Saturday, May 12, 2007

Tai pan for his Sixth


Twenty-four hours straight at the live tables wasn’t enough for Tai pan. He had to come home and join us for the Holdem Affair. I guess what many would consider a marathon session was only a warm up for the man from the south seas because he showed us how it should be done tonight. Tai pan navigated the shoals and reefs of the final table and his ship came in for his sixth Holdem Affair trophy.

Here is my commentary for the evening.

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It’s Holdem Affair tournament time again. Another week down and deeper in debt. St. Peter don’t you call me cause I can’t go – I owe my soul to the UB store.

Thirty-three sitting down tonight. Jewelcard and Tai pan are here tonight, as well as some others I haven’t seen in awhile. Let’s have some fun.

Hey, I just hit quad sevens on the very first hand of the night, I hope that won’t be my last decent hand.

Oh my, I just sucked out on MDG. I called his all-in for 700 with 99. He showed AK and flopped an ace. I rivered a nine for the set.

Thirty minutes in and we are down to 28. Annieboom is our early leader.

Phipsi04 just hit quad fours. Looks like this might be one of those nights.

I just did it to myself. Pushed all in on a semi-bluff with a flush draw and Houn had hit his set. He wasn’t going anywhere and I didn’t hit my flush. I’m in deep trouble now.

I’m out in 21st place. My pocket sevens ran into Azale with big slick. That king on the flop was my undoing.

There’s the 2 minute warning and we are down to 19. Any movers in the bunch?

And there is the bell. At the first hour break we are already down to 18. Houn is our chip leader followed closely by phipsi04, Hooter Hanna, and Germanbabe.

Here is your leader board:
Houn = 5975
Phipsi04 = 5070
Hooter Hanna = 4870
Germanbabe = 4830
Tai pan = 4290
Annieboom = 3890
Azale = 3250
Mellow Yellow = 2530
Fatscotsman = 2030
Marti = 1960


I’m watching my buddy Jewelcard on table #3. He is down to 700 chips and will have to make a move soon. But he’s not the only short stack – gjones just pushed with his 1025 – no takers. Blinds are 75/150 now.

Jewelcard is UTG and here he goes. No takers and he stole the blinds. He survived the blinds and is back to 700. Let’s see what happens this orbit. There he goes from the cut off and gets a free ride. Jones is now at 950 and Jewelcard at 925. Jones is the big blind. Ah, Marti gave a free ride.

Here come the blinds to Jewelcard. UTG and he limps. Flop Js 7d As to 4 hands. Agro takes it down. BB for Jewel – Gjones pushes, and takes the blinds.
Gjones pushed again the very next hand. Success again.
Dang, Marti was down to 185 – how did that happen? 2 callers to her push. Agro took her out. Sorry, Marti, I was watching the wrong people I guess.
Agro has pledged this game to her honor. We shall see.

Jewelcard has 525 and here is the big blind again (100/200). That meanie Gjones pushed from the button and Jewelcard had to call with 8 7o. I’ll be darned, he spiked a 7 and won the hand.

Gjones had to push with a suited king and he hit his flush. Now bugman22j is the short stack. But four of the seven left at this table are under 10 big blinds. That’s tournament poker, folks.

Four see the flop come T36 rainbow and Jewelcard pushes. He takes the pot and is getting healthier. Bugman22j is in the big blind and only 565 after posting. He let it go.

Agro vs. Jewelcard and Agro takes the pot on the flop.
Bugman22j is out. Gjones took him down.

Let’s look in on the other table. So this is where the chips are to be found. All healthy here with phipsi04 and Houn holding court.

Back to the shortys on Table #3. Jewelcard has only 550 and he posted the 300 big blind just now. Gjones pushed with 99 and Jewelcard called with j8. The pair held and Jewelcard is done for the night.

We are down to 12 and the blinds are 150/300 with no ante until the next level, just before the break.
Stick-n-mud is out and we are dealing hand by hand.

Wow, Gjones just doubled up off Hooter Hanna. He is back in the game.

With the stacks ranging from 7150 to 2580 the play has tightened up considerably. Anyone can hurt the other one. Will we make it through this blind level to the break before we seat the final table?
Nope. Azale just fell to xgames4me when he hit his set of fours. One hour and 57 minutes into the Holdem Affair, we have our final table.
Xgames4me = 14555
Tai pan = 7560
Houn = 6800
Phipsi04 = 5070
Big lar8 = 3860
Mellow Yellow = 3310
Hooter Hanna = 2760
Germanbabe = 2605
Gjones = 1780
Agro = 1200

That big set of fours has Xgames in a commanding lead. Here we go.

Hand #3 and Agro pushed with K Jo and got two callers. Hooter Hanna turned over pocket tens and they held up. Agro made it to the final table with Marti’s chips but couldn’t take her causer any further.

Hand #5 and Gjones pushes. No takers.

Hand #6 and phipsi is all-in with A T and spikes his ace to take down a 4520 pot.
Hand # 9 and phipsi pushed again at the 2 minute warning. No takers.
Hand #10 and Gjones pushes deuces from the button and Xgames called. The ducks flew and Jones is good.
Hand #12 – phipsi pushes pocket queens into Xgames with slick. An Ace on the turn and phipsi is history. Xgames4me is running away with this table.

The bell has rung and we are breaking for the second hour. When we come back we will have antes of 50 and blinds at 200/400.

We are back and the action is off to a slow start. Sparring is the best description so far.
Hand #19 and big lar8 doubles up off Xgames.
Hand #21 and fight breaks out between Germanbabe and big lar8. Lar8 hit his set but Germanbabe hit a straight. That hurt.

Hand #26 and Lar pushed his pocket fours with success to double up off Houn.
Hand #29 and gjones is on the felt. Xgames comes over the top to push the others out. Xgames showed A J and hit quad aces to send gjones packing. That is the third set of quads I have seen tonight.

Hand #35 and Germanbabe hit a set to double up off Xgames. Xgames is still in the lead but others are gaining.

Hand #39 and Hanna is taking on Xgames. She did it.

Hand #40 – Houn pushed JJ and ran into Tai pan with KK. Oops, what a way to go down.
Hand #41 – Tai pan hit a straight in a 3 way pot and we have a new chip leader.

Paying five tonight – its bubble time.
Hand #47 – big lar8 just went up against Xgames and spiked a queen to come from behind. Tai pan now has 20K and Xgames is second with 6500.

Hand #53 and the blinds are 400/800. Tai pan is the only one with more than 10 big blinds.

Hand #58 – Mellow Yellow pushed. Pocket aces are good enough and poor lar8 had jacks to make him call.

The very next hand the hands were swapped. Lar8 had the aces and Mellow Yellow had queens. MY is all-in now with only 550. Germanbabe checked her option from the big blind with 5 3 suited and hit a straight. What a way to go down MY.

We have our money table. That BB special was worth at least $13.20 to Germanbabe.

Hand #64 and Lar8 just snapped off a bluff from Xgames in a battle of the blinds to take the lead.

Hand #71 – Tai pan is back in the lead.
Hand #74 – Hooter Hanna all-in vs. Tai and Xgames. Xgames flopped a boat (with 5 3 suited) and took it down. Hanna settles for 5th place money.

Here we go – the blinds are 600/1200.

Hand #81 – Germanbabe pushed and big lar8 called on the flush draw. He hit and Germanbabe is history. Fourth place is her legacy. Big Lar8 is now our commanding leader.

Xgames4me was up then down and now he is back up again. I thought he was going to be toast a few hands ago but by hand #86 he is in the lead. Pressure is his key. Steal those blinds.

Hand #92 – here comes Tai. Doubled up off Xgames to take the lead.
Hand #93 – Wow, Xgames just had KK vs., Lar8 with AK. The AK flop was a killer.
Hand #95 – Big Lar8 is done for the night and we are heads up with Tai pan and xgames4me. Equal stacks.


Oh my. Hand #100 and we had a brawl. Tai pan with AK and Xgames with QJ. The flop brought a Jack but the turn an Ace. Tai pan took the hand and it was all over but the clean up. Xgames was done on the next hand and our favorite South Pacific Islander posts another Holdem Affair victory. That’s great. I get to post his picture again.

That was a fun one to watch folks. Maybe next week I’ll make it to the final table.

PEACE

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Marti Makes It Four


Marti, our gracious hostess, came through in the final table to post her fourth Holdem Affair victory. It was a great heads up match against WhoHasMyLytr that set the stage for a marvelous ending to this evening. Marti was the leader when they got down to the final two but Lytr fought hard and almost took it away. A gutsy call at the end was the deciding factor.

And here is my blow-by-blow commentary.

Twenty-seven started out tonight as Marti set up play on the flight deck. Thirty minutes into the Holdem Affair we were down to 24. I’m in the game tonight. I’m listening to my hockey team get wiped out in the second round of the USHL tournament. No final four for the Roughriders this year. Bummer.

At the first hour break we are down to 19. Agro is leading and Rshocker is in second place. I’m sitting between them with only 950 chips. We will come back from the break to 50/100 blinds. Oh well, that just means I can double up off almost anyone at my table.

The blinds have gone through and I’m down to 800. All-in or nothing time. Let’s see if I can get a hand. A Qo in middle position – let’s go. Gjones calls with 99 and hits his set. I’m done for the night in 18th place. Bummer.
. . . .
Okay, we are down to 11 and getting ready to set the final table. The blinds are 150/300 and on Table 2, gjones is the short stack with 1925. On Table 1, hawk39 is short with 300. Hawk just doubled up to 1925.
Now Bugman is short on Table 2. Bug is all in with AA and called by rshocker with QQ. WOW – shocker caught two queens for quads. Our final table is set.

Rshocker is our leader and here is your leader board.
Rshocker = 9615
Fatscotsman = 7105
Luckie In Lov = 4240
Marti = 3800
WhoHasMyLytr = 3655
Hazy Cat = 3510
Tai pan = 2935
Big lar8 = 2540
Gjones = 1650
Hawk39 = 1450


Big Lar8 is all-in with big slick against WhoHasMyLytr holding Jc 9c. But the flop came 9h Ad Js. That pair of aces looks good with slick but Lytr flopped two pair. We are down to 9 already and it is just the 5th hand of the final table.

We are at the second hour break after hand# 8, and WhoHasMyLytr has a slight lead over rshocker and fatscotsman. We will come back to 200/400 blinds and Tai pan will be our short stack with only 2435.

Hand 16 and Luckie In Lov pushed only to get nailed by rshocker flopping two pair. We are down to eight. Rshocker is now in the lead.

We are only paying three tonight.

Hand 22 and hawk pushed AQ into Marti with AK. Marti doubled up. Hawk is down to 1900 now.

Hand 24 and Tai pan is all-in with QQ but gjones has KK. Oops, Tai pan is gone.

Hand 26 and hawk pushed his 77 but fatscotsman spiked his ace to put him out. We are down to six. No more shorties for now.

Hand 27 and Marti is going against Hazy Cat. Hazy pushed on the turn and Marti made the good call to double up.

Wow, Hazy is out on hand 28, Fatscotsman hit trip kings to send him packing.

Hand 30 and Marti is in the lead.

Hand 31 and Marti called Lytr’s raise. Lytr pushed the flop and Marti folded.

Hand 38 and we have a battle of the blinds. Marti rivered a queen to take down the 5925 pot.

Hand 39 saw our leaders go at each other and now Lytr takes the lead.

Hand 46 and Marti took another from the Scotsman. He is short now and all-in with AJs on the next hand. Lytr made the call but Scotty doubled up.

Hand 49 and Scotsman paired his king to get some breathing room.

Hand 51 and Marti turns over QQ to take back the lead.

Blinds are 400/800 now.
Hand 55 - Gjones had 1010 in the big blind. He has to do something soon. Not this time. Marti has pocket sixes and takes the 9900 pot.

Hand 56 and Gjones pushed into rshocker who held pocket jacks. Oops, no help for the Jones and we are down to 4.

Hand 57 and rshocker pushed KK into Marti holding QJ. Flop brought a QJ and the turn another jack. Rshocker is gone and we have our money table. Marti is way ahead with 25K to 13K in the other two stacks combined.

Hand 63 and all see the cheap flop come 8h 5c Th. Lytr and Scotty bailed and Marti took the pot.

Hand 64 - Scotty pushed KJ into Lytr holding an ace. She paired and we are down to two. Marti has the dominant stack. (Or did you all know that?)

Sparring now. No one wants to push.

Hand 70 and Lytr showed the better hand. She is catching up.

Hand 73 and Lytr pushed Marti off the pot to take the lead.

Hand 82 and a fight broke out. QJ5 on the flop and Marti talked her out of it.

Hand 88 – raise, re-raise and Marti is all-in with QQ vs. TT for Lytr. Marti takes back the lead.

Sparring again.

Hand 98. Lytr pushed the river when the board showed a spade flush. Marti thought and almost timed out but made the call with just a pair of jacks for the win.

Great game, both of you. This was a fun one.

Another great week of tournament action. I’m sorry that I haven’t played in a few weeks but I’ll be back more often now. The hockey season is over and my Roughriders have been eliminated from the Clark Cup race.

Peace.