Change100 at PokerWorks

After a 2 week hiatus, I got back on the horse and played another blogger tournament. Pauly was feeling well enough to play in the Riverchasers tourney and I decided to join him, having really nothing better to do until the series finale of The O.C. came on at 9 PM.

I knew going in that I was going to play SUPER tight. I mean, like tight even for me. Too often in the recent past I’ve been taking more gambles in the early stages of tournaments and getting a roundhouse kick in the junk for attempting to change up my style. So I’d go back to what used to work for me back when I used to win tournaments. Folding. A lot.

I played 6 hands out of the 61 dealt before the first break. I showed down exactly two of them. Aces and the hammer. Don’t think I could have had a better image. I went to the first break with 14 big blinds and finally started stealing a little once we returned. Then I hooked up in a three-way all in with A-A vs K-Q and A-Q and actually won it and tripled up to about 4400. I was back in the hunt and promptly went completely card dead.

Then I got stupid and made an idiot amateur move. In the first ante level, I picked up aces again, UTG and made a standard raise. I got flat-called by the button and the blinds folded. Flop was K-Q-baby, no suits. I bet 1200 into the 1800 pot and the button flat-calls. OK… please don’t tell me you have K-Q buddy, because that would just be sick. Do you have like A-K or A-Q or even J-T or something like that? But those hands would probably raise in that spot, WTF? Turn is another uncoordinated baby, putting two spades on the board. Check or push? Check or push? Fuuuuck. If I check, I know he’s pushing. If I push, well that’s it. Fuuuuuuck I hate that flat call on the flop. Hate it. Especially that flop. I puss out and check. He predictably pushes. I have 2400 left, which at this point is ten big blinds. Everything is telling me that I’m beat. C’mon, just lay it down…

But I call anyway. He turns over K-K for the flopped set and I go broke with one pair like the donkey I am. I’m pretty sure I’d have laid it down if I were in anything other than an $11 blogger-ish event with a table full of unfamiliar opponents. OK, gg. IGHN. Boo fucking hoo.

At least I made a break.

Congrats to Al who made twin fifth place finishes in both the Riverchasers and CC’s Bash and to Gracie who got heads-up in the Riverchasers and probably would have taken it down if not for a sicko beat (who calls all-in with only a 9 high flush draw?)

Tomorrow afternoon I head out to the light-industrial ‘burb of Commerce, where I’ll be covering the Main Event of the Commerce Casino’s L.A. Poker Classic for PokerNews. Amidst an all-star lineup including Schecky, Shronk, Shrink, Pauly, and Amy, I’m like the little rookie kid coming up from the farm team to play with the Yankees. I have a lot to live up to, but I’m ready and excited for the challenge. We all play in the media event at 3 PM Friday, where the winner is awarded a seat in the WPT Celebrity Invitational that follows the LAPC. Pauly narrowly missed winning that seat last year, finishing third after a couple of wicked beats from Barbara Enright.

Day 1 of coverage starts on Saturday, so make sure to mosey on over to PokerNews over the weekend to check out our reports.

And now, the series finale of The O.C…

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 22nd, 2007 at 9:30 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.