A Nascar Wilford Brimley and Granny get your club

Tournament Report

I wanted to think about my play for a few days before giving everyone my tournament report, and except for one hand 1/2 way through I played pretty damn good. Last Saturday a local school was having their charity Texas hold'em tournament, (the first one was in Aug. during their festival). It's a two hundred dollar buy-in, no-limit tourney that is capped at three hundred players (or close to three hundred). It pays down to 15th place which will get you a one hundred dollar profit. No rebuys (I love that), no add-ons (I love that) Everyone starts with $200 tc. Winner takes home nearly 11K. This time around there was only 209 (?) entered making top prize a little over 8K, (it's for charity they gotta get their cut right). Last time I finished about 150th out of 308, and was not very happy about it. I didn't see many cards and when I did see some playable ones everyone else did too.

Last time I think I was a little too passive, not aggressive enough, I wa bound and determined to make this tourney a better showing.

Early on blinds are 5/10 and from hand 2 on I start seeing a rush of good cards, A-Q, JJ, etc. etc. the flops were the rough part, this dealer could not flip a face card if his life depended on it, and worst yet at least 9 times he flopped, three consecutive cards, 678, 910J, 456 you get the picture. But after showing a good aggressive raise, two callers (yea!) and the flop being rags, I knocked out the second person from my table with pocket JJ, (he was chasing a straight that if he hit would have been the top end would have given him a 10 high and me a J high (life is good).

The good run continued for the first hour 1/2 and I amassed about 550-600 tc, the only other person at the table that was making any waves was sitting at my right (I'm in 5), For the first hour and a half we took turns winning almost every other pot. He actually was playing a little loose, and it worked to his advantage at our table. He is ahead of me with about 800tc (my numbers might not be dead on in chip count be they are very proportionate).

After losing 4 off our table new chips, err faces started being filtered in. Here's where I get a dose of medicine. So a 50ish guy with glasses sits down and begins stacking up his chips, which, obviously he has done a little damage to his previous table with. a good guesstimate would be 1200-1400.

And of course I gotta lock horns with him.....(let's call him bob)

so I'm in the BB, and peer down at KK (gotta love it), I'm thinking of all these callers that will fold off with a stiff raise from me. (I've showed 2 hands already, JJ, & AK) so I get a little respect with a good raise, (hoping to steal a couple later on). Fold, fold fold fold fold, fold call (bob), fold, great only one caller, figures. I'm not gonna drive bob out with a raise so I concede to slowplaying my KK, and with this guy dealing he will NEVER flip over and A.

The flop is rags 8h, 5s, 2d no flush, no straight and no aces, purrrfect. I check, bob bets 50, he obviously trying to push me out, I raise make it 75, he calls quick.
turn 5c.
Ok, the board paired 5's no big problem, I check, he slowly bets 50, I raise make it 75, now I figure he will drop it and fold, but bob's a tough guy call (he paused looked back at his cards & the board 2x, but he did call pretty quick on the first raise). I'm getting that bad feeling, bob's a good actor. river is Jc, either bob is doing a good job and is looking for the Oscar, or I really don't want him to flip over his cards, (damn bob's a tough read). Only one thing to do here, I bet 75, and bob (that crafty guy), pauses for about one onemillionth of a second and calls all-in.
I'm sunk. I know it, bob knows it.

I fold. Bob flips over 88, the sob, hit the set, on the flop and proceeded to cement his set with the board pairing 5's for the full house. Ouch my stack takes a hit,

Now I'm starting to see why Bob has so many chips every friggin flop hit him, I mean every friggin flop hit him.

A few more hands and our table breaks up and relocates throughout the room, but of course Bob gets re-seated at my table. I owe him one.

Now here's where it starts getting good.......

I proceed to sit, and sit and sit oh yeah and sit, for 45 minutes without getting a card over a ten.

Until dumb-de-dum-dum....I'm in the BB blind (20/40 now, I have ~$250 tc left) and I literally have been wasting away, this table has a little more action to it, no one gets to see the flop without a raise.

I peek down and ta-dah, AA in the BB (me likey), fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, call (Bob), fold, call(SB). Lets stop right here for a minute, the SB is Wilford Brimley's twin, except he's dressed in full NASCAR gear, FULL NASCAR GEAR (no Oatmeal).

Quick side note the real Wilford Brimley born Sept. 27th 1924 in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been in 63 movies, and done guest appearances in The Waltons, Kung Fu, Walker Texas Ranger and Seinfeld.

back to the show, well no slow playing this time, I raise to 75, Bob folds (damn I wanted to extract a little revenge). Wilford calls leaving him with about 60 left. (if you hand is good enough to call with that short of a stack, why not push it all in?????)
The flop is rags, I look at Wilford and he's already got his last 60 in his hand and pushing his chair back from the table. I bet $60, he resigns to his fate and splashes the pot with his last chips. (pushes chair back farther away from the table). He flips over Kc Qs, I flip the AA over and he immediately says yeah good hand.

AA vs. KQ is an 87% winner pre-flop.
AA vs. KQ after the rag flop is 97% winner.

Are we having fun yet? Turn Kh.
AA vs. KQ is still 95% winner.

Still having a good time?
River Q.

Wilford I curse you, you just hit runner-runner, to drop me down to $110 tc. I actually was very proud of myself, I showed no emotion, absolutely none. The table was giving it the ohhs, bad beat man, etc. The guy at the other end of the table even said to they guy in the seat next to him, "that guy (me) didn't even flinch."

Hearing that made me feel good, especially after seeing umpteen wanna-be Crew members doing everything from slamming their cards on the table to the Fischman flop.

Now on to Granny.....

Granny is in seat 5, I'm in seat 2, and now I'm the SB (90 tc left). Granny is about 65-70, she has played exactly 0 hands since arriving at the table, 0, by far the tightest player at the table. She's waaaayyy too tan, grey hair, done up, I mean UP. 5 foot 3, 5 foot 9 with the hair.
(ha, Fletch-ish if you will)

Two callers in the pot,(Granny & Bob) it comes to me, I squeeze them tight Ad OH please please please damn 9d. I'm basically sunk, It might be a while before I see another A and hell I'm suited, all-in 90 more. Granny pauses for one millisecond and calls, Bob decides to fold. Remember Granny has not played a hand in FOREVER. So I'm guessing this is not gonna be pretty when she flips them over. But, what she called with As 8c, holy hell....I'm in the lead.

The flop is rough, 2c, 10s, Jc
Hell, I'm still in the race here, turn 7c ugh thats 4 clubs for Granny.
Not quite as confident river 3c, Granny hits the Flush 8 high and I get to drive home.
79th that's just not good enough.

Granny I'd like to introduce you to Nascar Wilford Brimley.
Mr. Brimley this is Granny, why don't you two go count my chips over a good bowl of Oatmeal.

save me a seat at the final table

Uwannabet?