Saturday Night Tournament


I played in my monthly poker league Saturday night.  I call it the L&BM tournament because the majority of the members are either lesbians or black men.  Yes that makes me in the minority but I don't mind a bit.  It's a great group of people and always alot of fun.

Saturday's game was a $20 buyin with a $5 scratch ticket bounty.  As I've mentioned before I LOVE a bounty.  The problem is I HATE scratch tickets.  Scratch tickets suck as the majority of them are losers.  I like my gambling when I have the edge, not the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.    But it's not my game so I don't make the rules.

As soon as I got there I heard alot of bull shit from one of the brothers because I (the force to be reckoned with) was out first last time.  I took it in stride though.  I've been prepping for my Foxwoods tourney on Friday so I was more than ready to play.  Honestly, I felt like a mouse trap wired a little toooooo tight.  My trap sprung and *wap* I hit people a little too hard.  These are not pros by any means but when I'm on, I'm on.  The hostess kept complaining (yet calling) when I raised her big blind yet again.  Heh.  And yeah I did end up knocking her out even though she fed me. 

The first significant hand came soon enough - and it was a hand I made a very dumb mistake in.  I raised it up with Q-J and got a bunch of callers.  Flop was 10-8-3.  Rick bet 800 and everyone folded to me.  I put him on a 10 and what did I have but two over cards and an inside straight draw.  I knew I neededd to hit a Q, J or 9 and the odds were about 40% that I would.  Thas was more than I needed to make the 800 call.  Turn was a lovely 9.  I checked, he bet 1,600 and I raised to 4K total.  He thought a while and called.  Hmmmm I put him on a 10 but did he have trips?

The river paired the board with another nine so immediately I was on full house alert.

Now there was alot of chips in the pot.  We started with 10K.  I checked to him as I thought there was enough in there and he bets his 5k chip.  Fuck.  I do NOT want to be out first again.  I'm sooo focused on the big bet and worried that he caught a full house that all I'm thinking is 'fold or call?...fold or call?' without taking the time to look at the stack he had left.

I decide to call and he turns over J-10 for 2 pair and I happily show him my straight.  I practically doubled up.

Here's the dumb part.  I'm playing a bounty tournament and all he had left was one 50 chip.  Instead of making him put that 50 chip in and collecting his bounty I just called.  Stupid moves like that lose money and tournaments.  I should've had his scratch ticket bounty but I moved in haste. 

The rest of the night seemed like a workshop on how to play poker.  I think I was too tuned up for my Foxwoods tourney so these guys didn't have a chance.  I called the players hands correctly over and over again.  Soon enough I had the lion's share of the chips and 3-4 peeps were very shortstacked.

At one point I took out two people at once - the lovely hostess and the guy to my left.  I was holding A-5 sooted (spades) and hit my nut flush on the river.  Hostess jammed all in, the other guy called and this time I re-rasied all in making the other guy put his last few chips in.  There were no pairs on the board so I had the absolute nuts with my ace high flush yet he instacalled.  Hostess had two pair and the guy had one pair.  Go figure.

When we were down to 3 peeps the shortie jammed all in.  I had A-8.  Longtime readers know how I feel about ace rag....it sucks!  But when you're playing three handed you just can't afford the luxury of throwing such a hand away as it's most likely the best hand.  Earlier in the night the shortie made a standard raise but I just knew he was sitting on a monster and when the hand was over I said "You have K-K or better".  And yep, he turned over A-A.

But this time my speech with my A-8 was different.  "I know you're just trying to steal the blinds.  I bet I have two over cards.  I call with A-8."

He turned over 7-2.

Well my read (and all my reads that night) was spot on, but he had the hammer!  I immediately got the feeling of dread in my belly.  The flop came down hammer free but the turn was a 7 and I doubled him up.  Not the end of the world but kind of ironic.

I literally beat him about the arms and shoulders for a few minutes (I'm a hitter) and then the game resumed.  I ended up taking out the other guy and me and Mr. Shortie were heads up.

Heads up lasted about 3 hands and it was gg shortie.  Very Josie first place winnar! 

Mama is ready for Foxwoods. But here's the thing.  Someone ugly smart made an observation that when I play my local tourneys I win alot because I'm a big fish in a little pond.   However Foxwoods is a big lake and I become a little fishie when swimming there.  He may be onto something but I pointed out that I kicked ass at the cash game at Foxwoods. I dunno.  I do feel like I've outgrown the little L&BM pond.  I'm ready to swim with the big fishies.

Oh and let's get back to the shitty scratch tickets bounties for a minute.  At the end of the game I'd won (5) $5 scratch tickets.  One guy that I'd knocked out was holding a $5 winner and he asked me if I'd trade the ticket he'd given me for the $5 winner.  Maybe he thought he was sitting on a big winner?  I dunno but I readily agreed to the trade.  I watched him scratch it and it was a loser anyway.  Then I scratched my other 4 tickets and they were all losers too.  Whatever.  First place got me some extra gambling money for Foxwoods!

Play smart.

Josie



Comments

lightning36 said…
Crushing a home game has little to do with poker in the real world, as a "wise" poker sage has already said. It is good for the ego, but ...

Here's to some good karma during the week to have you relaxed and prepared for the biggie. gl!
Josie said…
Wow here's a first - Lightning calling Waffles wise!
Lucki Duck said…
"The Hammer" claims another victim.

GL at Foxwoods!
Josie said…
TY Ducky!

Yeah the hammer's hit me again.
Memphis MOJO said…
Good prep for Friday. GL.
BVUGrad2003 said…
"I knew I neededd to hit a Q, J or 10 and the odds were about 40% that I would."
Don't you mean you needed to hit a Q, J, or 9?
Otherwise, thanks for the fun Poker-related story :D Play Smart at Foxwoods!
Josie said…
Thanks Jon! You are correct and I fixed the post. tyvm xoxo
raydenzel1 said…
This just shows that math smarts are important playing poker.

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