Did I deserve better? (to steal a quote from Phil Hellmuth)

I had Eddie's freeroll last night, and all in all it was alot of fun with some good, albeit interesting, poker action. I'm looking forward to season 3.

Eddie took an idea of mine for the final table and he decided to have everyone have descending chip counts from 1st ranked to the 11th seat (yes we played 11 handed). I moved up from 7th to 4th in recent weeks, so I started with 32,000 in chips. 1st started with 50K, and 11th had 7500. I thought it put an interesting feel to the game, and with the blinds starting at 100/200, the top people got to play with deep stacks for the first time in a while. They held a satellite earlier in the night with all the money going towards the prize pool. Final pot = $1050. Top 5 pay out.

Somewhere in the first 4 hands, I picked up KK in middle position. There was a raise UTG by the satellite winner to 600, and a caller 2 seats over. I made it 2400 to go, and it folded to the raiser who called as well as the original caller. I like this raise alot because if the flop comes with no Ace, which is what I put the raiser on, he would have to call if he hit the flop because he has 5K left or so, and there's 7500 in the pot. Flop comes Q 10 7 rainbow. Action is check, and the middle player bets 2000 into me. I decide to raise to 4000 and the original raiser goes all in for 5100 which doesn't open the raising. We both call, and check down the turn and river, and I say "just kings". I never saw what Anthony, the middle player, had. The original raiser had AQ, and I took down the pot and eliminated a player early on.

In fact, the first 4 players gone were the 11th, 10th, 9th and 8th in a row. Anthony built up a huge chip lead (pushing 100K) early on and was seated 2 to my right. He put alot of pressure on me when he had the button or was in the cutoff. At the first break i had 55K in chips for 2nd place so far, and with blinds going up to 800/1600, some people were going to have to make moves, and I'd have to be careful where to gamble. If there was one crazy thing about the game, it was that most people were scared to play postflop, so they would go all in for like 20x the BB preflop, and usually have like A 10 or something, but get no callers. I was waiting for a hand that I could pounce on.

Tim, who finished first overall, and started with the most chips had a healthy stack and raised in middle position to 8K. I wake up with QQ in the small blind, and having about 32K left after taking a hit, I decide to go all in to make it look like a semi-weak hand like everyone else was showing. Now, Tim's a smart player and I could tell he thought I was up to no good, but he called the extra 2300 or so, and flipped over AJ. No Ace for him and I won a really nice pot. Tim was soon out after I crippled his stack. Down to 5 people now, we were all in the money, the next one out would get $50.

We played for well over an hour, and with the blinds at 1600/3200 and a 400 ante, I raised to 8000 UTG with 66. Anthony, who granted had my number all night, called in the SB, and we took a rainbow flop of 6 9 Q. He immediatly bet 10K into me, and finally the situation I had been dreaming of all night came about. There was 18K plus the 10K that he bet, and I had 32K left. Just for Tieds, I did my best acting job, and said that I didn't have enough to fold, and went all in. He thought about it for a while, but I guess he felt since he hit, he'd have to call if I was bluffing. He flipped over K 9 for middle pair, and actually hit a K on the river, but it didn't matter. I had taken a nice chunk from the chip leader who was now down to 83K and I had upwards of 72K or so.

I was waiting for one of the short stack to die, but she wouldn't, she would keep surviving her all-ins, then ante her chips to death, then survive again. Everyone seemed to be playing for the money, and being very timid. I felt like Negreanu in Paris last year, NO ONE would go broke, so I volunteered myself....

I'll be damned if I don't remember this hand for the rest of my life. I'm in the SB and pick up AA. One player there had been all-in for a ton of chips preflop many times. He raised under the gun to the minimum of 6400. I decided to just smooth call (we'll discuss this play later, and Ditty/Tieds/Will, feel free to leave comments on what you think I should have done). Flop comes As10h8c. I check and he goes all in!!! I call before he can push his chips, and he flips over Jd6d. Turn brings a Qc, and I joke with Eddie that if he flips over a 9 or a K, I'll punch him. The river brings the 9s, and I lose 38,000 chips due to a perfect runner runner. I had him covered but with blinds at 2k/4k with a 500 ante, I had to make a move soon. I picked up A 10 on the button and went all in and the guy who took my chips before called my with AJ! Oh well, it was not meant to be, and I finished in 5th for a winning of $50.

After the game, I kept thinking about that hand. Obviously, if I bet the flop I win, but I really wanted the big score there, and to also send a message to the other players that I can trap them easily too. I was an 80% favorite to win that hand preflop and an 85% favorite on the flop. I think I'll get my money in there the same way every time.

After my exit, I gave Eddie $5 that he's collecting from people for the purchase of a table for the next season. I look forward to it.