pstarfish (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} pstarfish) wrote,@ 2005-06-28 12:02:00 |
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Day 2 of the Omaha tourney
I haven't been nervous to play poker in years. Not at the final table of tournaments, not in big cash games, nowhere that I can remember. But I went down for breakfast before day two, and I couldn't eat. Each bite was making me more queasy! I called home, and Laura said that it meant that I was human, so it probably wasn't all bad. The second day action started at 2pm, and she decided that she wanted to see the final table if I got there, so she set out driving at about noon. Well, we started at 2:20, and by 2:21, the final table wasn't really looking good. I took my nerves to the table, picked up a big hand on the very first deal (AA34 double suited), and lost 21,000 chips! I noticed my hand shaking as I grabbed chips for the first raise, and couldn't believe that I was actually nervous. Well, losing a third of your chips on the first hand does wonders for the nerves! It was the last time I was nervous all day.
When we were reduced to 2 tables, I had the pleasure of a tremendously bad seat. Minh Nguyen on my direct right, Toto Leonidas on my direct left, and Carlos Mortensen on Toto's direct left. Not exactly great, but it turned out to be ok. Toto and Carlos were out quickly, and I beat Minh in a big pot right before we were reduced to the final 10. That pot moved me into 5th chip position at the final table.
We started the final table at about 6:00, and there were some very tough players left. Minneapolis Jim Meehan had a good chip count, and had been at this final table both of the previous two years. Jeff Duvall has a couple of bracelets, and is a very good Omaha player. Dan Heimiller and John Lucas also have a ton of World Series experience. Minh Nguyen was still alive. And Darryl Dycken was probably the most aggressive player left.
I continued to play very, very tight, probably playing fewer hands than anyone else at the table. Bobby was there for the whole final table, and Laura got there with 8 players left. At one point, I did have to make a big re-raise with a weak hand against Minneapolis Jim, and I believe it stopped him from running me over when I did play pots. Eventually, my stack started growing, and at the dinner break I felt very confident that I was the best player at the table. I told Laura that I was going to win it.
One of the best things about playing this final table was having friends around to share it. Laura and Bobby were there, Mike Minetti came over late and sweated me the last 4 hours, and Tad, Brad, and Jeff were all there by the end as well. At one point, Mike said out loud so I could hear it that it had taken me 26 hours to get half of the tournament chips, but it would only take me another hour to get the other half!
Jeff Duvall was eliminated third, and I was happier to be facing John Lucas heads up. He's a very good player, but I thought that Jeff was a little tougher. By now, I was by far the most aggressive player. We probably played 30 hands heads up, and I raised from the button on every opportunity. On the final hand, I raised again with the garbage 5789. The flop was Q66, and when John checked I checked as well. The Ten on the turn gave me many straight outs, so I called John's bet. The 8 came on the river, giving me a straight. John bet his last chip, and I called. The moment that he turned his hand over was magic. I could see that he had no full house, but he had middle cards like me. Both hands were face up, but it was a few seconds before the tournament director and the dealer knew that I had won the hand. I'll always remember those few seconds, because although the excitement would start for everyone else in a moment, I had the chance to stand up and stomp and be excited first.
It was a great moment, but it didn't end there. I've received a ton of congratulations from friends all over, both in and out of poker. Plus, the live games have been terrific. I'll get into this more in a later post, but tournament winners are not always regarded as tough live players, so I'm reaping the benefits.
More later. I have to get back in action!
I haven't been nervous to play poker in years. Not at the final table of tournaments, not in big cash games, nowhere that I can remember. But I went down for breakfast before day two, and I couldn't eat. Each bite was making me more queasy! I called home, and Laura said that it meant that I was human, so it probably wasn't all bad. The second day action started at 2pm, and she decided that she wanted to see the final table if I got there, so she set out driving at about noon. Well, we started at 2:20, and by 2:21, the final table wasn't really looking good. I took my nerves to the table, picked up a big hand on the very first deal (AA34 double suited), and lost 21,000 chips! I noticed my hand shaking as I grabbed chips for the first raise, and couldn't believe that I was actually nervous. Well, losing a third of your chips on the first hand does wonders for the nerves! It was the last time I was nervous all day.
When we were reduced to 2 tables, I had the pleasure of a tremendously bad seat. Minh Nguyen on my direct right, Toto Leonidas on my direct left, and Carlos Mortensen on Toto's direct left. Not exactly great, but it turned out to be ok. Toto and Carlos were out quickly, and I beat Minh in a big pot right before we were reduced to the final 10. That pot moved me into 5th chip position at the final table.
We started the final table at about 6:00, and there were some very tough players left. Minneapolis Jim Meehan had a good chip count, and had been at this final table both of the previous two years. Jeff Duvall has a couple of bracelets, and is a very good Omaha player. Dan Heimiller and John Lucas also have a ton of World Series experience. Minh Nguyen was still alive. And Darryl Dycken was probably the most aggressive player left.
I continued to play very, very tight, probably playing fewer hands than anyone else at the table. Bobby was there for the whole final table, and Laura got there with 8 players left. At one point, I did have to make a big re-raise with a weak hand against Minneapolis Jim, and I believe it stopped him from running me over when I did play pots. Eventually, my stack started growing, and at the dinner break I felt very confident that I was the best player at the table. I told Laura that I was going to win it.
One of the best things about playing this final table was having friends around to share it. Laura and Bobby were there, Mike Minetti came over late and sweated me the last 4 hours, and Tad, Brad, and Jeff were all there by the end as well. At one point, Mike said out loud so I could hear it that it had taken me 26 hours to get half of the tournament chips, but it would only take me another hour to get the other half!
Jeff Duvall was eliminated third, and I was happier to be facing John Lucas heads up. He's a very good player, but I thought that Jeff was a little tougher. By now, I was by far the most aggressive player. We probably played 30 hands heads up, and I raised from the button on every opportunity. On the final hand, I raised again with the garbage 5789. The flop was Q66, and when John checked I checked as well. The Ten on the turn gave me many straight outs, so I called John's bet. The 8 came on the river, giving me a straight. John bet his last chip, and I called. The moment that he turned his hand over was magic. I could see that he had no full house, but he had middle cards like me. Both hands were face up, but it was a few seconds before the tournament director and the dealer knew that I had won the hand. I'll always remember those few seconds, because although the excitement would start for everyone else in a moment, I had the chance to stand up and stomp and be excited first.
It was a great moment, but it didn't end there. I've received a ton of congratulations from friends all over, both in and out of poker. Plus, the live games have been terrific. I'll get into this more in a later post, but tournament winners are not always regarded as tough live players, so I'm reaping the benefits.
More later. I have to get back in action!
