Saturday, July 01, 2006

Takechances Won it all



Twenty-one people sat down tonight to contest the Holdem Affair. But it was the relative newcomer Takechances that lived up to his name and took home the glory. Winforlife, our favorite Warrior was the heads up victim. And Hemi Henry completed the money table tonight with some excellent play.

It was a small field for this week’s Holdem Affair but it was a good one. We were down to 18 when the first hour break occurred. That means we lost only three players. That has to be a new record for the patience of this field. Here is your leader board.
  1. coachstove = 4580

  2. deadmanshand = 2690

  3. Tai pan = 250

  4. Sunbob = 2545

  5. Takechances = 2260

  6. Boomstick = 2080

  7. spideytwo = 1915

  8. msrinny02 = 1830

  9. winforlife = 1610

  10. bugman22j = 1510

As usual it was the second hour when the tournament really began. This is when the blinds start to catch up to you and before you now it you are needing to make a play. This week it was just 45 minutes to pare this group down to the final table. I busted out in eleventh place when Papoorboy knocked me out. He did that the night before as well. Did I do something to upset you pa? Here is your final table.
  1. Boomstick = 5020

  2. msrinny02 = 4750

  3. spideytwo = 4165

  4. coachstove = 3930

  5. Hemi Henry = 3705

  6. Tai pan = 2985

  7. Papoorboy = 2460

  8. Hazy Cat = 1650

  9. winforlife = 1500

  10. Takechances = 1335

Please note those last two names as this is going to be significant very soon. Takechances started quick to get back into this match. On just the second hand he was all-in for 1035 holding Ac Tc. Spideytwo made the call and turned over As 7s. Spidey looked to be in trouble but the flop brought him the 7d. It was looking bleak for Takechances until the river spiked the Ts and gave him the hand. Chances has doubled up and is now feeling more comfortable.

At least that is what you might think. On the very next hand winforlife opened UTG for 1050 and Papoorboy responded by going all-in for his last 2310. Takechances pushed all 2370 of his newly won chips into the middle in response, and winforlife called all of this action. What have we here? OK, let’s see those hands that brought all of this commotion.
winforlife shows Kc As.
Papoorboy shows 8s 8h.
Takechances shows Qd Qh.
Well now we see. This is going to be interesting? Winforlife and Papoorboy are all-in and Takechances has 60 chips left sitting in front of him. Here comes the flop.
7s 4s 9h – Chances is looking good. And the turn is the 7d. Still looks like Chances took the right chance. And the river is - - - - Kh. Winforlife has tripled up, Takechances wins the side pot of 1620 and Papoorboy is gone – the first to be eliminated from the final table. The winner of the Win’s Warriors Anniversary trophy just the night before is gone from the Holdem Affair. Oh my.

Hand 12 and Takechances is back to being short stacked with 1680 and the blinds 150/300. All-in with Ah Qs but msrinny02 made the call with her Ac Ks. The flop was one those heart breakers - Td Kh Jd. You want to see a king on the flop when you hold big slick but you don’t want to see that jack and ten when you are up against AQ. Takechances flopped the straight and doubled up again.

Hand 16 saw coachstove raise UTG to 900 and Hazy Cat, that famous mouser, push all of his 2100 to the middle. Coach made the call. Hazy Cat had Qs Qc and coachstove had Kc Kh. No help for either on the board and the queens went down on the Kings. Hazy Cat was gone in 9th place and we have a new chip leader in coachstove.

During all of this action you have not heard from Boomstick. He was staying out of the big pots and keeping his chip lead with small pots. Until he ran into our crafty Pacific Islander in hand 18. Boomstick raised to 600 and Tai pan showed his disregard for the min-raise by pushing all 1485. Boomstick accepted the challenge and called with his Ad Th. Tai turned over Ah Qh. This one was over before the river. The flop came Jd 6s Jc and the turn was the Kc. At this point Boomstick was drawing dead even though neither hand had improved. The Ts on the river gave Boomstick the pair but that same card gave Tai pan the straight. Interesting hand. It doubled up the short stack and reeled in the big stack. These stacks were tightening up. Eight players left and six of them had stacks between 3105 and 3810. Coachstove was the leader with 5880. It was still anyone’s match to win.

The antes kicked in on hand 20 this week. This frequently brings a shift in the action. But it didn’t seem to phase this bunch. They danced and sparred until hand 33. Boomstick min-raised to 600 and this time coachstove showed his disrespect with a re-raise to 1300. Boomstick responded by pushing and coachstove was quick to make the call. Boomstick had KT in spades but coachstove held the red pocket rockets. Not a single spade came to rescue Boomstick and he was gone in 8th place. With this hand coachstove jumped to a commanding lead but it wouldn’t last for long. Just two hands later Hemi Henry doubled up through coach when his AK out drew coach with AQ. Then on hand 41, coachstove was still in the chip lead but not by much, Hemi Henry was in second by only 225 chips. On this hand Hemi Henry showed his special talent for extracting chips. Henry just smooth called and drew coachstove into the pot to see the flop come 3c Ts 8c. Coachstove held Ac 6c and had flopped the nut flush draw – he could very well be good here and fired 600 to see. Hemi Henry just min-raised him to 1200 and drew the call from coach. The turn was the 4h and coach checked to Henry who bet 400. The 8h on the river and coach has missed his flush but with Henry acting so weak he had to fire – 1000 was his shot. Henry called and turned over Ah As. He had slow played those aces into a 6750 pot and a commanding chip lead.

By hand 53 the antes were 50 and the blinds 200/400 and the field was bunched between spideytwo with 2000 and Hemi Henry at 6905 – from 5 big blinds to 15. It was still anyone’s tournament to win but it was time to move. And spideytwo picked this hand to push UTG with his Ac 9h. The right play but he ran into msrinny02 holding Ah Kd. The king on the flop was all rinny needed and spideytwo, a winner last month, was gone in 7th place.

Hand 62 and it was Tai pan that made his move. Big slick is the hand to do it with and Takechances made the call. True to his name – Chances had called with 7h 6d. This is actually a decent play in this situation – he can figure he probably has two live cards and is only a 60:40 dog. The 6c on the flop was the deciding card and Tai pan rowed home in 6th place.

Dodge and weave, thrust and parry, do-se-do and tango – the next 15 hands were a war. Msrinny came out of this action wounded and on hand 77 was forced to push with her pocket threes. Coachstove called with his suited king/queen and spiked the king on the river to send msrinny02 packing in 5th place.

We were paying only three tonight and the bubble lasted 30 hands. Thirty hands of intense action. Hemi Henry was down but then doubled up only to see coachstove do the same thing. Then it was winforlife. Then they all did it again. During this time Takechances was doing his best to help one of them exit only to double them up again. He was winning enough of the small pots though to build a commanding chip stack. Finally on hand 117, with the antes 125 and the blinds 600/1200 coachstove was down to 1745 and forced to push after he posted the small blind. But hey, if you have to push Ah Qs isn’t a bad hand to do it with. In fact it was the best hand pre-flop when winforlife called with his Ad Tc. Another one of those evil flops came Jh Kd Qd. Top pair for coach but the straight for winforlife. Coachstove had to settle for bubble boy this week. Yech.

Win and Henry were pretty much even at this point and Takechances was double them. They danced to hand 123 when Henry pushed on the turn holding 3s Ad and the board showing 4s 2s Js Qc. A flush draw and a gutshot – not a bad play. But Takechances held 9s 5s and had flopped the made flush. Hemi Henry was out in 3rd place. It was great to see you in the money table Henry. I have a feeling we will see you there often in the coming weeks.

With a 24:7 chip lead it was a tough task ahead for winforlife. And I’m afraid it was just too much this week for our warrior. It took 24 hands but this week belonged to Takechances. He lived up to his name and took those chances at the right time. And our newcomer was a victor. Very well played. Takechances went from 10th place to first and winforlife from ninth to second. That is how volatile this final table can be. If you get there you can win. It is the getting there that can be tough with this group.

PEACE

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