Gambling Thrills

On Monday, I had the Online Forum Challenge warm-up event.  Buy-in $65 for 5,000 chips and blinds were every 30 minutes.

I went down early and helped with check-in and registration.  It was great to meet those that were unable to check-in on Sunday.

The tournament began at 4:00pm and we had a total of 111 entries.

I got put on table 29, which was the feature table.  They were broadcasting live on www.acejones.com and I was right in front of the camera.  It allowed for my boyfriend, Jay, to watch from home which was really cool.

Play was actually tighter than I thought it would be.  We had a bounty at our table that was representing Felt Stars poker.  It was BootNTee.  He was real cool and fun to play with.  I took him for a nice stack but just couldn’t get his bounty. 

We eventually got down to three tables.  I was short stack and only had 6600 in chips and blinds were 600/1200.  I was dealt a pair of 7’s.  One guys raised before me to only 3500 and another player went all-in for his last 2400 chips.  I had to call.  Flop was 2,7,10.  I hit the set!  I pushed the rest of my chips in for my remaining 1100.  The guy instantly calls me.  He turns over A,A to my 7,7.  I have him beat and the other all-in is way behind.  The turn was a 3.  The flop allow was a cruel A!  He hit a 4% outter and takes both of us out of the tournament.  What bad luck, but that is poker.

I got out around 25th place.  They only paid 13 spots.

The play continued and I stayed to watch because we still had a couple people playing that were representing Holdem Poker Chat.

When it got down to the final table we still had Dunbar representing HPC.  After 12 hours of play, Dunbar takes down the tournament.  He wins about $1500 in the prize pool but also wins a $1000 seat into the WSOP event 54.  Congratulations Dune….well done my friend.

Sunday we had the registration and meet and greet for the Online Forum Challenge events.  Players checked-in between 5pm and 7pm.  After check-in there was a party up in Gold Diggers night club at the Golden Nugget.

I helped check in players, so I got a great opportunity to see all the players.  It was nice to put faces with the players you play with for so long online.  There were quite a few I was looking forward to seeing again and meeting for the first time.

After the registration, several of us, including the great pro Lou Krieger, went down to eat some dinner before heading up to Gold Diggers.  Lou is a very friendly and down to earth individual.  He has authored about a dozen books on poker.  You can hear him every Thursday night on Rounders Radio.  I am thrilled to have him as a new friend.

After dinner we headed up to Gold Diggers.  Holdem Poker Chat provided bottles of Grey Goose vodka for everyone representing his forum for the tournaments this week.  Needless to say, things got crazy after a while.  It was such a blast to kick back, dance, laugh and have a ball with everyone.  Couple people (I was not one of them) had to be wheel chaired back to their rooms at the end of the evening due to too much alcohol consumption.

I did my usual and took a ton of pictures but ended up breaking my camera. :(  I dropped it and the screen is broken and no longer visible.  I have a memory card so the photos are saved, but my camera is useless now.  UGH

All in all, it was a fun and crazy night.

Tonight we will have the meet and greet at the Golden Nugget at 5:00pm.  I will be heading down early to help set things up.

The event is put on by Online Forum Challenge, Rounders Radio and our very own Holdem Poker Chat.

Today I got into the Golden Nugget $65 tournament at 11:00am.  It had a 500 bonus chip for $5 and one rebuy for $40 for first hour.

Play was pretty decent.  Several players that are here for the Online Forum Challenge played it.  We only ended up with three tables.  Top 3 got paid.

I made the final table with about 12K.  There were quite a few short stakes with around 4 to 5K.  Ten players left and blinds are 2000/4000.

We get down to 7 players and I am sitting with 5K and the cards have been crap since the final table started.  I am two positions away from looking at the big blind and I have K,Q suited.  I push all-in.  One guy calls and of course the big blind limps in for another 1000.  One has A,7 off and big blind has J,7 off.  A Jack hits the board and I am sent packing.  Out in 7th place.

At least I am getting closer to finishing in the money.  Yes, I am trying to keep a positive attitude.

Played the Binions Poker Classic.  Buy-in was $210 for 15K chips.

Started off card dead.  Nothing was hitting.

Got through the first break (break after three, thirty minute blinds).

Got back from break and I was at 10K in chips.  I got dealt a KK and raised 4 times big blind and got three callers.  I was thinking “WTF?”  Flop was good for me - 10, 3, 7.  Short stack pushes all-in, the other two fold and I call.  He turned over A3.  I but him on a desperation move and I was right.  Thank goodness an A or 3 did not hit.  My K’s held up and I took the guy out.

I was at 22K.

We took another 10 min break.  When we come back the cards are for crap for what appears forever.

I finally get dealt AK.  I raise 4X big blind.  I get one caller.  The other female at the table.  She is big blind and calls a 4K raise on blinds that were 500/1000.  Flop is 5, 4, 6.  She checks and I bet 5K.  She ponders long and hard and decides to call my bet.  Flop is a 7 - not what I wanted to see.  She pushes all in.  I have no choice but to fold.  She tells me later she hit the straight.  Nice chase is rewarded….UGH

I am now down to just around 10K.  I am dealt AQ off.  I raise 4K with blinds at 500/1000 still.  The same woman calls me.  Flop is 2, J, J.  She immediately goes all-in.  I show her my AQ and fold.  She shows me the J.  I ask her during the break what she had with the J and she said it was a 10.  I comment to her that was some call with nothing more than a J,10 when a raise is made at 4X big blind.  She then says she would have folded if it had been any more, but she likes J, 10 and was getting low on chips.  Pfffffttttt

Now I can sitting with 8K.  Nothing is coming.  We get down to the dinner break and I am looking at 5,500 in front of me and blinds are about to go up to 1000/2000.  We take a 40 minute dinner break and than play continues.

I can’t get anything and before I know it I am down to 2500 and I am facing the big blind.  Everyone folds and one guy pushes me all in and I have no choice but to call with my last 500 chips.  I have J,8 off and he has K,5 off.  Nothing on the boards helps me and I’m out.

I go out 28th out of 78 players.

Well, I have finally arrived in Vegas.  I got here around 9:15pm last night (Vegas time),  but by the time I got my baggage and waited for the Greyline Shuttle I did not arrive to my hotel until 11:00pm!  By then I was exhausted and tired.  It is a long trip from Florida.

Most of the poker crew are not arriving until today (Saturday), so last night I decided to just stay in and relax.  I ordered me some room service and went to bed around 12:30am.  I have to say, the bread pudding at the Golden Nugget is to die for.  It is so delicious!!!  It was perfect after a light BLT (with way too much bacon, if that is possible).  lol

Now that I am fully rested, I am ready to go.  No set plans for today.  With the OFC gang coming in today, I am going to play it by ear and see if they need any assistance or help setting up or getting things together.

I am torn between playing the $125 NLH at the Grand Series here at the Golden Nugget or the $200 NLH at Binion’s Poker Classic.  Here are the set-ups:

Golden Nugget Grand Series - 12:00pm - $125 buy-in for 10,000 chips, plus 2,000 more chips for an additional $10.  Blinds are every 40 minutes.  They are expecting 60+ tables daily.  Not sure of the payout structure.

Binions Poker Classic - 2:00pm - $200 buy-in for 12,000 chips, plus 3,000 additional chips for an extra $10.  Blinds are every 30 minutes.  Not sure of the payout structure either.

I really wanted to play the Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo at the Gold Series, but I just don’t think they are going to pull in as many players as the NLH games will.  I played the HORSE tournament at the Gold Series last year and just missed the money.  I think I might try Binions this year, but it is still a toss up.

For now, I am going to get dressed and head down to the poker room and see what is going on for cash games or maybe stroll over and play a little Black Jack or Let It Ride.

Will post later on the results of the day.

View from my room

Here it is, a gloomy Monday evening.  Most would be down about the weather or the fact that is is Monday.  Me, on the other hand, look at it as one day closer to Vegas!  It is almost here.  Five more days and I am off to Las Vegas baby.  They don’t call it sin city for nothing, right?

Once again I am heading out there with some friends from Holdem Poker Chat forum.  We are meeting up to play the first official Online Forum Challenge Live event.  Two buy-ins for this event.

Monday, June 28th - $50 + $15 Warm-up tournament.  A $1000 WSOP entry to Event 54 will be ADDED to 1st place.  Nishhhhhhhh

Tuesday, June 29th - $100 + $15 Tournament.  A $1000 WSOP entry to Event 54 will be ADDED to 1st-3rd place

Both tournaments will have:

• 4000 Starting Chips & for $5 Tip to the dealers you will get 1000 more
• Blinds start at 25/50
• Blinds increase every 30 minutes

Sounds pretty sweet!  I can’t wait.

If you want to find out more information on this event, visit here

So I decided to attempt my luck at some WSOP seats.  I received an email from Bodog Poker that they were doing their own packages.  I went into their schedule and they had one playing this evening at 5:30pm ET, so I decided to play it.  They have buy-ins as low as $1, but I decided to play the $10 buyin which gave a seat directly into the $470 tournament for a $12K WSOP package.  There were only 25 people in the tournament, so they only gave away one seat.

Things were up and down.  Bodog, for the most part has good software.  You don’t see they donkey play and bad beats as often on there.  The play was decent and players were playing fairly tight.

I finally made it to the final table.  I was low on chips and second from the bottom.  Play progressed rapidly and players began dropping out due to reckless play.  I played it cool and solid.  I finally got into chiplead.  Eventually I made it heads-up.  It only lasted approximately 5 hands.  My opponent had twice as many chips as me.  Hand was dealt and I had second high pair on the board with an ace on the board.  They didn’t raise preflop so I figure no ace in their hand.  Turn was insignificant.  They bet minimum bet and I called. The flop gave me a second pair.  They pushed me all-in and I called.  Lord and behold, they had an A 4, which they flopped.  They slow played me and reeled me in.  I thought I was golden when that second pair it only to find out I was beat by a higher two pair.  I came in 2nd and no ticket to big game.

There is still time to play and I will continue to try.  I will play that one on Bodog again, as well as continue the step games on Absolute and Full Tilt.

Well, it is official.  I will be going to Las Vegas this year after all.  I will be attending the Online Forum Challenge live event - June 28 & 29th.  I will in Vegas June 25 - July 2.

In addition to the OFC live event, I will playing in the Grand Series at the Golden Nugget.

Watch out Vegas, here I come….again. 

While poker has never left me 100%, I did have to put it on the back burner in order to focus on school.  Well, the day has finally come.  I am a college graduate.  I technically walk this Sunday, but the deal is sealed and no more classes.  Now it is time to focus on poker once again.

I was able to play the occasional private poker forum game and even played live, but not as much as I was used to.  I’m glad to be back and it is time to focus on my game.  Need to start reading articles again, get used to playing online again, and build up that bankroll.

I have a trip to Vegas coming up in June with my poker buddies over at Holdem Poker Chat. Holdem Poker Chat along with the Online Forum Challenge (OFC) are bring us the first LIVE OFC Event, which will be sponsored by Feltstars in Las Vegas!!  HPC will be invading Vegas once again and I’ll be along for the ride.  I’ll be posting about the trip, tournaments, and events.

In the meantime, I will continue to play forum games and begin playing some tournaments, sit n gos, and cash games.  I will be posting my experience along the way.

The byotch is back and ready to play.  See you at the tables.