Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Stone Cold Nuts II is coming

The big event - the Stone Cold Nuts II is coming up in January on UB. How many of you are entered?

I watched von ebb win his entry last night but I couldn't find any other names on the list. Now there are over 1200 names so I easily could have missed someone.

Send me a note and tell me you are in. I can let everyone know so we can cheer you on. The way some of you have been so successful in the other big events - someone from HA should be able to go far in this one.

Good Luck.

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Slotcrazy45 Survived

Slotcrazy45 survived an excellent final table to post her first Holdem Affair win.  Aktim and Jennifear were the competition tonight and the action was strong.  Jennifear was the chip leader when we got to the final three and the money with Aktim a decided short stack.  Aktim showed some marvelous moves to climb into second and eventually send Jennifear to the observer’s lounge.  The heads up was marred briefly when Aktim lost his connection but in true Holdem Affair style Slotcrazy45 stalled until he was able to reconnect. Then she proceeded to put him away.

Only 25 players sat down this week.  I’m sure the holidays and the change in day made a difference this week in the numbers.  But it was a great tournament none the less.  I was limping along in the first hour getting absolutely nowhere.  About 45 minutes into the event my daughter called and needed me to come get her at work. She had locked herself out of her car.  Oh well, family comes before even the Holdem Affair so off I went. I figured  my night was done when I left.  Because of this I totally missed the first hour break. Sorry, but no leader board for the first hour.  When I got back I was pleased to see that I still had about 1000 chips and wasn’t in too bad of shape.  When I looked back over the hand history I saw that I hadn’t missed any decent hand to play so I felt better.  I figure I would have been in the same position if I was sitting in and probably would have been very frustrated with the lousy cards I was getting.  But then I got some cards and was able to make it to the final table.  With the smaller field the final table was seated  one hour 35 minutes into the Holdem Affair.  Here are your leaders.
  1. slotcrazy45 =  9740

  2. J Dub 1234 = 7025

  3. Mellow Yellow = 4860

  4. DebiMac = 3420

  5. Sunbob = 2855

  6. aktim = 2720

  7. Jennifear = 2670

  8. winforlife = 2310

  9. denniem = 1900

Laeshalady was actually tenth but busted out before the final table was seated.  That happened on the other table so I don’t know what happened but I heard that 3 people were eliminated in one wild hand.

Jennifear didn’t take long to make her presence known at this table.  The second hand she re-raised J dub all-in holding Ad Td.  J dub called with his pocket sevens.   The Ac on the flop was all she needed and J Dub was wounded.

I note this hand because I think it had a bearing on the fourth hand played. J Dub went all-in from middle position holding Kd Qs and DebiMac made the call holding Js Jc.  Deb was covered so was all-in.  The flop was bad for Deb when the Qh came on the board and then no jack showed up to bail her out.  DebiMac was our first victim of the final table.

It was only hand 8 and winforlife  re-raised aktim all-in before the flop holding pocket tens.  Oops, aktim was glad to look him up with his pocket Queens.  Winforlife had to settle for 8th place this week.

Hand 19 and I am languishing in last place when I see a cheap flop in the big blind come Qs 7d 5d.  Hmmm, I’ve got Tc 7c and hit second pair.  Let’s see if anybody else caught part of that flop.  I led out for 750 and slotcrazy45 immediately called.  Oops.  But the beautiful Ts came on the turn to give me two pair.  How about that, a big blind special.  I went all-in and slotcrazy called holding Kc Qh – top pair looks good on that board.  The Js was no help for either of us and I doubled up. Now I was back in the game.

We danced for the next 15 hands and then on hand 35, J Dub woke up and pushed all-in for 3085 holding 8d 7d.  His steal was looking good until aktim called in the big blind.  He showed pocket fours to make the gutsy call.  The fours held up and J Dub 1234 finished his first Holdem Affair in 7th place.  Good showing J Dub, we all hope you will be back for more.  You will be a force to contend with.

Hand 46 and Slotcrazy is in deep trouble with only 735 chips.  The antes were 25 and the blinds 150/300.  I was in the small blind and slot was in the big blind when I min-raised to 600 trying to steal.  Slotcrazy pushed all 710 into the middle and I had to call the extra 110.  I only had Qc 2h (yes, it was a steal attempt) and slotcrazy showed Ad Qh.  Oops, wrong time to steal.  Slotcrazy doubled up through me and was on her way.

Hand 48 Slotcrazy decides to mix it up with the chip leader.  Jennifear raised to 1200 and slot pushed for her last 1370.  Jenny had Ad Jd but slotcrazy held Ac Kh.  No help from the table and the king kicker held up. Slotcrazy had doubled up again.

Hand 53 and I’m in second place holding pocket nines.  I raised to 1500 and aktim pushed for 4880. I made the loose call and aktim showed his pocket kings.  I went from second place to last place in one hand.

Hand 55 and Mellow Yellow likes his pocket queens. Who wouldn’t?  All-in for 3145 pre-flop and Jennifear makes the call holding Ad Qh. Oh oh, Jenny, what have you done?  The Ac on the flop hit her three outer and Mellow Yellow was gone in 6th place.

Hand 58, I min-raised to 600 from EP and got two callers.  Bummer, didn’t want that.  The flop came 7s Qh 3c and we all checked.  The Ad was the turn card, slotcrazy bet 1925, denniem called and I dove for cover.  The river was the Js.  Slot pushed taking denniem all-in with her call.  Denniem showed Ah Th and had hit top pair with a very strong kicker.  But slotcrazy held pocket threes and had flopped her set.  It was all over for denniem – 5th place.  Excellent showing for this Holdem Affair newcomer.  Please come back – we loved playing with you.

Okay, I have to set the stage for this next hand (#61).  I am in the big blind with my last 1395 chips after posting the 400 blind.  Jennifear is to my right and the commanding chip leader (18605).  Folds to Jenny who raises 1400.  Of course I call even though I am only holding 8c 3c. Maybe they are not dominated.  Jennifear showed 6c 4c.  The final board showed  Ts 5c 4d Ah 2s and to be honest I had to look at the hand history to figure out how I had won with the wheel straight on the river.  What a weird hand.  That doubled me up but I was still in deep trouble.

Hand 70 and I have only 2190 before I post the small blind of 200. All fold to me and I pushed holding Ts 8s.  I’m hoping that slotcrazy will fold but if not, maybe I can get lucky, again.  But slotcrazy has 15000 chips and rightly makes the call with her Ac Tc.  No help for me on the board and slotcrazy even makes her flush so I was gone in 4th place.  That hand also gave slotcrazy the chip lead.  Glad I could be of help to you slotcrazy – LOL.

For the next 30 hands slotcrazy and Jennifear dominated the action with the two big stacks. Aktim carefully picked his spots and stayed with them with a much smaller chip stack.  Slotcrazy had been getting the best of the action with Jennifear but on hand 99 it was actually Aktim that landed the final blow  to Jennifear.  They were both about equal in stacks with aktim having only 150 more chips.  Jennifear pushed pre-flop holding Ac 6d and aktim called with Ks 9h.  Jenny was a slight favorite but the Kd on the flop and the 9c on the turn sent Jennifear out in 3rd place.

We were now heads up and slotcrazy held a 2:1 chip lead.  But that lasted only a few hands when on hand 104 Aktim caught a full house and won a 22390 pot.

Hand 111 and Aktim takes another big pot.  Now he is better than 4:1 in the lead.  By hand 128, the antes are 75 and the blinds 30/600.  Aktim has 28015 chips and slotcrazy 9485.  Both see the cheap flop come 7c 2c 6h.  aktim bet 1350 and slot re-raised to 2700.  Aktim pushed it all and slot called.  Aktim showed 6d 9s and second pair but slotcrazy held Js 7d and top pair.  Slotcrazy caught a jack on the turn and a huge pot of  18970. The stacks were now even.

Unfortunately on 131 Aktim lost his connection.  Slotcrazy stalled and waited showing some great sportsmanship. Aktim came back for hand 146 and immediately pushed all-in.  By now he was down to 12230 and a 2:1 chip underdog.  Hand 147 was the end.  When the flop came 4s 8h 3s they got all the chips in the middle.  Aktim had Th 8s and top pair but slotcrazy held 8c Jd and the better kicker. The jack was the deciding card.  Slotcrazy had gone from all but dead on hand 46 to the win 100 hands later.

Great game for everyone and an amazing win for Slotcrazy.  This is a great tournament.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and

PEACE,

Sunbob

Friday, December 23, 2005

Fraud Alert

BEWARE
There is someone, or a group, that is going around and trying to hit up HA folks for money. He has come to me under the name stopbettingok, and other names for others. Ubmoneymaker was one that talked with Jewelcard. Stopbettingok told me he was puppypower and the same night told Woody13 that he was Guran. He asks for just one dollar. He also hit up Tai Pan and tried to get to Marti before Woody and I ran him off.

For those of you who got DebiMac's email about Ubmoneymaker trying to scam the Brainsturgeon tournament - I think this is the same person under a new name.

Folks, what you do with your money is your business, but I'm going to suggest that there are better places to spend it.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Papoorboy Couldn't Do 3

For the third week in a row our HA friend, papoorboy, earned an entry into the $150,000 Sunday night tournament on UB. The past two weeks he has won it. This week he was going for three in a row. And, WOW - did he come close. He made it to the final table for the third week but just couldn't close the sale this week. On the second hand of the final table his pocket sixes ran into pocket kings and Papoorboy had to settle for 10th place.

WTG, papoorboy. You are an inspiration to all of us who play together on Saturday night.

Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that Annie Duke, Antonio Esfandiari, KrazyKanuck, and some other pros - didn't make the final table.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Coachstove Returns

Coachstove hasn’t been with us for awhile but tonight he stopped by just to remind us that he still knew how to play.  No, I really shouldn’t say that – it sounds like he was being cocky and any one who knows coach knows he is a pleasure to have in the tournament.  He is one of the early regulars but he has been away for awhile playing at Bodog (boooooooooooo).  Coachstove has logged two other Holdem Affair titles and tonight he added another to his trophy case.  Stevob19 finished second and Jennifear third.  Mellow Yellow and Glenso rounded out the money table.

It was a real treat to have Coachstove back again.  Maybe he will be able to join us some more this coming year.

Thirty-four people entered the Affair this week.  This was a small but strong field with several who have been showing their skills in the big tournaments on UB this month.   I made it to 14th again this week.  DebiMac doubled up through me early in the second hour and I just didn’t recover.  Oh well, I’ll be back in the next one.

The final table was seated just before the second hour break.  Here are your leaders:
  1. Jennifear = 7380

  2. coachstove = 7205

  3. Glenso = 7075

  4. Tai pan = 6255

  5. Hemi Henry = 5800

  6. LazerRic = 5180

  7. Stevob19 = 4595

  8. onelunatik = 4180

  9. Jewelcard = 1980

  10. Mellow Yellow = 1350

The stacks were solid and no one really desperate when the final table was seated.  It was the fourth hand though, when Stevob19 went all-in and Jewelcard looked him up with his pocket sixes.  Oops, Stevob19 held pocket nines and then a nine came on the flop.  Jewelcard was done in 10th place.

Hand 13 saw onelunatik make the push on the river.  He held 6s 4s and the board showed 3d Kd 3s 5c Ac.  It was a total bluff when the ace fell on the river but Mellow Yellow had come along to that same river holding an ace and onelunatik was gone in 9th place.

Hand 21 and Tai pan was very short going all-in for his last 355 chips holding Ac 4s.  Coachstove held Ks Kh and that was all it took.  A king on the flop was only window dressing.  The Pacific Islander had to settle for 8th place.

Hand 33, Coachstove in the small blind and Hemi Henry in the big blind saw a cheap flop come 9h Ts 9c.  Coachstove checked and Henry just mini bet 600.  The turn added the 4s.  Coach checked again and Henry pushed his 1800 chips to the middle.  He held Jc Td and figured his two pair were good.  But Coachstove held 9s Th and was trapping with the flopped full house.  No miracle ten on the river and Hemi Henry settled for 7th place.

The bubble lasted 15 hands until LazerRic and Jennifear saw a cheap flop -  7c 3s 9c.  It looked pretty ragged to me but LazerRic seemed to like it when he bet 3000.  Jennifear pushed back all-in for 7700 and LazerRic made the call.  Not a bad play.  Jenny had been pushing the table around, which is her style.  In fact she and coachstove had been battling for table dominance almost from the first hand.  But this time Jennifear held Kh 9h and Ric was done for the night.

We were down to the money table with Jennifear in the chip lead and Coachstove close behind.  Stevob19 was the short stack but took 4 of the next six hands to actually take the chip lead by hand 55.  Coachstove raised to 200 UTG on that hand and Glenso fired back with his last 4695 holding Kc Qd.  Coachstove thought about it but he was holding As Qs ands figured it was a good call.  When the flop came 3h Ad Jh Coach was golden.  Glenso was sent to the lounge with fifth place money.

Stevob, Coach and Jenny traded chips around for the next few hands until Mellow Yellow woke in hand 62 with Ac 8s.  Jennifear had no respect for his pre-flop raise and pushed back taking M Y all-in before the flop even hit the table.  Jennifear had Ad 9h and that was all it took.  The 9h on the turn just reinforced the result.  Mellow Yellow was out in 4th place.

When we got down to three the stacks were pretty even.  Jenny had 19K, coach 15k and Steve 15k.  The battle was on.  The very next hand Stevob19 tried a play and coachstove pushed back and won the hand, but it cost Steve 9000 chips.  From there it was a battle between Jenny and coach for control of the board.

This battle ended on hand 72.  Jenny raised to 2400 pre-flop and Coach fired back for 6200.  Jennifear pulled out the heavy artillery and pushed all-in.  Coach made the call.  Jenny held Ac Kh and Coachstove showed Ah Qs.  This was an interesting hand.  Before the flop Jenny was  a 3:1 favorite.  The flop came Jh 5h 9h.  Coach now had a flush draw and the odds changed to 59:41 for Jenny.  The turn was the Tc adding a straight draw for Coachstove.  But the odds looked better for Jenny with just one card to go 68:32.  The Kd on the river hit them both.  Jenny had top pair but Coachstove had the straight.  Jennifear was gone in 3rd place.

With a 10:1 chip lead it just took Coachstove three hands to finish this tournament.  Stevob19 really needed some cards to come back and they didn’t come for him.  

Another great night.  I know, I know – I say that each week.  But am I wrong?  Isn’t this one of the best ways to spend a Saturday Night?  Good friends and good competition, isn’t that enough for you?  Well if that alone isn’t enough of a reason to play each week then remember that this tournament is turning out some very good players who are having success in the big events on UB.  If you can play in the Holdem Affair you can play in the biggest tournaments offered.

Merry Christmas and PEACE.

Sunbob

Sunday, December 11, 2005

MagikCowboy Won a Wild One

In what had to be one of the wildest final tables ever for a Holdem Affair, MagikCowboy defeated BunaBoy1234 to post his first Holdem Affair victory. Froth had a huge stack going into the final table and with some terrible luck ended up finishing seventh. MagikCowboy started out in 6th place and just put on a clinic of final table strategy to come out on top. ThreesRWild came in third, DebiMac fourth, and Mellow Yellow placed fifth.

This is a growing field. There were fifty-two entries this week. There was a lot of action this week in the first hour. Froth dominated the table that I was on. Much of that came from one new entrant that just did not quite understand the level of competition that sits down each Saturday in this event. For those of you that haven’t noticed yet, a rather large number of our regulars are doing very well in the larger tournaments on UB.

We were down to 34 when the first hour break allowed us to relieve our bladders. Froth was leading the pack. Here is your leaderboard.
  1. Froth = 7485

  2. Taximan = 4585

  3. Hazy Cat = 3870

  4. DebiMac = 3720

  5. burldog44 = 3535

  6. Txmom22 = 3385

  7. MdnghtSn49 = 3365

  8. MagikCowboy = 3360

  9. winforlife = 3290

  10. RayNCallie = 3180

It was interesting that the second hour break and seating the final table came at the same time. I don’t think that coincidence had ever occurred before in a Holdem Affair. Froth was still the dominant factor. Here is your final table.
  1. Froth = 20700

  2. RayNCallie = 10865

  3. BunaBoy1234 = 8960

  4. msrinny02 = 8570

  5. Jennifear = 7485

  6. MagikCowboy = 6220

  7. DebiMac = 4995

  8. Mellow Yellow = 4020

  9. Taximan = 3100

  10. ThreesRWild = 3085

No one was desperate going into the final table so the early action was solid. It was hand 20 with the antes 75 and blinds 300/600 before the first player was eliminated. Taximan was down to 450 chips and had to make a play. Jd 9d looked good enough and he pushed it all-in preflop. Jennifear was the only taker holding pocket tens. The tens held up and Taximan was gone.

Just two hands later and the action is picking up. Mellow Yellow raised to 1800 and msrinny02 made the call from the small blind. When the flop came 7d 2h Ts, rinny pushed in the rest of her 4395 chips. Mellow Yellow made the call and they showed pocket jacks for rinny and pocket queens for Mellow Yellow. Bummer rinny. No miracle jack for msrinny02 and she was out in 9th place.

Two more hands and Jennifear calls from the small blind and MagikCowboy sees the free flop come Kc 5d 7d. Jennifear held Qd 3d and made the push (2950) with the flush draw. MagikCowboy held 5c 3h and had caught bottom pair. MagikCowboy made the gutsy call and it turned out to be the right one. The fives held up and Jennifear was done for the night.

At the end of this hand Froth had 24,575 chips. Mellow Yellow was second with 15890. Froth was holding court. But on this next hand the momentum would shift. With two limpers ahead of him, Froth raised from the big blind to 2925. MagikCowboy was the only caller. The flop showed 7s 8d 9d. Post flop, MagikCowboy checked and Froth bet 6975. MagikCowboy over the top for all his chips. Froth was holding Qd Qs and was happy for the action. Oops, MagikCowboy showed 6d 5d. He had made the call with suited connectors and had flopped his straight. That play earned MagikCowboy a 22215 chip pot and the lead.

The very next hand Froth raised from the small blind to 1200 holding As 9h. RayNCallie made the call. The flop came 8d 6d Ad and Froth bet out 4725 with top pair. RayNCallie pushed in all his 7515 chips and froth had him covered so he called. RayNCallie turned over Ah Qd and it didn’t look good for Froth. The board offered no more help and now Froth was down to 5165 chips.

Hand 28, the third consecutive hand in this sequence, saw everyone fold to Froth on the button. Froth bet 2625, a solid raise for a steal or a play. Mellow Yellow called from the big blind. The flop showed 6d Kh 4s, Mellow Yellow bet 2500 and Froth pushed all 2465 into the middle. Froth held Ad 4d and had caught the bottom of that flop. The flop had missed Mellow Yellow but it didn’t matter when he turned over Jh Jd. The Js on the turn and it was all over for Froth. At first glance this looked like a Mike Matusow blow up but when you look at the play, it was really sound, solid poker at every step. The kind of solid play that had served Froth very well for over 200 hands. The breaks just went all against him for three hands straight and that is often the deciding factor in a tournament.

We got to breathe for just one hand because hand 30 saw even more action. RayNCallie raised UTG to 1200. MagikCowboy smooth called and Mellow Yellow re-raised to 2400. Both RayNCallie and MagikCowboy said they liked their hands well enough to see the flop - Td 9h Kh. RayNCallie bet 8550. MagikCowboy called and Mellow Yellow pushed with 18730. Wow. But wait, RayNCallie said – not so fast oh mellow one and pushed in his stack. And MagikCowboy just calmly made the call. What is going on here? We have the three biggest stacks playing for the pot and all of the chips are in the middle. RayNCallie showed Ad Kc – okay, that explains his play.
Mellow Yellow showed Ac Kd. – wow, both had flopped top pair with the top kicker. No wonder they pushed it all.
MagikCowboy chuckled and turned over his Th 9c. He had flopped two pair. Oh my, this turn and river could decide the tournament. The turn was the 7d (no help), and the 4d on the river didn’t change things either. MagikCowboy had knocked out numbers two and three and now had 62725 chips, out of the 78000 chips on the table.

The very next hand DebiMac fell when MagikCowboy called her all-in holding just 6d 3s and Deb had Kd Qc. The flop came 2d 4d 5d giving Deb the flush draw and Magik the straight. No more diamonds and DebiMac was gone in 4th place.

Hand 40 and all three see the cheap flop come Qs 6s 6d. MagikCowboy bet 800 and ThreesRWild raised to 5100. Magik re-raised to 9400 taking TRW all-in when he made the call. ThreesRWild held Ks Qd and had flopped two pair but MagikCowboy had been in the big blind holding just 6c 3c. That was just enough to flop trips and TRW was done for the night.

Heads up lasted 10 hands. Going in Magik had 60955 and BunaBoy only 17045. But hand 43 BunaBoy took a 16000 chips pot and two hands later a 43000 pot. Hand 46 and BunaBoy was ahead. MagikCowboy took the lead back on hand 48. At the beginning of hand 50 BunaBoy had 38890 chips on front of him and MagikCowboy 39110. A difference of only 220 chips. Now that is close.

They both saw the cheap flop come 9s Th 5d. Magik bet 1800 and BunaBoy called. The turn was the Qh. They both woke up to that queen. Magik bet 5400, BunaBoy raised to 21600, and Magik made it 36190 – all of his chips. BunaBoy called.
BunaBoy showed 9d Tc – he had flopped two pair.
MagikCowboy held 8s 2h and only had a gut shot straight draw. It was looking bad for the cowboy. But sometimes it is just your night and this night the poker gods smiled on MagikCowboy. The Jh came on the river and gave MagikCowboy the straight and the win.

What a wild final table. This definitely one of the most amazing tables we have played.

Another great week. Just getting to the final table of this event is an accomplishment.

Enjoy the holidays.

Sunbob

Friday, December 09, 2005

Picture of Dime04


New pictures are arriving. Thanks Jenn for sending this one on to me.

Here we have Dime04 (Isaac). Check out the name on the head of the guitar.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Travdaddy11 Picture


Since my photo gallery is full on the old site I will have to start posting pictures on this site. At least it will keep them and people can access them directly via the links. We may even find that we like this better.

Here is Travdaddy11 and his nephew. Thanks to DebiMac for sending it in.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Addicted to Sudoku

Yes, it is true. I have found a new addiction. It is called Sudoku. If you aren't familiar with Sudoku consider yourself lucky. Sudoku is a (new?) type of puzzle that uses numbers. Digits 1 through 9 in a row, column and box. It can be infuriating and, I guarantee, very addictive. Once you try it look out. You will find yourself going nuts trying to figure it out. Once you get the hang of them it is even worse. Then you find yourself carrying the puzzle around in your pocket - stealing moments of free time to work on it.

We have gotten started working on them at the store. (Can you tell business has been slow lately?) When you solve one you find yourself running off to your co-worker to show him your prize.

If you haven't tried them yet, or just want more puzzles to feed your addiction I have placed a link to Web Sudoku in my links section. But be duly warned - this activity is very addictive. You may find it will even cut into your poker playing time.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Froth Wins Again

Froth did it again this week. He overcame 37 sharks to win this week's Holdem Affair. It was down to Jennifear and Froth in the heads up match but Froth was too much for Jenn tonight.

BTW, Marti has an important announcement that will be coming out soon. As soon as I get the details I will post them here.

This was an average sized field this week but the competition was fierce as always. We were down to 25 by the first hour break. Here are your leaders:
slotcrazy45 = 3745
greatape = 3720
aktim = 3660
Laeshalady = 3195
Kate Starbird = 3180
ThreesRWild = 3040
winforlife = 2035
Fatalis Macina = 2875
froth = 2760
Stevob19 = 2490

We were down to the final table before the second hour break this week. Althoug it was close. My records show the event had run for an even 2 hours when the final 10 was determined. During this time, Aktim had taken the lead and msrinny02, Jennifear and Froth had made strong moves to leading positions when we all sat down. Here are your final table names.
Aktim = 11470
msrinny02 = 9625
Jennifear = 7510
froth = 6860
Kate Starbird = 5990
Jewelcard = 4000
JesusFish = 3835
Sunbob = 2420
Idblondee = 2195
NDIrish60 = 1595

Looks like some pretty familiar names on that list. And, yes kind reader, I did make it back to the final table this week. The frozen one was dominating the tables and those two sharkettes were close behind.

Msrinny02 took a big hit on just the second hand when she was all in holding Ah Kh and the turn board showed 5c 3s 8d Ks. Unfortunately Froth was holding 5d 5h and had flopped a set. The Ace on the river wasn’t enough help for msrinny and she went second to ninth in just one hand. Hand 9 and Msrinny has to push her pocket fives when the flop came 2d 6h 7c. Kate Starbird was the only one seeing the flop with her. Surely that flop didn’t hit her, did it? Sorry Rinny, yes it did. Kate had raised pre-flop holding Ah 7h and had hit top pair. Those sevens were all it took and Msrinny02 was the first victim of the final table.

Hand 16 and another tough beat befalls the field. Kate Starbird raised pre-flop and Jewelcard made the call holding As Qc. The flop looked great for Jewelcard - 8c 7c Ad. He held top pair/good kicker with the backdoor flush draw to boot. All-in was the play and Kate made the call. Oops – Kate only held Ac 5h – she looked to be in trouble. The turn was the Kc and now Jewelcard looked even stronger. Kate was down to just two outs – she had to match her 5 and the 5c would give Jewelcard his flush. But it was the 5s that floated down the river and poor Jewelcard was gone in 9th place.

Hand 27 and now we’ve got some serious action. The antes were 50 and the blinds 200/400. Aktim raised to 1000, Froth called and two of us dove for cover but JesusFish raised all-in for 1690. One more fold and Aktim pushed all of his chips (10095) and Froth made the call. We now have over 22,000 chips in the middle. This is a serious pot.
JesusFish shows 8d 9d.
aktim shows Kd Jd.
froth shows Qd Qh.
The flop came Th Jh 9c. Aktim was still in the lead but JF had a pair and a straight draw to go with it. The turn was the Ah and Aktim was still looking good. The river was the 6h and, oh my goodness, that gave Froth the four card flush. The miracle river knocked out Aktim and JesusFish. The man from the far north had gone from first to seventh. I’ll resist the temptation to make reference to his cards running cold. (Okay, I lied.)

NDIrish60 was short stacked and after posting the small blind, he had to go all-in for his last 565 on the next hand. Qh 8s may not look like much but, hey, you got to do what you got to do. But Kate Starbird showed pocket tens at the showdown and that was all she needed. NDIrish60 was our bubble winner this week. Bummer.

We are now down to five and the money table. Froth was in command with Jennifear and Kate in second and third. I was a distant fourth and Idblondee was down to her last 1765 chips. Idblondee was all in on the next hand and won a 4655 pot. Looking good girl.

Three times at this final table I was all-in only to split the pot. Hand 35 was a classic example of this frustration. I flopped a set holding pocket sevens against Idblondee and her pocket kings. The table ended up 7c 8s 6s 9c 5d and the straight on the table was high hand.

Hand 46 came along and I had Ah As and was first to act. Like an idiot I just limped hoping one of these sharks would raise pre-flop. Jennifear made the call and Idblondee saw the flop from the big blind. The flop came Qc Jc 8d. Well that’s not a great flop for me but maybe not too bad. Okay, all-in is my play – and Jennifear made the call. Well, I got some action but what could Jenny have to make that call? Oh chit – she has Ac Tc. I’m ahead right now but she has a flush draw and a double gut straight draw. I was ahead but actually a 54%/44% underdog to win the hand. The 9c on the turn was just an insult giving Jennifear a straight and a flush. I was gone in fifth place.

Four hands later and Kate Starbird raised to 2400 only to see Froth come along for the ride. The flop was 4h Jc 2c. Froth bet 6000 taking Kate Starbird all-in for her last 2315. Kate had actually hit part of the flop with her Kh 2d and was ahead of Froth’s Kc Qd. It looked good for Kate until the river Qh. Froth had hit one of his three outs and Kate had to settle for 4th place.

Idblondee had climbed the ladder to third place, milking her short stack for all it was worth. But hand 53 was the end of the run. Blondee had Jc 5s and went up against Froth holding Kc 3s. The flop actually hit them both but Froth held the pair of kings and that was enough. Idblondee was out in 3rd place.

The heads up match between Jennifear and Froth was brief. Froth had 41,000 chips and Jennifear had 13,000. I’ve seen Jennifear come back was longer odds than that but this wasn’t the week. The final hand – hand 58 of the final table – was a classic heads up encounter. They saw a cheap flop come 2s 7s 8s. Jennifear had limped with her pocket queens but now it was time to push. All-in and – oops- Froth called. With 7c 5s he had flopped second pair and the flush draw. The 6s on the turn was all it took and Froth had his second Holdem Affair win.

What a great night. This event is so competitive that on any given week just about anyone can win it. And the practice must be good because I’m seeing many of the HA regulars at final tables of other MTTs during the week. Folks this is a tough field. If you win this, or even just make the final table, you know you are doing something right.

Peace,

Sunbob

Friday, December 02, 2005

We Are Taking Over

We are taking over. The Holdem Affair regulars are on a run. If you haven’t already done so, check out Jennifear’s site to see the chronicle of how well our friends are doing in the MTT’s at UB. Dime04, Sengar, Dissident, Papoorboy, Hays, Travdaddy, just to get the list started, have done well this past week in the various tournaments that they have entered. I watched Sengar just destroy a final table a couple nights ago. I’m not going to try to duplicate Jenny’s reporting here. Just go to her site and see what we are doing.

It just goes to show the strength of the Holdem Affair field each Saturday night.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Last to First - Marti Wins

Fifty-three players tonight and Marti showed us how it was done.  She was amazing at the final table.  She started out in 10th place with only 1180 chips when the final table was seated.  She was down to 485 chips on the second hand but won that and doubled up.  Then she doubled up again, and again and again.  Before anyone knew it she was the chip leader.  It finally came down to Marti and TravDaddy in the heads up match.  The tide shifted back and forth but it was Marti’s night to shine.

BunaBoy1234 was in charge the first hour.  I’m afraid that I was one that helped him get there.  We were both cruising along that first hour and doing well.  Then, about 45 minutes into the Affair, I got AKs in the big blind.  I raised and BunaBoy called.  When the flop came AK2 I thought I had him.  All-in on the flop and BunaBoy made the call.  I had flopped top two pair and was happy with the call but BunaBoy held pocket deuces and I was out in 43rd place.  BunaBoy doubled up on that hand and that was good enough to give him the chip lead at the first hour break.  We were down to 40 when the first break came around.
  1. BunaBoy1234 = 4585

  2. SusieQue = 4540

  3. froth = 4460

  4. nicnac16 = 4280

  5. Papoorboy = 3890

  6. MagikCowboy = 3550

  7. Mongoose = 3450

  8. Angel 1221 = 3100

  9. von ebb = 2810

  10. Iw3077  = 2630


The second hour is always the shake out hour in the HA.  With 40 still in the running going into the second hour we didn’t seat the final table before the second break.  But we had a reshuffling of the leaders.  Here are your second hour survivors.
  1. Dime04 = 18680

  2. FatalisMacina = 10555

  3. Papoorboy = 8925

  4. nicnac16 = 7310

  5. SusieQue = 6905

  6. ThreesRWild = 6610

  7. Travdaddy11 = 5025

  8. Iw3077 = 4070

  9. winforlife = 3345

  10. Angel 1221 = 2970

It was nearly 20 minutes into the third hour before the final table was seated.  And look closely at this list.
  1. FatalisMacina = 23625

  2. Dime04 = 15805

  3. Papoorboy = 7975

  4. Angel 1221 = 7870

  5. SusieQue = 6605

  6. Travdaddy11 = 6190

  7. Moxiegurll = 4800

  8. ThreesRWild = 3310

  9. winforlife = 2160

  10. marti = 1160

Do you see where Marti is?  Remember now that going into the final table the antes are now 75 and the blinds 300/600.  She doesn’t have enough chips to last the first orbit.  She has to make a move quickly and hand two was the beginning of her charge.  All-in for her last 410 holding Ah Ts and FatalisMacina calls with Qd Th.  The board ends up 5s Jc 2d 6d Jh and Marti has doubled up to 2280.

Hand 5 and Marti steals a 2250 pot pre-flop showing JJ.

Yes, there are others playing this table and hand 11 found Dime04 and Angel 1221 see the flop come Ks 5d 4d.  Angel led out for 4050 and Dime made the call.  The turn was 8h and looked like it was no help for either.  Angel pushed in with her last 1145 holding Qh Td and Dime called showing Ad 9d.  He must have been hoping for the flush to fill but the 3s on the river was all he needed as his Ace held up and Angel 1221 was the first casualty of the final table.

The very next hand saw the flop come 2d 2h Jc.  SusieQue came over the top of Papoorboy holding Jd Th – top pair/good kicker.  But Papoorboy wasn’t concerned about the jacks – he held Kc Kh and when the turn brought another deuce SusieQue was gone in 9th place.

The next hand found winforlife in the big blind holding only 360 chips.  He was all-in posting the blind holding 8d 5c.  Marti called holding Kh Jh and Travdaddy called with his pocket sixes.  The board ended up 8h Qh As Js Kc and Marti raked another pot.  Winforlife was gone in 8th place but finished in the money this week.

Hand 19 and Marti is in the big blind with pocket aces.  Moxiegurll has her covered and raised 1600 preflop.  All fold to Marti who re-raised to 2400.  Moxiegurll was holding pocket nines and pushed the rest of her stack into the middle.  Marti made the call and the aces held up.  Marti had doubled up again.

Moxiegurll went out on hand 30 after Marti mortally wounded her the hand before.  Moxie was all-in posting the small blind holding Qs 7s.  Papoorboy held pocket Kings and that was it for Moxiegurll this week.

ThreesRWild was the next to fall.  The antes were up to 125 and the blinds 600/1200.  TRW was down to 3185 and posted the small blind holding big slick.  All-in before the flop but both FatalisMacina and Papoorboy came along for the ride.  FatalisMacina matched up a queen on the turn and that was the winning hand.  ThreesRWild was gone and we were down to five.

Hand 47 was a big one.  Travdaddy was the short stack with only 12465 and Papoorboy just had him covered with 13955.  Four saw the flop come 7s 5h Ac.  They both got it all-in on the flop and Travdaddy showed Ad Tc.  But Papoorboy held As Kc.  The turn card decided the action when the Td made an appearance.  Travdaddy doubled up and Papoorboy was mortally wounded.

The very next hand Papoorboy went all-in holding Jh 7h and Dime called holding Kc 8d.  It looked bad for Papoorboy but the flop paired up his seven and it held.  

The next hand a Papoorboy is all-in again, this time with Td 8c.  You can’t fault the play – he had to double up to survive but this time Marti made the call and had a real hand.  Pocket Jacks and Papoorboy was gone in 5th place.

We are now at four and Travdaddy has the chip lead with FatalisMacina, Marti and Dime following in that order.  Marti took the chip lead on the very next hand when she paired up a ten and took a 15300 pot from FatalisMacina.

Hand 52 and Dime goes over the top all-in against Travdaddy before the flop.  Dime held Ks Jc but Travdaddy showed As Kh.  The king on the flop was all that hit them and Dime was sent to the lounge in 4th place.  Travdaddy was now back in a comfortable lead.

They passed the blinds around for the next 11 hands and then hand 64 was dealt.  With the antes now 150 and the blinds 800/1600, FatalisMacina raised to 3200.  Travdaddy smooth called.  The flop came Js 8s 7d, FatalisMacina bet 1600 and Travdaddy re-raised to 11650 taking FatalisMacina all-in with his call.  FatalisMacina held As 9h for the gut shot straight and a back door flush draw.  Travdaddy held 8h Th for the gut shot but also a pair of eights.  The 3h 2d on the turn and river were no help to either and the pair of eights held up.  FatalisMacina was out and we were heads up with Travdaddy holding a 2.5:1 chips lead.

Marti took a big hit on hand 66 and it looked like Travdaddy was going to finish her off.  Travdaddy won the next two hands as well but then Marti stole a couple back.  Hand 71 was big.  Travdaddy raised preflop and Marti called. The flop came Qc Kc 2h and Marti bet just 1600.  Travdaddy raised to 900 and Marti called.  A second deuce came on the turn, Marti checked and Travdaddy bet 6535, exactly how many chips Marti had left.  Marti called.  Wow, what is going on here?  Gutsy call Marti – she showed the As Qh for middle pair to a very scary board.  And she made the right call.  Travdaddy turned over 3d 4d to reveal his stone cold bluff.  That pot was 41570 and now Marti had the chip lead.

Travdaddy took the lead back on hand 75.  But the very next hand Marti caught two pair on the flop and she was back in the lead.  They sparred for another 15 hands with Marti still in command.  

Then hand 90.  They saw the flop come Th 6d 7h and checked to see the turn 4h.  Check again and the river was a 3h.  Marti bet 500 and Travdaddy came over the top for 14330.  I have to agree with Marti’s call.  It looked like a very good time to steal the pot and Marti had hit the straight.  But Travdaddy held the Ah and did have the flush and the 41860 chip pot.  And now the chip lead again.

Hand 96 Marti wins 12400 to close the gap.  The nest hand gives her the very small advantage.  They spared until hand 108.  They saw the cheap flop come Qd Ad Tc.  Trav checks and Marti bets 2000, Travdaddy comes back for 10400 and Marti calls.  The turn was the 7d putting three diamonds on the board.  Travdaddy went all-in for 20260. . . . .and Marti made the call.
Travdaddy showed Td Jc – third pair, flush draw and straight draw.
Marti showed Ah 9d – top pair and straight draw.
The 9s on the river decided the tournament giving Marti two pair and the win.

It was great to see our hostess get the win.  Especially fun was watching her climb the ladder at the final table.  Way to go Marti.

Another great week.  See you all on Saturday.

Peace.

Monday, November 21, 2005

Jennifear made us all proud

Jennifear made us all proud in the $150,000 Guaranteed MTT tonight on UB.  She finished 17th out of 726.  That was well into the money.  Jenn was cruising along with quite the gallery.  I lost count of how many HA friends cheered her on from the rail.  Krazy Kanuck and SusieQue even stopped by to voice their support.  Her final hand was a heartbreaker.  Jenn held pocket Aces on a ten high flop with two diamonds.  Jenn held the Ad.  She managed to get all her chips in and get called by K T.  Looking good darlin, but a king of diamonds on the turn left her with just the hope of  the flush or another ace.  That was eleven outs but not good enough.

Way to go Jennifear.  I hope you will write up your side of the story when you recover.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Froth Caps the Holdem Affair

Froth and Msrinny battled all night and it was down to those two at the final table. But it was Froth’s night to shine and shine he did. His first Holdem Affair win is in the books.

The early going in the final table was very one sided with the big stacks gobbling up the little stacks. All except Dime04. He started in 10th place and, with some marvelous play, succeeded in building that stack into the money. He finished in fourth place but at one point held the chip lead at the money table. Awesome play Dime.

The first hour, and actually this whole tournament, was marked by very aggressive play from the very first hand. We had lost 20 players by the first hour break and still had 27 left in the running. That is very unusual for this event. Msrinny02 and Froth were forcing the action with Jewelcard presiding over his table. The first hour saw this on the leaderboard:
  1. msrinny02 = 11685

  2. Froth = 9870

  3. Jewelcard = 4130

  4. MdnghtSn49 = 3330

  5. nicnac16 = 3140

  6. SusieQue = 3130

  7. Sengar = 3115

  8. marti = 2630

  9. Jennifear = 2580

  10. Dime04 = 2300

The second hour is really when this tournament begins for most of the players and it was no different this week. It took 50 minutes to bust out the next seventeen players so we could seat the final table. MdnghtSn49, SusieQue, and nicnac16 were victims during this phase. Jennifear, Txmom22, Tai pan, I pass gas and inxsdude were gainers. I finally made it back to the final table after a two month break. Msrinny02 and Froth continued to go after each other during this time and Froth was getting the best of it when we went to the final table. Here are your survivors when we got down to ten.
  1. Froth = 23700

  2. msrinny02 = 12965

  3. Jennifear = 6950

  4. Txmom22 = 5840

  5. I pass gas = 4020

  6. inxsdude = 3740

  7. Tai pan = 3725

  8. Jewelcard = 3575

  9. Sunbob = 3240

  10. Dime04 = 2745

I think the big story of the final table was Dime04. He sat down with the shortest stack and this final table was eating up the short stacks. But Dime04 was the exception. He built his stack as the rest of us “shorties” fell and recorded his first money finish in a Holdem Affair. Simply awesome Dime.

Jewelcard was the first guppy to be gobbled up by the sharks when his QQ ran into msrinny02 with AA. It was a credit to all of us guppies that it was hand 20 before the first one fell. Tough luck Jewelcard.

I was totally card dead at the final table. At one point I almost went all-in from the big blind with 72o just because it was all I was getting. Needless to say, I was getting desperate. Finally on hand 32, I was in the small blind holding Ad 5d. The first ace I had seen in my hand. Dime called on the button so I went all-in with my last 590 chips. Jennifear went all-in behind me to force out Dime and she showed me Ks Qc. Hey, I’m ahead. This might be okay. The flop came Tc Ts 8d and I was still ahead. The turn showed Jc and I’m still looking good. But the river 9h gave Jennifear the straight and I was out in 9th place.

Jennifear lasted four more hands before her pocket tens ran into Dime with Ad Qd. The flop came low and by the river gave Dime the wheel straight. Jennifear was gone in 8th place.

The very next hand found Tai pan with red Queens and he re-raised Froth for all his chips. Froth was quick to make the call and showed pocket Aces. Tai pan joined me in the observers chat room.

Oops, I haven’t mentioned Dime04. By now he was in 3rd place with 12935 chips.

Hand 43 and it was time for inxsdude to make a stand holding Ac 9c. His last 1415 went in and msrinny02 made the call holding Ad Th. The board missed them both and inxsdude was gone in 6th place.

We were down to the money table and Dime04 was in third place and getting paid for the very first time. He had climbed from 2700 chips to 13000 chips. On hand 65 he took a big pot (21895) from Froth when he caught Froth holding pocket Jacks to his pair of ladies. That gave Dime the chips lead over Froth and msrinny. Froth went on a bit of a rush and edged back into the lead by the 72nd hand.

It was all Froth and Dime through the 80’s with Froth getting the best of it and pulling away.

Hand 86 and I pass gas is in 5th place but is looking at As Kh. All-in to open for 4145 and msrinny decided to make the call with her pocket sevens. The flop came Ah 4c 5d and stinky was looking good. The turn brought a 3d and the river the 6c. msrinny had hit her straight. Wow, tough luck I pass gas.

Hand 96 was a big hand for Dime. He limped with pocket kings and msrinny joined him from the big blind. The flop came 3d 8s 4c. Dime raised to 5600 and msrinny chose to call. The turn was 7c and msrinny checked to Dime. Okay msrinny, I have you covered. Do you want to play for it all? Yep, said msrinny, and turned over 8h 6s. Top pair and a gut shot draw. It didn’t look good for msrinny. But miracles do happen in poker and the 5h on the river doubled up msrinny and dealt a huge blow to Dime’s future in the tournament.

On the very next hand msrinny took a 13200 chip pot away from Froth and with it the chip lead. Has the tide turned?

Okay, hand 101 and it is time for Dime04 to make his stand. Msrinny was the one to call – again. Dime only held Jd 4d and msrinny had Ah Ts. No luck for the Dime and he had to settle for 4th place money.

For the next 17 hands it was pretty much msrinny and Froth pounding on each other. Txmom caught a couple of blinds but basically had to lay low and pick her time. Hand 118 was the chosen hand. Msrinny opened for 4575 and Txmom smooth called. The flop came Qh Tc 2s. Txmom was holding pocket fives and hoped that flop had missed msrinny as she went all-in for her last 1055 chips. Txmom was right, the flop had missed msrinny. Msrinny held Ac Kc but still made the call. A gut shot draw and two over cards. Only ten outs but msrinny was the dominant stack and the call was less than 10% of her stack. It was the right play – the Jd came around the turn and gave msrinny her straight. We were now heads up and that gave msrinny a huge advantage 53630 to 16870 over Froth.

They sparred until hand 130 when Froth raised to 3850 and msrinny re-raised to 11800. Okay lets dance was the response and all the chips were in the middle. Froth showed Qc 8c. Wow, gutsy. Msrinny held Ac Jh. The flop came 5d 7s 6c and now Froth had a draw. The turn decided it, though, giving Froth a queen. Msrinny was still a big leader but Froth was getting stronger.

Three hands later and they were all-in again after the flop came up Qd 6h 9h. This time Froth had a hand, As Qh. But msrinny had the draw with Jd Tc. No help this time for msrinny and now Froth has the upper position.

Hand 144 saw the end. When the flop came 5h Th 7c, msrinny forced the play into the middle. Holding Ts 3c, she had top pair. Froth held Kd Tc and also had top pair but a much better kicker. That king was the difference.

Great game to everyone. Congratulations to Froth and to Msrinny02 for their fine play.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and…..

Peace.

Sunbob

Monday, November 14, 2005

Iowa State Upsets No. 22 Colorado, 30-16




Wow, my Cyclones did it again. We upset the North Division leaders, #22 Colorado, 30-16. It was our defense this week that was the difference. Steve Paris and Brent Curvey each made huge defensive plays to help Iowa State stay in the running for a share of the Big 12 North championship with a 30-16 victory over No. 22 Colorado on Saturday night.
Paris returned a fumble 66 yards for a touchdown after Dobbins knocked the ball loose and Curvey, a 305-pound defensive tackle, rumbled 66 yards for a TD with an interception to secure the Cyclones' fourth straight victory and prevent Colorado from clinching the division title.
Now we need to beat Kansas the last game of the season and Nebraska needs to knock off Colorado. If that happens we will have a share of the North Division Title for the second year in a row. I don’t know if this old Clone could handle that.
The great thing is that we are almost guaranteed a good bowl game this year. That alone is enough for me.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Woody13 Wins the Holdem Affair


I think it was Dan Harrington that said, “Many people think poker is a card game.  They are wrong -  it is a betting game.”  If that is truly the case then the final three played poker at a very high level tonight.

From hand #73, when Hemi Henry was eliminated in fourth place, until hand #104 when Woody13 knocked out Tai Pan for the victory, only two other hands went to showdown.  And one of those was when ADM busted out in 3rd place.  This kind of action may be a little boring to watch from the rail but it is like a pitcher’s duel in baseball, the game was being played very well.

Thirty-six entries went at it in this week’s Holdem Affair.  As usual, the competition was heavy.  This event just gets better and better each week.  It was one hour and forty-eight minutes into this go round when the final table was seated.  Your final table looked like this:

  1. woody13 = 14055

  2. ADM = 10475

  3. Tai Pan = 6330

  4. Sengar = 6160

  5. Hemi Henry = 5000

  6. winforlife = 3685

  7. Dime04 = 2770

  8. Txmom22 = 1600

  9. d o double d = 1485

  10. marti = 955

It was hand 17 before the first victim fell.  The antes were 25 and the blinds 150/300 when winforlife opened UTG for 600.  Hemi Henry was in the big blind and the only one to call.  The flop came Ad Ac 4h, Henry checked and winforlife bet 300.  Henry check-raised to 600 and winforlife reraised back to 3400.  Henry chose to just call.  The turn brought the 7c.  Hemi Henry pushed in his last 875 and had winforlife covered.  Winforlife made the call and had to feel good that his trap had worked – he was holding Ah Kh.  He had flopped trips with the top kicker.  But wait – Hemi Henry just turned over pocket fours.  He had flopped a full house.  That was it for winforlife this week.

For the next 20 hands Marti was nursing her short stack, trying to get back into the game or at least survive.  Three times she survived all-in and doubled up but the antes and blinds just wore her down again.  Finally on hand 38 she started with only 345 chips.  The 50 ante and the 300 big blind took her all-in before the flop holding a Negraneau type 5 3o hand.  Sengar made the call from the small blind holding Js 6d.  The board missed them both and Marti was out this week in 9th place.

Hand 44 and it is time for Sengar to claim a pot holding As Qc.  Antes 50, blinds 200/400 and he opened for 2100.  Woody, with the chip lead, re-raised taking Sengar all-in if he called.  Sengar was happy with his holding and made the call.  Oh, chit, Woody just turned over pocket queens.  Sengar has only three outs.  The flop came low, 4c 3s 2c, and actually gave Sengar more outs with the gut shot straight and the backdoor flush draws.  But it wasn’t going to happen this week.  No miracle card on the river and Sengar was gone in 8th place.

Just two hands later Dime04 was feeling short with only 1010 and in the big blind.  He held Js Qh, not a bad hand to make a stand.  Woody raised to 1750 UTG and it was folded around to Dime.  Push it in and take your chances man.  And it was the right play.  Woody showed Ah 6s.  Only a slight favorite.  But it was just enough, the board missed Dime entirely and the river brought the 6h to make it official, Dime04 was sent to the rail in 7th place.

The very next hand it was Txmom22 that was desperate.  Wow, I don’t have to report that very often.  Marsha is usually one of the people pushing things around at the table.  Rarely is she the short stack making a desperation play.  I’m guessing we had a case of “dead cards” this week.  All-in before the flop holding Kh Jh and it should have been a great play.  ADM was in the big blind holding a very weak 7 3o.  But the poker gods laughed at Txmom this week and sent the 3d on the flop to bust up the play.

And we were down to the money table, nearly two and a half hours into the Affair.
  1. Woody13 = 19415

  2. Tai Pan = 12960

  3. Hemi Henry = 8935

  4. ADM = 7220

  5. d o double d = 3985

What followed was true poker.  For the next twenty hands it was jab and parry, thrust and block. And it wasn’t just Woody bullying the table.  They all participated in this sword fight.  Not a single hand was shown down until hand 64 when d o double d pushed it all-in pre-flop and was called by ADM.  Good plays by both.  D o double d showed 6s 7s, a good push given the table texture.  ADM held Kh Kc and it was an easy call for him.  The kings held up and that was it for d o double d.

Hand 73 and Hemi Henry is down to his last 835 before he posts the ante and big blind.  That took him all-in and Th 2s was his ammunition.  Not good enough to go up against Woody13 holding Jd Qd.  To add insult, Woody hit his straight on the turn.  Henry was gone in fourth place.

The betting wars continued and the psychological battle was intense.  By hand 90 ADM had taken over the chip lead.  He and Woody battled hard for the next few hands with ADM getting a little bit of the better of it.  But hand 94 was decisive.  ADM raised pre-flop to 2000 and Woody smooth called from the big blind.  The flop came Ac Kh 6d.  Woody check raised and ADM answered by pushing his dominant stack into the middle.  Woody made the call holding Ad Tc and ADM showed As 8h.  The Tc held up and that gave Woody13 more than 75% of the chips at the table.

ADM and Tai Pan battled hard, but they just weren’t going to overcome that stack.  ADM went out in third when his Ad 9s was out drawn by Woody with Kd Td.  The Th on the flop was all it took.  The last hand was some of the same.  Tai Pan was all-in holding Kc Qh but in true Doyle Brunson fashion, Woody won with Qc 3c when the 3h fell on the flop.

This was great poker – real poker.  Thanks to all at the final table.  I’m glad I got home in time to watch it.  This week I hope to be in the middle of that action.

Peace.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

ISU 45 - Kansas State 17




Can you believe it? My Cyclones won again. They demolished Kansas State 45-17. Looks like we are going bowling again this year. We are 6 – 3 and bowl eligible. Now we just have to finish the year strong and get to a good bowl.

Stevie Hicks is back. Could he really be the difference. ISU is 6 – 0 with him in the backfield and 0 – 3 when he was injured and on the sidelines. I’m not such a super fan that I can answer that question but if he is the difference, get that man a bodyguard.

Oh, by the way, the Hawkeyes lost. Tooooo Bad.

Kate Starbird Won

Kate Starbird won the Holdem Affair tonight.  The headline almost read that he totally demolished the final table but Winforlife  had something to say about that in the heads-up match.  Win finished a very solid second and Marti came back from cruising the Caribbean to join us for the evening  and finish third.  

It was a wonderful night for a tournament.  Thirty-nine players sat down to welcome Marti (aka Umbrella Lady) back from her cruise.  We all had a great time listening to her stories as she took our chips.  I’m afraid my tournament game was a little rusty this week.  I got way too aggressive with AQs and busted out in 22nd place.  Oh well, I’ll do better next time.

The final table didn’t get seated until well after the second hour break.  This was a hotly contested event this week.  Your final table looked like this:
  1. Ckick = 11910

  2. CowboyWillie = 7580

  3. Kate Starbird = 6885

  4. Rocknfish = 6185

  5. MdnghtSn49 = 5720

  6. navalbronco = 4860

  7. Marti = 4415

  8. Winforlife = 4245

  9. MagikCowboy = 4110

  10. ThreesRWild = 2590

The blinds were already 300/600 with a 75 ante when the finalists sat down so you would think that some people were getting desperate.  But that wasn’t entirely the case.  These are good players that know how to play the short stack in a situation like this.  It was hand 9 that was the first significant hand.  CowboyWillie limped and Marti min raised to 1200.  ThreesRWild went all-in with 1990 and had Marti covered when she made the call.  TRW had pocket sevens but Marti had two Aces and took the pot.  

That left TRW with only 175 chips and after posting his ante and small blind he was all-in on the next hand.  This was an interesting one.  Kate Starbird pushed all 4410 chips UTG, I’m sure intending to isolate ThreesRWild, but MdnghtSn49 made the call all-in as well.
MdnghtSn49 showed Qc Jc.
ThreesRWild showed 4s 3c.
Kate Starbird showed As Qh.
The board missed them all ending up 8h 9d 5s 2d Kh and Kate knocked out two birds with one bet.  We were down to eight.

By hand 17 the antes are now 100 and the blinds 400/800.  There were 2000 chips in the middle now before anyone bet and CowboyWillie said “I want them” when he raised Kate’s limp.  Kate made the call to see the flop come Js Qc 3h.  Kate bet 1005 – the exact amount to take Willie all-in with his call.  CowboyWillie held Ah 9s, a very good hand, but Kate showed two fives.  The 7d on the turn and the river Tc didn’t hit Willie and he was out in 8th place.

Just five hands later Ckick woke up with pocket eights and made it 2500.  Kate Starbird re-raised to 9400 taking Ckick all-in with his call.  Ckick made the right play but how was he to know that Kate held two red tens.  When the Tc came on the flop it was all over for Ckick and our two, final table chip leaders were gone in 22 hands.  Kate Starbird had knocked out the first four players and now had a commanding chip lead with over 1/3 of the chips in play.

Hand 27 and Navalbronco found himself in the big blind and only 335 chips after he posted the ante and the blind.  He knew it was “all-in with any two cards” before the cards got there. Rocknfish and Marti both made the call.  The flop came 8d Ad 4s.  Rocknfish bet 800 on the flop stringing Marti along.  The turn brought the 2d and that wasn’t enough for Marti to call Rocknfish a second time.  Before the river card was revealed they both turned over their cards.  What is this?  Navalbronco has Kc Ks.  But what terrible luck as Rock held Ah Jc and had flopped top pair.  That was all it took as the river sunk Navalbronco with a 9s.  And the money table was set.  That was fast.

The antes and blinds went up to 125/600/1200 by hand 30 and that meant MagikCowboy was in trouble with only 1610 chips in the big blind.  He was forced to call Kate Starbird holding just 7d 3h against Kate’s big slick.  It was really no contest but the poker gods laughed at Magik and gave Kate the Broadway Straight..

Now it is hand 36 and Rocknfish has a hand – black pocket eights look mighty good four handed.  Kate opened the pot for 2800 and Rocknfish pushed all 8020 chips into the middle.  But Kate had over 30,000 chips so thought very little of making the call with Jc Ts.  This was your classic tournament race and it was decided in the first lap when Kate flopped a Tc.  Kate was just rolling over this table.

We were down to three now and Kate had 38420, winforlife 10740, and Marti 9340.  Mari held out until hand 47 but she was down to only 290 chips by then and all-in with 5h 3s.  Winforlife actually did the honors this time.  Don’t know what happened to Kate here.  Winforlife held Qd Js.  The flop missed them both and it looked like marti might live to see another hand when the turn revealed the 5d but the Qc came strolling down fifth street and the heads up match was on.

Kate had Winforlife more than doubled but that didn’t stop winforlife from playing hard.  He lost the first hand and then went on a rush winning the next seven hands and actually took the chip lead by hand 52.  He held that chip lead and even had Kate down 41830 to 16670 by hand 68.  

The deciding hand came on hand 70.  The antes were 150 and Kate posted a small blind of 800 holding only 16670 chips.  Winforlife had 41830 when he posted the 1600 chip big blind.  Kate completed in the small blind and win raised to 5100.  Kate responded by going all-in.  They had been sparring back and forth this way for several hands but this time winforlife made the call.  
winforlife showed Kh Td.
Kate Starbird showed Ts 7s.
It looked like it was over.  The flop - 5s Ac Qc - made it look even bleaker for Kate giving win a gut-shot straight draw to go with his two over cards.  But around the bend on the far turn what is that I see?  Oh my, the 7c to pair up Kate.  That was all it took to turn the tide.  A lowly seven of clubs.  That gave the chip lead back to Kate and Winforlife was never able to recover.

It actually took 48 more hands for Kate to finish it off and it happened by coming from behind in another race situation.  Winforlife put it all in the middle with 4s 4c and Kate called with Kh 8h.  But those fickle poker gods were emphatic that this was the final hand and flopped Jh 5h 9h.

What an amazing heads-up match and a great final table.  There just isn’t much you can do when it is your opponent’s turn to win.  Great game to all, especially the final table.  That was very fun to watch.  Now I have to sharpen up my game so I can join you next week.

Peace,

Sunbob
          

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Sengar Rolled Over the HA

Sengar just simply rolled over the 32 entrant field in the Holdem Affair tonight. Hemi Henry gave him a very good challenge in the heads up and Tai pan took the third place money.

It was a full two hours into the event when the final table was seated. Sengar had been leading for much of the event and here are your final table faces.
  1. Sengar = 10825

  2. Kate Starbird (aka Papoorboy) = 7535

  3. Jewelcard = 7245

  4. Txmom22 = 4930

  5. Tai Pan = 4180

  6. DAVE43 = 4100

  7. KOR = 3575

  8. robnotdave = 2440

  9. Hemi Henry = 1795

  10. Mongoose = 1375

I wonder, as I look at these names, if we shouldn’t just reserve a final table seat for Sengar, Jewelcard and robnotdave. It seems like I am always reporting their final table appearance. And Henry, dang man, you go off to Boot Camp and now we can’t get rid of you. Was Phil that good?

This was not your usual final table, first orbit kill off. It was hand thirteen before KOR was down to his last 455 chips and very desperate. With the antes 50 and the blinds 200/400 he had to go all-in with his Kd 9h and Tai Pan made the easy call from the big blind. It only cost him 5 and after all he was holding Ac 7d. He didn’t need it but he caught a 7h on the flop and 7s on the turn to send KOR to the lounge in tenth place.

Mongoose was the short stack going into the final table and never really got any cards to give him a break but he did have a little fun with these sharks. On hand 16 the big blind took him all-in for his last 350 chips. He held Ts 5s – it didn’t look good for our snake hunter. But wait he only got two callers and the flop just hit him with the Td. Sengar was the only one to see the turn come 7h and when they showed Mongoose was ahead. The river was the 5h giving Mongoose two pair and the 1500 main pot. Not bad Mongoose. But it wasn’t going to last long. The very next hand Mongoose was dealt Ah Jh and he pushed it all in calling robnotdave’s (Ac Kd) opening raise. Txmom22 (9c 8d) was all-in with her last 580 chips as well. The flop came Ts 4d 2s. That gave Txmom a backdoor straight draw. The turn was the 7s and the river filled Txmom with the 6s and – wow – Marsha has gotten back into the game winning 2190. Poor Mongoose was gone in ninth place.

Txmom lasted 8 more hands until she looked down and saw pocket nines and pushed all 1640 chips to open the betting in hand 24. DAVE43 smooth called as did Sengar. They checked it down to the end to see the board fall 2d 3h 3s 4c Ac. DAVE43 showed pocket sixes for two pair, Txmom had a higher two pair, but Sengar had called from the big blind holding just Td 3d. Isn’t having the big stack great? He had hit his miracle board for trip treys and Txmom22 was gone in 8th place.

Everyone was reasonably healthy now although Hemi Henry was getting short with only 2530 chips. The battle roamed around the table for nine more hands. It was now hand 33 and DAVE43 was feeling short with only 1960 chips and the blinds were up to 300/600. He limped into the flop holding Ac 4c and saw it fall Jh 2c 9s. Kate Starbird made a weak bet of 800 and, sensing that weakness, DAVE pushed in his last 1285. He just didn’t have enough chips to push KS off his bottom pair of deuces since he held Kh 2s from the big blind. KS made the call and the deuces held. Good game DAVE43.

By hand 45 robnotdave was down to his last 750 chips when he opened the betting all-in holding Jd 2d. Hmmmm. Interesting play. Jewelcard, Sengar and KS all called robnotdave. The flop came 3h Qc 6h. It rather common in a situation like this for all of the callers to check it down to the river to better the odds that one of them will eliminate the all-in. But not this time. Jewelcard opened the post flop betting by going all-in himself to the tune of 3610. Sengar and Kate Starbird bailed on the hand and I’m sure were muttering to themselves something about Jewelcard’s heritage. But when they turned over their cards it we all saw that Jewelcard did know what he was doing. Holding two black sixes, he had flopped a set and was protecting it. Okay, we forgive you this time Jewel. Robnotdave was sent packing.

Hemi Henry up date – it is hand 49 and he has only 2845 chips. But he holds ace ten of clubs and all-in calls Tai Pan before the flop. He doubled up when the board missed them both and Tai only held ace eight.

The next ten hands are marked by classic, uncontested blind stealing. Then hand 60 Hemi Henry went all-in for his steal with his last 1290. By now the antes are 100 and the blinds 400/800. Henry was in the small blind and, dang, Kate Starbird has 16000 chips and thought nothing of the call holding As 4d. But Henry showed big slick and racked in 8880 chips.

Hand 62 and Jewelcard is in the small blind with 2785 after posting the blind. Kate Starbird bet 2900 and Jewelcard accepted the challenge. Jewel held Jc 8c and KS showed Qh Td. Very aggressive play on both parts. The flop came Ah Js 7d giving Jewelcard some hope but the Kc on the turn gave KS his straight and the night was over for the Jewelcard. But Jewelcard finished in the money this week so he wasn’t too sad.

The final four seemed to last forever but it was only really about 20 hands. The key hand for Kate Starbird (better known to HA regulars as that shark, Papoorboy) was hand 81. KS was in second place just behind Sengar and had been very successful at whittling down Sengar’s chip stack. The antes were 125 and the blinds 600/1200 – KS had 13985 chips. Tai Pan opened UTG for 4700 and it was folded to KS in the big blind. 3500 would have been enough for the call but KS played it strong and went all-in holding Qd Td. Tai Pan made the call for the rest of his chips, though, holding As 9s. The Ah on the flop was all it took to seriously cripple KS and vault Tai Pan into the chip lead.

The very next hand KS was short and felt his Ah 9s was good enough to get back some chips but he ran into Sengar holding pocket tens and that was all she wrote for our camouflaged shark.

Has anyone noticed that Hemi Henry is still sitting at the table? This man is a survivor. In fact on hand 86 he was more than just a survivor, he was deadly. Henry smooth called UTG and let Sengar take him all-in from the big blind. Sengar held pocket tens and had to feeling pretty good about the call. SPROING!
I think that is the sound of a trap being sprung – Henry held two, beautiful ladies. And a third one joined the party on the flop. Henry was now firmly in second place.

Just two hands later Sengar min raised to 2400 and Tai Pan went along with him holding Ad 3d. The flop came Qs 3h 2s and when Sengar raised his minimum bet Tai went all-in. Unfortunately for Tai, Sengar held Qc 9s and had hit top pair – the call was an easy one. Tai was gone in third place.

We are now heads up between Sengar, the dominating force of the table this night, and Hemi Henry, that quiet, unassuming master of the final table.

The heads up match lasted 38 hands. During that time each tried to set the trap for the other, only to have the victim slip out. I counted four lead changes. At one point Sengar had Henry down to the canvas but just couldn’t get the pin. Then Henry would fight back and have Sengar down. Finally hand 137 of the final table, one hour and eleven minutes after the final ten sat down, Hemi Henry held Kd Th and Sengar held As 6s. They limped into the flop and checked to the see the turn 7s 3h 9h 8d. Henry checked and Sengar decided to bet the straight draw. Henry called and the river brought the Td. Henry had finally caught a piece of the board and pushed his last 2130 into the middle. But the same card that gave Henry top pair had given Sengar the straight – and the tournament.

What a great night. Congratulations to everyone at the final table and especially Sengar, Hemi Henry and Tai Pan for showing us poker to rival anything ESPN is showing us.

Peace,

Sunbob

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Iowa State 42 Texas A&M 14

Can you believe it?  My Cyclones went into College Station 10 point underdogs and just planted the Aggies in their own home.  You have to ask, where was this team when Baylor came to Ames?  Is Stevie Hicks really the difference?  Hicks ran for 120 yards against a very good defense but the real story was Blythe catching four touchdown passes.

Simply amazing.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

DebiMac vs Sunbob

I found myself sitting right next to DebiMac in an SnG tonight.  I didn’t know she had entered when I signed up but it was fun to see her there.  It was especially fun that it came down to her and I in the heads up match.  Unfortunately for Deb, I had a dominant chips stack at that point and then got lucky in the final hand when she went all-in with A T and I called with K J.  The turn brought a King and I was able to claim the win this time.  I don’t get to say that very often when I go up against DebiMac.

I got very lucky in this one.  I think I knocked out everyone but the first player.  We had several visitors during the tournament.  Red Hot Poker stopped by to tell us of his win tonight.  WTG Red.  Tai Pan and Jennifear also were on the rail cheering us on.  I wouldn’t blame McZZZZZZ if he thought something was going on but I assure him that I was playing just as hard to eliminate DebiMac as she was trying to eliminate me.

In all it was a very fun time.  Thanks to all of you.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Iowa State 37 Oklahoma State 10

My Clones finally got things back together and walloped the Cowboys today. Iowa State ended a three game losing streak. We were humiliated by Baylor but lost in overtime to Nebraska and Missouri. But this week we put it back together and showed Okie State how to play football. We are now 4-3 and still have a chance for a bowl game if we can win out.

GO CLONES

Friday, October 21, 2005

Maronie47 won the UB Bots

Maronie47 won the UB Bots tournament tonight.  Deadmanshand took second and spideytwo rounded out the money field.

I played this week for the first time and busted out 29th out of 30.  I hit my set and totally missed the straight possibility.  I guess I shouldn’t have been excited about the action.  Oh well, I’ll do better next week.

Thanks to Miss UB for the invite – I will be back.

Monday, October 17, 2005

Jennifear Rolled over HA

10/16/05
Jennifear rolled over the field in Saturday night’s Holdem Affair.  She went into the final table in first place just ahead of alotafagina after leading in much of the early going.  It came down to her and onelunatik in the heads up.  Jennifear  sealed the deal in ten hands.

The final table was seated one hour and 51 minutes into this evening’s Affair.  Thirty-five players sat down to contest this weekly event and the action was solid as always.  Your final table looked like this:
  1. Jennifear = 9815

  2. alotafagina = 9055

  3. onelunatik = 7710

  4. slotcrazy45 = 5420

  5. Glenso = 5125

  6. Jewelcard = 4075

  7. mdg2003 = 3640

  8. Sengar = 3415

  9. saipan slim = 2295

  10. Hemi Henry = 1950

Alotafagina took over the chip lead in the first nine hands with strong play and some good cards.  It was the tenth hand that set the tone for the night.  With the antes 25 and the blinds 150/300, Sengar opened for 1300.  Jewelcard pushed all-in for 4325 and Jennifear reraised to 6415.  Sengar called off his 2815 and we had a fight breaking out.
Jennifear showed Kc Ks.
Sengar showed Jc Qs.
Jewelcard showed Ah Ad.
Wow, what hands.  The flop came Th 3s Qc and Sengar had new life.  But the turn brought the Kh .  Jewelcard was drawing dead and Sengar now had only 8 outs.  The river was the 5d and both Jewelcard and Sengar were sent packing.  Jennifear won 11700 chips and was in a commanding lead.

It was hand 40 before the next player was eliminated.  I told you this was a war.  Dang, you get to the final table of this event and there just aren’t any bad players left.  There is a lot of tournament experience in this field anymore.  Each week this event gets tougher.  This hand had Saipan down to the green and trying to see a cheap flop holding pocket sixes.  Alotafagina completed from the small blind and Hemi Henry came along for the ride in the big blind holding Qs Th.  The flop brought Ah 8d Ad.  That flop missed everyone and all checked to get the free turn – Qd.  Both checked to saipan slim who pushed in his last 315, hoping no one had paired up yet.  Alotafagina went away but Hemi Henry called the challenge.  Henry had the pair of queens and they held up when the river floated the 7d.  Slim was out in 8th place.

The very next hand saw onelunatik open for 1750 and slotcrazy45 smooth called holding Ac 3s.  The flop showed  2s 2d 9s and slotcrazy45 pushed in her last 1870 hoping her aces was best.  But lunatik held pocket ladies and that was all it took to send slotcrazy45 to the lounge.

By hand 57 alotafagina was leading but swapping the chip lead with Hemi Henry.  The antes were 75 and the blinds 300/600 when Glenso looked down at his stack and saw 2285 in chips and his hand showed him Ad 9c.  Time to make a stand and ace nine is a good hand to do it with.  All-in was the play but Hemi Henry made the call.  He was holding big slick and was ready to gamble.  The board came low, missing them both and Glenso was sent to chat room purgatory in 6th place.

Hemi Henry was in the lead at this point and Jennifear was in fourth place.  But that was soon to change.  Hand 62 and mdg2003 is the short stack.  All-in holding king deuce of spades and Jennifear made the gutsy call holding  Kc 9d.  The flop brought a nine and that was all Jennifear needed to send mdg to the rail.  We were down to four and the chips stacks were almost even.  Only 2270 separated first from fourth.

A couple more small pots and by hand 66, Jennifear was in the lead.  Hand 68 Henry stole back the lead but a big pot on hand 70 and Jenn is back on top.  Then hand 71 saw Jennifear go after alotafagina.  The antes were 100 and blinds 400/800 – Jennifear opened for 1600 and alotafagina called.  The flop came 9d Jh 8s.  alotafagina held Kc Th bet 800 on the draw.  Jennifear held Ad 3c and pushed 17765 in on what had to be a buy attempt sensing weakness.  Alotafagina must have been on that wave length because he made the call for the rest of his chips.  Unfortunately the board paired the nine and missed them both making Jennifear’s ace high.

Down to three and we have some players here folks.  Onelunatik has earned everyone’s respect and we know JenniFEAR has earned her name.  And everyone knows that Henry  has been schooled by the pros so no one wants to mess with him.  This was quite the table.

For 78 hands these three battled.  Onelunatik went on a rush and took over second place, then Hemi Henry battled back from the dead to get back into contention.  For nearly 30 minutes these three fought it out.  Finally on hand 149 the antes were 150 and the blinds 800/1600.  Folks, that big blind is bigger than the buy in.  They each had to throw in your whole stack just for the right to see the flop miss them.  Well on this hand Henry and Jennifear each called hoping for a cheap flop but onelunatik would have nothing of it.  He raised to 6850 forcing Henry all-in when he made the call holding pocket tens.  Jennifear got out of the way and watched as onelunatik displayed his ace and queen of diamonds.  Henry was looking good.  The flop brought no diamonds but a big beautiful (to lunatik) Queen of spades showed her face and that was all it took to send Hemi Henry home to Marsha with 3rd place money.  Awesome game Henry.

Onelunatik was actually a slight leader when they went heads up and he won the first hand.  But that was the last hand he won.  Jennifear took down the last eight hands and the tournament.

Great play by all and what a night.  I wish I could have been in the field but I missed the opening bell and had to enjoy the show from the chat room.

Peace,

Sunbob