Oct 08, 2007
The second leg of my Heartland Poker Event experience begins on a blustery night in the confines of The Golden Gates Poker Parlour. I arrive three hours before start time to get my seat assignment. Table 15, Seat 3 is where I will start in this event. A field of 150 players is expected for this event and the 20% (30 players) will advance to the next round. With a start time of 6:30pm, I do worry about how long the event may take. However, with Colorado Gaming Laws in place, this event will stop at 2am. So, no worries about a repeat 14 hour marathon day that I had in Day 1 of the WSOP. The series of Heartland Poker Events held this week mark the biggest poker tournaments ever held in Colorado gaming history.
My game plan is to be aggressive early on and to accumulate chips through position play. Wait, what if the entire table is aggressive? If so, then plan B is to be selective aggressive and to play the pots that I am involved in aggressively. Blinds start at 100/100 with the first 3 hands to be limit. The first 3 hands I fold and on the 4th hand, I'm dealt 2,9 off suit and raise it to 300 to test the waters. It is folded to the big blind and he calls. This player has played every hand thus far and has shown a few hands down with nothing but Ace high. The board is Q, 2, 6. The big blind is reaching for chips before the flop is even revealed and bets out 500, I call. He is acting way too strong, if he had a huge hand, would he not let me do the betting? After all, I was the initial raiser of the pot. The turn is an 8. He checks and so do I. The river brings a 3. He bets out 1,700. into a pot of 1,700. Is he value betting or begging for me to re-raise. I simply call and take down the pot with a pair of 2s and reveals Ace high. What a first hand for me, I did not re-raise on the river for fear of being bet out of the pot.
The very next hand I'm dealt A,K suite in mid position and I 3-bet it to 300., player t the right of me calls and we're heads up to the flop. The flop is A, 6,7 with two diamonds and I don't have a single diamond. We both check and the turn is a K/diamond and I have two pair but vulnerable to a flush draw. He bets 600 and I call. The river is a 2. He bets 600 and I call. I have two pair and he has only a pair of Kings. I did not re-raise on the river because a flush was possible. My stack has grown from 8,000 to nearly 13,500 in just the first 15 minutes of the event. The rest of level 1 is mine as my stack grows to nearly 16,000 through playing position poker. Just as I am getting comfortable, our table is broken up and I end up getting moved to a different table for the next three levels and my stack is at around 20,000 after level 4. Each table that I am moved to pits me against larger and larger chip stack. I though I was accumulating chips fast but these other players are getting big just as fast.
Level 5, blinds at 300-600 antes 100. I'm dealt pocket 10s in the button position. I raise to 2100 and get called by both the small and big blind. Ugggghhh, I believe I'm up against a player with Ace/face and a medium pocket pair. It is checked to me with a board of A, J, 3. I bet 2,500 and it is raised by the small blind and re-raised by the big blind. WTF? this is why I hate pocket 10s, don't have a good history with them and I'm exiting this hand faster than you can say like Arnold "Get Down!". Both the small and big blind stay in until the river and small blind reveals A, J and the big blind reveals J,J. Great fold by me but I just lost nearly 35% of my stack on that hand. To complicate matters, I am moved to a different table in three hands. Thanks alot, there's my tax-free donation and BIG THANKS , freaking 10s. My chip stack is at 11,500 and the blinds are 500-1000 antes 200. We are down to inside 75 players. At the current rate, I'm sinking faster than Enron in the 90s.
New table and I see nothing in the way of cards for this entire level. I need to regroup quickly or be sent to the rail. I'm still thinking about those damn 10s. Another event and it happens once again. Just as I am recollecting my past hands, I'm dealt A,10 in the button position and it is raised by the small blind and re-raised by the big blind. Both blinds have huge stacks and I get out of the way and disgustingly throw my hand into the muck pile. I put the small blind on K,K and the big blind with A, K; Q,Q or AA and they both are all-in pre-flop. It is KK vs QQ and the Kings hold up and I would have lost had I stayed in. So glad that I did not raise because there was not a single bet I could have made to cause these two players to lay their hands down pre-flop, Now, I'm down to 8,700 and get.....You guessed it! I get moved again. If I take long enough to move to the next table , then I can last longer and get to 30, we are inside 50 players. I'm at my new table and immediately seated in the big blind position. Are you serious? Could I not be seated in the button position, I don't have a lot of chips. This won't be easy and the blinds are up to 1000,2000 antes???/, forget because I'm hot at what is about to happen. We are now ready for the "Walls By Manny" inferno hand of the day. I get dealt J,J and shove "All-In" and get called by the button position player. I put this player on a pair 9s' Qs and he reveals 10s. Wait, I like my chances because I don't have my nemesis hand. I have a new nickname for 10s "Chewey-hater" hand". I'm ready to double up and get back into this show. One time, let Chewey double up. The flop is 10, Q, 4 and I am outraged to the point of yelling "(insert your own expletives here)". I grab my coat and congratulate the player on taking the pot but not for a well played hand. I'm out in 45th place and go sign up for a $75 Satellite. That's poker, stuff happens, who are you gonna call for the toilet paper when it hits the fan? Pocket 10s.
On my way out to the slot machines, I look a look around realize that there are over 20 tables in action for the tournament and if that is true then that was the largest 150 player field that I have ever seen. All table started with 11 players and not 10. I even asked a floor rep of the casino and he stated that all tables in action at the start were for the tournament. 20x11-220. If I had to guess then there were over 200 players. If true, then I would have probably been close to advancing to the next round
Stupid 10s, glad that there is no roulette in Black Hawk because I would definitely go ape-sh*t and bet heavy. Come back for my next entry on how I did in my second satellite and the third event of my HPT experience in Black Hawk. One thing is for certain, it will keep you on the edge of your seat and promises to be a twist that you will not expect. Here are the clues, it involves $1,000, slot machine, satellite, other players, a satellite certificate, Colorado limit law and a sleep-deprived Chewey. those of you at Tuesday night poker have asked me what happened later that night and I vowed to maintain my silence and to read the blog. The next line is for everyone:
Could this be similar to the scene from the movie " Rounders" when McDermotte goes back to play Teddy KGB for all or nothing? Will Chewey walk away empty handed and swear off poker? Is Chewey at the casino too much? Wait, don't answer that last question. Find out the answer to all of the above questions and more in the next installment of Chewey's Corner HPT Part Trey!
Is the suspense getting you yet?
Chewey-aka the all night sleepless gambler
