built the stack above T-2000. I play my short stack patient but aggressive and make it deep. I go out around 130/390. It was a good 4 hour exercise in short stack poker. I really wish it would have been a 10 hour exercise in big stack poker, but alas it was not to be.

Crazy Tom

I go over with beer in tow and start to sweat Crazy Tom in the $1500 event. They are down to 20 players with 18 getting paid. Crazy Tom plays the bubble masterfully (honestly Tom, you played it perfectly). He gets unlucky to a LP short stack's all in when Crazy Tom calls with A9. He is up against A8 and the lucky short stack catches an eight on the flop. The bubble lasts for about 20 hands it seems. Crazy Tom plays AKs on the button perfectly against a big stack in the BB who reraised. CT rereraises all in and the big stack had to muck. CT is up to 45,000 and is in no risk of bubbling. He does get it all in against the previous chip leader that mucked to CT's all in. Unfortunately CT had JJ and the other player had QQ. The door card was a J, but there was a Q in the flop as well and CT is back down to 30,000. The bubble burst and CT draws the seat immediately to the left of John Pham, who is the chip leader. To makes a mistake around 14 players left with 44 up against a pretty good player. The other player had 66 and they held.

CT goes out a very respectable 14th for $3400. Good job Crazy Tom.

We then proceed to party it up with drink and, let me get the order straight:

Blackjack and alcohol
Craps and alcohol
Blackjack and alcohol
Three Card Poker (no more alcohol)
Craps
.....

And 2-5 NL and coffee (a lot of coffee).

I end up even for the above list (win at the silly games, lose with three straight flushes in NL to one bigger and two rivered full houses).

It is 6:00 AM, the sun is peaking out and CT and I decide to head back to Music City. No sleep and we hit the blackline back to Music City. Tom goes down around 40 miles east of Memphis and has to stop for a nap. I make it to mile 100 or so on I-40 and then take a 20 minute power nap. I get up and make it to the house while Mrs. Grip is at church. I shower and get another 1 hour power nap before she gets home. We have a dinner party and I am in bed by 10:00 PM. I sleep like a log.

All in all a good weekend, I broke really close to even and had a blast with Crazy Tom.

Mrs. Grip had surgery yesterday and is out of commission for the next few weeks. I will travel to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl (come on Steelers, one more win PLEASE) with Kentucky Rock, Crazy Tom and JM. I will not play much between now and then, but will have to practice a little on line before I go.

My game is in decent shape. I did not see any glaring holes in my game in any tournament. I tended toward a solid tight aggressive style. This is going to work well going forward. Until next time,

Good Luck and See You at the Felt............................