For the first time in months, I returned to the tournament table. I almost got blocked, but I decided to do it.
I had stepped away from tournament play because, after a run of success, I was 0-fer all of last year. It was not a pretty sight; most times I didn’t even get within sniffing distance of the final table. And because I had started taking a strength conditioning class on Monday and Wednesday nights, I was no longer able to hit one of my favorite tournaments, the limit tournament ever Wednesday night at the Oaks.
But this week is spring break. I was actually looking forward to making the evening grind drive from Mountain View up 880 to Emeryville for the tournament. But then, disaster almost struck.
The manager of my project at work scheduled meetings with our development team in India from 7:30pm to 11:30pm Wednesday and Thursday night. For these particular meetings, my attendance is typically somewhat optional; I’m not usually an active participant and usually get just the occasional nugget of information that I can use for my work, but I do like being there, part of the team. This was the first time we would be doing this remotely with this team, however.
After talking about it with him and my manager, I decided to blow it off. In part, it was because I’d likely get even less–if anything–remotely, and because it was remote, the idea of being “with” the team as it ground out all that it needed to was much less of an imperative.
So I left shortly before 5 to make the drive. It was typical: more than an hour to go something like 40 miles.
And after all that work, after all that working out, I busted out in the 4th round.
It was not at all pretty. I was actually getting more than my share of good hands. Not pairs, but good hands. Nothing was hitting, and I saw my stack slowly slip lower and lower. The killer was when I raised form middle position with A-J suited. An ace and 2 sixes hit the flop. I was played back by another player. I figure he either slow-played AK or AQ, or I was likely good. As it turns out, he had A-J offsuit, and we split the pot. Had I won it outright, I would have been in decent position, stack-wise. But I ended up still short stacked, and was out not too much later.
I really like this tournament though because besides having a fairly reasonable buy-in and a good starting stack, the rounds are 20 minutes, which allows more time for play. Most tournaments in local card clubs run 15-minute rounds, which makes it a bit more of a crap shoot. 20 minute rounds allow a bit more patience, a bit more real play.
With plenty of time on my hands, and finding a short list, I decided to sign up for a $6/$12 game. It was nice and passive, the way I like it, and one hand put me well over the top for the night.
I had a very loose player on my right, and a couple of loose-aggressive peole on my left. I was on the button. After several limpers, a late-middle position player raised. He was a fairly new player at the table, but I’d seen him be fairly aggressive and try to make a few plays, including bluffs. Both players to my right called, and I looked down to find Ah-10h. naturally, I cold-called too, as did all the limpers.
It was a dream flop: Kh and the two black 10s. Everyone checked to the raiser, who bet out. The person on my right raised.
Now she was the classic loose-passive calling station, calling pre-flop with any ace, most any Broadway cards, and any suited or connected cards, calling even one or two raises with those cards. But she never (to that point) raised preflop, and she would call if she hit any of the flop or had any draw. So her raise told me that she very likely had a 10.
I decided to just cold-call and see how things transpired. To my surprise–and pleasure, 2 or 3 others also cold-called. the bettor just flat called. the pot was getting big.
The turn brought the 2h, a golden card for me. Now I had trips with top kicker, but the nut flush draw as well.
Everyone checked to the initial raiser, who–interestingly–bet out again. The player to my right raised again. Instead of 3-betting, I cold called again, and was pleased to see a player down at the other end of the table again cold-call as well. The initial better called as well.
The river completed the flush. And the initial better bet out again!. this time, the player on my right just called. At that point, I had been mildly concerned about her holding K-10, but when she called, I knew she didn’t have a full house. So I raised. Everyone folded, except her, saying “I’ve gotta see it” (don’tcha just love people who give you money that way?). I showed the nut flush, and she mucked, flashing a 10 as she did. I’m pretty sure I had been ahead the whole, entire time, even pre-flop.
I’ve not played cash games at the Oaks much, it being farther away now. They have changed a bit: they now take a $4 rake and they changed the jackpot rules (4-of-a-kind beaten, where it used to be aces full of tens beaten), but in playing there twice recently, the games are looking mostly passive and beatable, so if I’m up in The City, I might plan to head over to Emeryville for a few hours of play more often.