Glenso Starts 2006 with the Win

Happy New Year to all.  Only 15 hard core Holdem Affair regulars saw the New Year arrive sitting at the tournament tables but it was a great match.  Glenso started the New Year with his first win of 2006.  This wasn’t his first Holdem Affair victory though.  Von Ebb was his nemesis in the heads up match.  And congratulations go out to Rocknfish for his third place finish.  He was almost down to his last big blind when we were down to four and showed us how to play the short stack to out last Jewelcard to finish in the money.

Even starting with only 15 players it still took 50 minutes to get down to 10.  There just isn’t a loser in this group anymore.  Your final table looked like this:

1. Jewelcard = 5030


2. Glenso = 2740


3. aktim = 2655


4. von ebb = 2505


5. Rocknfish = 1870


6. Papoorboy = 1815


7. Sunbob = 1810


8. Marti = 1785


9. Stevob19 = 1270


10. Jennifear = 1020

Stevob19 was the first victim of this shark tank on hand 33 when his pocket kings ran into Jennifear and her vicious Tc 3c.  Unfortunately for Stevob19 the flop came 9c Td 3h and there was no way to see what was coming.

Just two hands later Papoorboy was short and pushed his 760 chips holding Kc 9c. Jewelcard called with pocket sixes and they held up.  This was a tough hand for me as it turned out because I laid down pocket eights.  With an all-in and a call in front of me I figured those eights were no good.  That was the last decent hand I would get.  Oh well.

Hand 45 and I’m down to 1250 chips and UTG with Ad Jd.  I pushed all-in and Jennifear called.  For the second time in three weeks Jenny had pocket aces when I needed to steal to stay alive.  I was out in eighth place.

The very next hand Marti was down to 340 chips and all-in with Jh 8h.  Two callers and she was dead to Rocknfish holding Ad Qc.  Two more aces on the flop made quick work of this hand for the Rock.

Things are moving fast now.  Hand 50 and aktim pushes holding Ah 2h.  Glenso made the gutsy call holding two black threes.  No ace for Tim and he was gone.

Down to five and the battle goes on.  Hand 71 and Rocknfish has only 925 chips.  The other four are bunched up with 4800 to 5900.  Rock stayed out of this hand but Jennifear opened for 750.  Von ebb raised to 2400 and Jennifear was quick to come back for all 4870 of her chips.  Jenny held 8d 8c, and von ebb held Ah Jc.  The flop landed in von ebb’s lap showing 2h Jh Ac.  Jennifear was gone in 5th place.

Hand 76 and Rocknfish has only 1075 chips with the blinds 150/300.  He posted the big blind and saw the cheap flop come 7h 7d Ts.  Rock pushed his last 775 chips and Jewelcard looked him up holding 4s 4d.  But Rock had caught part of this flop with Th 9s and doubled up.  Now he had 2450 chips.

Three more blind steals and Rocknfish is still alive by hand 93.  Jewelcard is UTG and looks down to see Ac Ks. He opened for 1000 and Glenso called.  The flop came 7c Ah 4s.  Glenso checked and Jewelcard bet 2150.  Glenso came back over the top for all 5890 and Jewelcard was quick to push his chips to the middle.  You can’t blame him with TPTK.  That is the flop you want to see when you hold big slick.  But Glenso had called with Ad 4d and had caught the miracle flop of top and bottom pair.  Jewelcard busted out on the bubble on a very tough beat.  Good game for this final table regular but it wasn’t meant to be tonight.

We were down to the money table now with Glenso holding 11430 chips to von ebb with 9370 and Rocknfish with 1700.  Twenty-three hands earlier Rocknfish was down to only 3 big blinds and we were at five players.  Now he was getting paid to play tonight.

He lasted three more hands when he was in the small blind holding Ad Td.  With only Glenso in the big blind to contend with he raised 3X BB and Glenso re-raised him all-in.  Easy call against just a random big blind hand and he made the right call.  Glenso showed Qd 6h.  Rock was right, Glen was bluffing.  The flop came As Jd 2c and Rock was looking great.  The Qs on the turn hit Glen but still left him with only 5 outs. But the river can be fickle and tonight Rocknfish was the spurned one.  The Qh came out and Glenso took the hand with three queens.  Great game Rocknfish.  That was a tough one.

The heads up match was between Glenso with 12830 and von ebb holding 9670.  Both are very good heads up and those of us in the observers lounge were looking forward to a battle.  We weren’t disappointed even if it was brief.  Glenso took the first hand but von ebb doubled up twice in the next two hands.  They battled to hand 106.  Von ebb held Ah Kd and Glenso Ac Js.  All the chips were in the middle before the flop – wow what a concept.  The flop came 8c 9h Td.  Von was still looking good.  The turn brought the 6c and it was looking bleak for Glen on this hand.  Oh my goodness that fickle river again.  This time it was the 7h – Glenso had rivered his straight jack high to von ebb with the ten high straight.  Glenso was our New Year’s winner.

What a great way to see in 2006.  I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.  

Happy New Year and

Peace,

Sunbob