Event 2- No Limit Holdem $550
Event #2- No Limit Holdem- $550 of the 2008 World Series of Poker is underway in Council Bluffs. A field of 290 has descended upon the Whiskey Roadhouse Poker Room; where the cards are hot and the cocktail waitresses are even hotter (more about that later). In this event you start out with 4,000 in tournament chips. In level 1, blinds 25-25, not much happens as I sit back and watch the table. We lose two people in the first 10 minutes, wow- did I just migrate back to online poker land a.k.a donkfest? I manage to win two hands in this entire level based on my tight image and end level 1 wih 4,675. Level 2 blinds are 25-50 and I manage to win three pots and take out a short-stacked player in the process. I am now at 5,825 in chips. Just as I am getting accustomed to the table we are moved to a new one. The new table I am at has many short stacks as well.
Level 3, blinds 50-100. From mid position, I limp with A,Jx and the Big Blind raises to 400. I call the raise and flop brings J,9,4. The big blind started with 2,400 in chips at the start of the hand and I had 5,675. Big Blind bets out 900. I ponder and stare at the flop and at the player. He intently stares me down and riffles his chips. I look away and in the corner of my eye, there is a stop in his riffle as I reach for my chips. Got ya, you have nothing , I think to myself. I stare at my two cards and see that the only hands that I am behind against is a set, I put him on Ace, rag. I call and the turn is a J. He goes all-in and before his chips make it in to the pot, I insta-call and win the pot of 4,800. my stack is at 8,700. Another KO by Chewey, 3 and counting for today. With 3 minutes remaining in the level, I call with Q,5 in the small blind and the big blind checks. The flip is Q,5, 3 with two spades. I bet 600 into the pot and he calls, the turn is a 9- I bet 800 and he calls. The river is another freaking spade and I am sure he has made his flush. I check and he bets 600, I fold and he shows me the flush- great he chased it down for 1,400 wand only started the hand 3,900 in chips, I'm now down to 3,900 in chips and get moved to another table.
Level 4, blinds 100-200. I raise under the gun to 500 and it is folded to me. What did I have? The winning hand. Two hands later, I'm dealt Aces and fire it up to 500 and get one caller the button. The flop brings A, J,10. I immediately bet out 700 into the pot and he folds 9,9x. I show the Aces. I've done this for a particular reason. I want the table to see that I was raising with a hand and to set up for my later bets. I want to have the ability to win future pots without having the best hand or a showdown. My tight image is intact, as I end the level with 5,800 in chips.
Level 5, blinds 100-200 with 25 antes. This is when I should start to shine as I play better when there are antes. The antes force the action and make it harder for anyone to not play because you are putting in at least one chip into the pot every hand. I mange to lose two hands with middle pairs and am down to 4,100. Oh, I also get moved to my 5th table of the day. The field is down to 140 and it is around 4pm in the day. Dinner break is in 3 hours, I just need to make it to dinner and I think I can make it to the money.
Level 6, blinds 200-400 with 50 antes and I manage to be down to 2,900 in chips. It's getting to be short-stacked time. In mid position, I'm dealt Pocket Aces, rockets, American Airlines; whatever you want to call them. It is raised to me by the table bully and would force me all-in. "Say hello to my little friend" I say out loud- I didn't say that but I bet you wanted me to. This table bully has been causing quite a stir at the table berating players, complaining about bad beats, etc. I was going to win this pot and try to take more chips off of him- he's on tilt. It's a crime to let people that can't hold on to chips to have chips. The average stack size in the room is around 10,000. My hand holds up and I end the level with nearly 12,000 in chips and we are on dinner break and the field has been narrowed to 50 and only the top 27 get paid.
Level 7, blinds 300-600 with 75 antes and for the first time today, I am not moved to a new table. What gives? I am at a chaos infested table and the floor has to be called over three times for various behavirial infractions. It must be me? Level 7 is pretty uneventful for me and I end the level with 9,900 in chips. We are now down to 45 players, only 5 people have gone out since the break. The place has clearly slowed to a grinding halt. It is now nearly 11PM and we have played for almost 12 hours. Finally, I'm moved to another table, my 7th different table of the day.
Level 8, 400-800 with 400-800 with 100 antes. I am dealt pocket 10s twice and win one out of two hands. I lost 3,700 on the first pocket 10s to a higher set and only win 2,200 for my second pocket 10s. I thought the last table was horrible behavior wise but this table takes the cake. I have a nemesis at this table in that Player X thinks he is hot stuff and is trying to run over the table. he has knocked out three consecutive players from this table and is catching his hands on the river.. I'm down to 5,600 and we are now at 38 players. 11 from the money.
Level 9, 600-1200 with 200 antes. I am dealt pocket 8s and shove all in for my remaining 3,400 and am called by Player X. I win versus his A,6. as he wins the side pot against a player with A,Kx. I'm now at 8,100. Three hands later, I'm dealt J,J and again shove all-in versus Player X and the table immediately folds and embraces for this showdown and he says out loud, I got ya with K, 9x. Are you serious? How can you call with K,9- I think to myself. I manage to win this hand and am now at 17,900. The table looks at me now as my stack is growing larger and larger with each double up. Player X had 60,000 in chips before this level and I've managed to whittle it to 39,000. I just need one more double up ffrom this player and he is all mine. We are now at 35 players. Only 8 from the money. At a nearbly table, three players are all-in and only one gets knocked out. Player X goads the table with comments such as are we playing tight for the money? I am dealt pocket Kings in mid position and it raised by player X and there is a re-raise by another player. My initial read is that player X, has an Ace, rag but what about the other player? I think the other player has a high middle pair such as 9s or 10s. Is this the hand that I've been waiting for, one double up and I could be near 40,000. I re-raise all-in for my 16,400 and he calls. The other player folds his 10s. Form talking to the other players, there is only one Ace reaining as two players folded an Ace. The flop is 2, 6, 3. The turn is a 9 and the damn river is the case Ace and player X shouts out loud that was a brilliant call that he made. I look at him and tell him that was real genius after only putting in 2,400 in to the pot and calling 16,400 with a drawing hand. The rest of the table backs me up and I say nothing else- I head to the rail and a few bystanders say to me that was luck for him andf a badbeat for me. I reply, no that's poker, not really but it's the gentlemen thing to say. I'm out in 34th place, 7 spots form the money and wondering to myself, what went wrong?
I watch the next hand and tell the player , you will not make it to the money and I'll bet you that. Am I out of line for saying that? Maybe, but I am a gambler and he did not bite. I was willing to lay him 5 to 1 odds also. what do you know, the very next hand he donks off 70% of his chip stack by pre-maturely folding and crossing the yellow table line. A line on the poker table that if your cards cross is considered a fold. The table stares at him in amazement and I tell him, yeah, I thought so. The floor is called over and warns us both. I stand there and watch which I normally don't but I am so eager to finish this slugfest of metal warfare. My better judgement tells me to walk away and that this kid is not worth it. One of the other tables from the table comes to me and says he will take him out in a few hands and I walk way to the bar for my own timeout and to chat it up with the beautiful bar staff/staff there. Sure enough within 20 minutes, player X has been eliminated. Mission halfway accomplished. I did not finish in the money but neither did player X.
Come back next time for updates on Event 4b-Omaha High/Low $330 as Chewey, Kelly and Manny push team Poker Across America into the WSOP Council Bluffs money finsh. We do have a final table finish in the Omaha event and your all-access highlight begins here.
This is how we roll in the Bluffs,
Chewey
