The Home Tourney

the set up...
$25 entry get you 1500tc
23 or so entered

The payouts
1st $250
2nd$140
3rd something
4th something

This was a pretty good mix of completely unskilled (I saw it on TV) to 6-7 that had a good amount of playing time under their belt.

The first table I started out on, began with only 7 players, 3 decent (I am including myself in this group) and 4 chip feeders.
Third hand, first victim, busted out on a all-in with the second pair. It's good to be at this table.
This tightens up the table a little bit, which affords me the opportunity to push the action a bit, and I mean a little bit. With some of the less experienced players (aka nofoldems) they will call you down with 4th best pair. (I'm not telling you guys/gals anything new)

Nonetheless, we are down to 4 in no time flat, I've got the second most at the table, while a youngish college age kid with big-ass aviator sunglasses has the chip lead.
He has been pushing pretty hard, and the two times I got to see what he held, it was marginal at best. Definitely overplaying marginal hands, but it's working well for this table, and I am getting sick of folding.

We wait for about ten minutes till the first break, and proceed to consolidate the tables.

For the most part I did not get into many big pots, most of my raises pre-fold were respected, and even a couple of my re-raises drew nothing but folders.

I'm at an advantage at this tourney, it's mostly family and friends of the host, and I'm a complete unknown. I have played in 3 tournaments with the host and we have never been at the same table.

We got down to three tables and I'm probably top 5th in chip count and they are dropping fast. Nothing very eventful at the next break, just solid, tight-aggressive play on my part and we are down to two tables. At this point I'm either 1st or 2nd in the chip count and my good buddy with the big-ass avaitors has a stack that equals mine. (maybe he wasn't pushing all the time)

I see-saw back and forth with big-ass avaitors trading the chip lead and we both seem to be taking control of the table (we ended up reseating and being at the same table). At this point we take turns winning pots, (not sure if he's avoiding a confrontation with the other big stack or if it has just worked out the we typically are not in the same pots).

Break, now we have the final table of 9, hey they actually did save me a seat at the final table. It's fairly evident the all but 3 of the final tablers are the better players in this group. A couple have arrived in the final nine with a lot of luck, or for the most part have been very conservative.

We slowly lose player by player until it's just me and the big-ass aviator. I was the benefactor of one nice river card against a small stack 8-8(me) vs J-9 suited (all-in), the flop was J-7-10 rainbow, turn 6, river (he actually asked for a Jack or nine here I told him "yeah a nine would be great" when he heard me say that he realized that a nine would give him 2pair but me the straight. Sometimes you get what you ask for... river 9.

Back to big-ass aviator....heads-up and now I have the chip lead 4-5K over him. First hand, the friggin first hand I get 6c-6d, he calls a medium raise pre-flop.

Flop is Ah-6s-Jh this looks pretty good for me, so putting him on high card and hoping he hit the top pair, I check, bingo, he pops out a quick bet of 2k, (reel him in, reel him in). I call.
turn 5h, damn not another heart, now I have to sweat the flush. Check, I'll be able to get a good gauge of his hand strength here. He shoots out a 2k bet, I immediately re-raise 2k more. I would rather fire another shell to see where I stand, than let him milk the flush.

I get a pause from him...and a slow call.....Is he working on an Oscar or... River 2h
Worst possible board 4 hearts and me with two shrinking 6's and not a heart between them.
Check..he flips over As-10h yeah he got outplayed, and the board bailed him out.
That's poker (sometimes).

I took a pretty big hit on that one and now it's time to draw a line in the sand. I start being very aggressive, it does not hurt that I'm seeing some decent heads-up hands. Twice after a pre-flop raise I showed him an A, which worked to my advantage a few hands later re-raising him off a medium-small pair. I keep pushing and slowly get the chip lead back. I've now got him covered by 1-2K.
Final Hand

9d-6d (me) I raise it 2k, preflop (I've got the big mo and have been raking pots left & right, (keep pushing). He calls a bit too quickly for my taste.
Flop Ad-Jc-7d...I immediately call all-in, looking to push him off what ever he might have, plus worst case I'm on a flush draw up against top pair. Not one nanosecond passes and he calls, stands and flips over As-Jh. Damn, the flop hit him well.
Turn 10d. And bingo was his name-o.
river is a rag.

In the words of Dan Harrington, "It's good to be lucky."

Slide me that first place envelope and save me a seat at the next final table.

Uwannabet?