July 6th, 2009

So the night of the 4th we decided to rally the troops for a game of Patriotic Poker.  When the chips were separated and seats drawn, we had 5 players: Myself, Tally, Bob, JNR, and Mike Upchurch. 

As per usual, this was out tournament Blind Structure: Everyone began with $100 in chips.  3 Blind Tiers in the first hour, set at 20 minutes each (1-2, 2-4, 3-6).  We allowed unlimited re-buys in that period, and should a player not bust at the end of the first hour, an optional $50 could be added on.  Blinds would raise every 30 minutes after the first hour to 4-8, 5-10, 6-12, and then cap at 7-15.


The original seating was as follows: Tally on the button, JNR in 1st position, then me, Bob, and Mike at the cutoff.

We began play and for the first 45 minutes I can say I didn't pay much attention to my hands.  During the first Blind Level I try and play as many hands as possible, limping in and playing pot odds regardless of pretty much any starting hand.  I folded a lot to Tally who was making a lot of big moves early on with raises of 4 or 5 times the big blind.  I couldn't justify making the call with hands like 89 offsuit.  I did pick up AQ, AJ two or three times which allowed me to steal blinds and limpers, but after the first 45 minutes I was down to about 60 chips from my limp-fold approach and Tally's aggressive play.  I had been up to about 120 in chips at one pt but took a huge hit on the following hand.  I'm holding KT offsuit UTG with blinds at 2-4.  I raise to 8 and the hands fold around to JNR who calls.  The flop comes out K86 with 2 hearts.  JNR bets 12, which I smooth call.  I considered raising and pushing him off any draws, because at this point I think he's fattening the pot for his flush or straight draw, but I wanted to see a turn and make my move from there, hoping to get him to bet and then raise him enough to take the pot down with my K's which I know are good at this point.  The turn is a black 2.  JNR checks, and I throw out a sizable bet of 25, not giving JNR odds to call on his draw (little more than 2:1), but also making it clear he is not pot committed and he should fold.  He had another 55 or so in chips and I didn't think he'd commit that, and was surprised when he pshed all in on top of my bet.  I knew he was on a  draw, and this wasn't a tricky check-raise trap, so insta-called.  He turns over A3 of hearts, and I shake my fists at the poker deities threatening them not to break my heart.  Of course, the river reveals the stupid heart to give JNR the nut flush, and I dejectedly count down to my 55 remaining chips. 

Aside from my run in with JNR, there had been a few big moves involving Bob and Mike.  Bob had picked up a nice stack of chips and was loosely calling a lot of raises.  The only problem with this was Mike was re-raising almost all of Bob's moves.  He really didn't have the stack to be doing this, and I knew sooner or later he'd get caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  This happened the first hand after we moved to 3-6 blinds.  I'm on the button and it folds around to me.  I look down to see 66 and I raise it to 12.  Bob raises me an additional 12, and Mike instantly pushes all-in from the Big Blind.  I know Mike is making a move, but I can't make the call with Bob behind me, so I reluctantly concede the hand to Mike's bluff, praying Bob makes the call.  Bob takes a minute then calls turning over A5.  I lament the situation even more when Mike turns over 47 offsuit.  This hand, which our regulars refer to as the Wagoner as it has some level of infamy with one of their fraternity brothers is terrible, and I love busting it every time they play it (which is WAY more often than any kind of poker sense dictates; I think I'd fold the stupid hand on principal should I ever encounter it).  Anyway, the flop comes down T82 rainbow.  Of course the turn reveals a 4, and Bob doesn't hit his Ace or 3 on the river and that stupid 47 offsuit pays Mike off big.

Two hands later Bob busts out to Tally.  I think Bob played A-rag and Tally had a pocket pair that tripped up on the flop.  Either way, Tally is now sitting on a very healthy 300+ chips taken from Bob, Mike, and JNR's donations.  We hadn't seen a lot of hands down tot he river, as Tally's aggressive play received a lot of folds and he stole a lot of pots.  I wish I'd been able to call him with something, but he and I hadn't gotten into a hand yet.  I think he was avoiding most hands I played through.  Either way, when Bob busted I was down to 31 in chips, JNR had 70ish and Mike was cruising right around 80.  I picked up AT spades UTG and decided to make a move, pushing all in, hoping Mike might loosely call and double me up.  Mike didn't call; he pushed all-in!  I don't think he realized his stack was actually quite healthy, and he wasn't in desperation-catch-up-to-Tally mode like me, but much to my chagrin, Tally thought about the moves and called.  JNR folded and I flipped over my hand.  Mike showed K4 offsuit (of course!) and Tally showed pocket 8's.  I was a little surprised by his call, but I think the prospect of knocking me out influenced his decision more-so than his moderate pocket pair.

The flop broke my heart with a K46 rainbow (no spades).  My runner runner didn't come and Mike tripled up.  I left the room to cool off and returned 5 minutes later to see Mike had lost most of his stack back to Jason somehow and I decided to re-buy.  Bob followed suit and we were back to 5 players right as blinds moved up to 4-8.  We took a break to eat some Apple Pie and I checked on the chip stacks.  Mike and JNR both added on.  At the break Bob and I both were sitting at 90ish, Mike had close to 130, JNR had about 160 and Tally was dominating with 350ish.  I knew I could come back because I had a good read on how the table was going to play from this point out.  No one was really mixing it up, and I could adjust my game to come back.  I honed in on making reads and got ready to resume play.

I sat back and folded the first few hands to JNR who took on the aggressor role and watched as Tally put on the brakes.  I disagreed with this move by Tally as I thought he should have dictated the pacing with his massive stack, but he seemed content to cruise to heads up play and let us smaller stacks battle it out.  Complacency never wins.  Anyway, so JNR is bullying the pots, better 4 or 5 times the big blind and in turn stealing the blinds for most of this blind tier.  He gets caught once between the ever present Bob and Mike battle which played out rather interestingly.  Bob is on the button and JNR raises the pot to 20.  Bob raises to 45 and Mike re-raises to 70.  JNR calls and Bob flashes pocket 9's in my direction.  I feel an all-in which would have been my unquestionable move, but Bob thinks about it and folds, as Mike has got him perplexed with his erratic bets and hands.  This style worked to Mike's advantage tonite as he was continually up and down, but never out.  I couldn't play that way, but kudos to him for making it work.  Anyway, the flop comes down A9T and Bob is obviously angry at his fold.  Surprisingly Mike and JNR check it down to the river and Mike takes it down with a QT.  JNR mucked so I have no idea what move he was making there.  Bob was taken out by Tally shortly after as he raced his naked Ace against Tally's TT.  So we were down to 4 handed with Tally at 450, Mike hanging around at 150 and JNR and I just about even at 100 apiece.  With blinds at 6-12  I finally get a chance to make my move when I pick up KQ as the big blind.  Mike folds, as does Tally and JNR raises from the small blind to 25 and I smooth call.  The flop comes down 67K rainbow.  JNR stares at me for a minute before pushing 50 into the pot.  Even before his hands leave his chips I announce all-in.  I knew my Ks were good here, and my Q kicker would protect me in the off chance that JNR had a K as well.  The way he played the hand I knew he was making a move, but couldn't have had a monster like 2 pair or he had flopped trips or anything.  As he sat there thinking I thought about it and put him on better than a draw, so maybe middle pair with an Ace kicker.  He took a few minutes then called, what had been an additional 65 chips.  (He had 67 behind, so I gave him his 2-change from the pot).  I told him he was beat as I flipped over my cards and was honestly surprised to see him turn over K9.  I hadn't been making any cute moves this game and had been showing legit strength every time I played a hand, so I would have figured his call to be based on some sort of drawing possibility as he HAD to have figured IN THE LEAST I had top pair.  His miracle didn't come and I doubled up to close to 250 in chips.  Tally was still comfortably around 400 and Mike was still around 150. 

With more chips to be creative with, I found myself making the wrong move at the right time.  I pick up JT on the button with blinds still at 6-12 and raise it to 40.  Mike calls and Tally folds.  The flop comes out KT8 and after Mike checks I decide to be cute and make an pot sized bet.  In retrospect I just said I bet the pot which looking back on was far to big of a bet considering my stack and Mikes at the time; it was essentially 92 chips which was more or less what Mike had and a good half of what I was left with.  It'd be hard to fight back with only 100 chips, but as Mike sat there pondering a call, I knew if I were to lose this hand Id still be okay to pick and choose battles against Tally's chip stack and Mike's unpredictable play.  Mike thought about this for a long time, and finally called.  Before he flipped them over, I put him on naked Ace, hoping he might turn or river it and beat what he had to think was my pair of Kings.  Much to my surprise he turned over K3 for top pair and hand domination.  The turn redeemed my terrible read and bad move by giving me 2 pair with a Jack.  Mike didn't hit his miracle on the river, and suddenly I had a very nice stack to play heads up with the immovable Tally.  I call him that because he had drastically changed his dominating play of the first half of our tournament to a very reserved play that got him heads up, but also left me with ALL the momentum.  We spent the first few hands folding back and forth, when I decided to take on the role of the aggressor.  Blinds had just capped at 7-15 and I stole 6 out of the next 7 pots with sizable raises from both positions.  Tally would see a flop and check to me; I'd raise, he'd fold, and I'd pick up chips.  This pattern put me around 450 chips and with the lead I decided to take my time and put a move on Tally.  With 34 spades and my Big Blind already in the pot, Tally doubles the big blind making me think he has some sort of naked ace or a weak face card so I raise, deciding a continuation bet after the flop should earn me more chips with my feigned strength and my read of his supposed weakness.  I raise the pot another 45 and Tally calls.  The flop comes down J83.  Tally raises 15.  This is the first time I really stop to consider what he might actually have.  Is he milking me?  Why such a small bet?  I take a moment, count through all my chips and decide Tally is trying to bet his naked ace and that my pair of 3s is in fact good.  I move all in (which would leave me just over 100 and a 7:1 underdog in chips should Tally make the call).  Tally takes a few minutes to decided, all the while I'm shuffling my chips.  I'm sure that my read was good after he is taking this long to make a decision, and am shocked when he reluctantly calls showing JT!  He flopped top pair!  Not a shabby hand at all!  What in the world did he put me on????? Anyway, I was pondering how I'd try and dig myself out of this grave when the turn came out and showed me a miracle 4!!  No flush draws out there and Tally didn't hit his J or T on the river and I took down the hand and the tournament.

All in all, my play was extremely far from masterful.  Aside from the one hand against JNR with the Ks, I was sloppy and my reads were off.  Somehow though the poker deities showed me favor and rewarded my bad plays.  It's like they're saying 'At least you're trying....?' Ha!  Anyway, next time we play I'll keep better mental notes and have a much better written account of the game.  I hope this account was okay for a first attempt.  Shout outs to my friends Terrence Jordan and Brandon Lee and their play at this year's WSOP.  Terrence is entering Day 2 with a very healthy chip stack and Brandon is playing today in the last of the Day 1 preliminaries.  Until next time!!