Archive for "Poker"
Last Weekend Was a Fantastic Weekend
Posted on February 1, 2015 by Ching under Poker.
Last weekend was a great weekend but some had it way better than others for sure.
We played in the 2015 Kansas Poker Championships (also known as Cards for the Cure, a charity poker event benefitting the Susan G. Komen foundation) with some friends. Brian played in the Kansas Poker Championship, the main poker tournament. I didn’t play in it because it started at 10 AM and I have a couple of Zumba classes on Saturday mornings. I don’t get done until noon. However, it is a great cause and I enjoy playing poker so I registered for the Ladies-Only Poker Tournament later that day. It didn’t start until 4 PM so I had plenty of time to shower and get ready for it.
Brian was out by lunch but our friend Jay got deep into the main tournament and eventually won the whole darn thing. He is now the second person we know to be a Kansas Poker Championships champion. Our friend Michael Abay won it a couple of years ago. Incidentally, Jay’s winning cards were pocket queens — the exact same hand Brian was holding when we got knocked out of the tournament.
The ladies poker tournament was fun but had a low turnout. I was thinking that the 300 seats would fill up so I pre-registered on the web site. The day of the event they were begging women to play and I think they still only ended up with 99 players. My friend April took 6th in the ladies event and won $300. Not as much as Jay’s $10K first place finish, but it was a much smaller field. Still, it was great because it made up for their entry fees and then some. Great job, April!
After the dust settled Jay took everyone out to Red Robin for a celebratory dinner. It was really too late for us to eat, but I didn’t want to miss Jay gloat and bask in the glory of his win. He said buying everyone dinner was the least he could do considering some of his $10K was our money. We had to be there to celebrate the momentous occasion with our buddy. I figured we’re going to hear about Jay’s big championship win until at least one of us achieves the same feat (otherwise read: forever) so Jay’s gloating over dinner wasn’t going to be his last. Might as well get used to it. LOL.
Jokes aside, we are really proud of Jay’s achievement. Way to go, Jay! Way to represent!
Brian and I have decided that we really need to start playing more poker because we have a couple of friends now who have won the Kansas Poker Championship. Playing once or twice a year will no longer cut it. We’re going to have to play more if we intend to do better in next year’s tournament. It’s going to take a lot of practice. If Jay and Michael can do it, we should be able to do it too. We just need to get our heads back in the game.
Anyway, at least my bowling performance last Sunday made up for my disappointing finish in the ladies tournament. I can’t believe I beat mom. She usually bowls over 500 and I typically score around 400. It’s like we switched bodies. It was a good bowling night for me, which was great because I bowled extremely terribly the previous Sunday. A lot of it had to with arriving late though because we came from my staff meeting at Andover YMCA. I’ve decided that I cannot be late at all for bowling because it completely messes me up. I could not recover at all. It took me all of the first game to find my spot and didn’t really do that much better in the second and third games. It was a very bad night.
Last weekend was fantastic, though. Granted it was more fantastic for Jay, but it was great and it made me happy all the way around.
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Rustier Than a Hundred-Year Old Nail
Posted on July 19, 2014 by Ching under Games, Poker.
We played poker at Nilla’s last night. Ugh. I played like such a novice. Last night made me realize how rusty I am. We need to start playing poker regularly stat.
Congratulations to our friend Becca who made the final table and chopped the prize!
April said that she saw a poster for chess tournaments, which they also have at Nilla’s. I was thinking I might actually fare better at that. Unlike poker, Brian and I have actually been playing a lot of chess lately.
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Feeling Rusty
Posted on October 22, 2013 by Ching under Poker.
Brian and I played poker at Nilla’s for the first time in a long while. I was feeling pretty rusty. Brian had a good showing, though. He got to the final three tables and did better than all of us. He was feeling sick that day, which is a good thing because he seems to do well whenever he’s not feeling well.
Although, he started feeling better halfway through. Not good. The only time I don’t want Brian to feel better is when he’s playing poker. LOL.
We have another poker tournament this Saturday. I’m trying to figure out what to feed Brian to make him feel sick. Maybe I need to start exposing myself to germs at work. Hmmm…
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Cards for the Cure 2013
Posted on January 27, 2013 by Ching under Poker.
Brian and I played in the Susan G. Komen Cards for the Cure poker fundraiser yesterday. Brian registered for the event on the 14th. I wasn’t going to play at first because of my Saturday morning Zumba class. Pat Thompson of Wheels Studio agreed to sub for me (Thanks, Pat!) so I was able to play. I was torn at first because I didn’t want to abandon my class on the second week of the session but then all of my friends were playing and I didn’t want to be the only one left out and I really, really, really wanted to play. I kept going back and forth. I finally just registered on the 22nd, two days before the pre-registration cut off, so I wouldn’t be able to change my mind.
We took our time on Saturday morning. Brian’s usual routine is to watch Saturday morning cartoons in bed. Yesterday was no different. He wanted to finish Ben 10 before we could leave so we didn’t get out of the house until about nine o’clock. After stopping by Scooter’s to get coffee and the bank for cash, we were off the Hyatt. We figured we were pre-registered so we’d be able to just walk in with our receipts. Not so much. I think that’s what everyone who pre-registered thought because when arrived at the hotel around 9:30 AM, the line was crazy long.
The tournament started late because of the long lines at registration. I think it was almost eleven o’clock before we could get started. I remember thinking that I could have checked in to get my table number at eight, taught my Zumba class at ten, and then come back to play in the tournament. I think that’s what I’m going to do next year since they probably won’t start on time anyways.
Our team didn’t do so well in the tournament. A few members were out before the first break. I only lasted until about three o’clock in the afternoon, which was a bummer. I really wanted to have a good finish and help the team win some gift cards. Oh, well. At least I made it past lunch. And, I outlasted several other people.
Brian and Cory were still in but, as several of us were already out, Jay, Becca, April, Vic, and I all decided we would go to the Kansas Star instead. Vic and Jay played in the poker room. April, Becca, and I decided to try $5 slots and Let It Ride. I did pretty well at Let It Ride. I was up $190 when I got up, so I almost made up for our $200 Cards for the Cure entry fee. I lost $20 in the slot machines, though. We had some other expenses that day (like food and booze) so we’re still down overall. But, hey, at least $200 of it is tax-deductible. LOL.
Brian had a little disaster with the truck so he and Cory never made it to the casino. We all ended up back at the Hyatt instead. We walked by the ballroom around nine o’clock in the evening and the tourney was still going strong with three full tables. We decided to hang out at the pool. I think the highlight of the evening was meeting this guy Jordan. He and his girlfriend were hanging out at the only working hot tub. When he saw how disappointed we were that the other hot tub wasn’t working, he invited us to join them. He even gave Jay one of his beers. They didn’t stay very long. Maybe we were being obnoxious. Who knows? But he came back down a few minutes later and gave us a bottle of his homemade wine. So maybe they really just had to go.
Anyway, Jay and the others eagerly tried it. I was having none of that. You know how, as a child, you’re not supposed to take candy from strangers? Well, as a grown adult, you really shouldn’t drink homemade wine from random people you meet at the hotel pool. Jordan seemed nice enough, but then so did Alan in The Hangover
When Brian and I left to go home, the tournament was still going. Jonathan (one of the friends we made when we used to play poker at Fingers back in the day) and several of the Mucking Misfits were still there cheering on one of their teammates, Michael Abay. When I woke up this morning, I found out that Mike won the tournament. His #1 finish pretty much sealed their team victory so, aside from winning the coveted trophy and $10K for himself, he also helped secure $200 gift cards for every member of their team. Way to go, Mike!
The funny thing is we had one more spot left on our second team and I was trying to recruit Jonathan the day before. He told me that he was already on a team. Clearly, he made the right choice. LOL.
Even though our team lost and I didn’t finish as well as I hoped, I still had a lot of fun. I had a great time playing cards and hanging out with our friends who we really don’t get to see that often any more. It was also great to see all the familiar faces of the local poker scene. The event really brought out some of the best players in the area. It also made me realize that I’m really, really rusty.
Over the last couple of years Brian and I have spent most of our free time working out at the gym. We’re making a slight change this year and are bringing poker back in the mix. We’re thinking of playing at Nilla’s (it’s quite convenient now that we live just down the street from it) once or twice a month to stay sharp. Obviously, not playing poker for years and then playing in tournament against almost a thousand players is not the best strategy. I’ll be more prepared next year. Until then, as they say on the WPT, may all your cards be live and your pots be monsters!
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Cards for the Cure
Posted on January 7, 2013 by Ching under Poker.
Brian and I decided to participate in Cards for the Cure this year since our friend Jay (The Travel Junkie) is putting a couple of teams together. Brian normally hates it when I donate to random charities, but this is one that he doesn’t mind because he gets to play poker out of it. And, hopefully win some prizes at the same time.
The downside is that we haven’t played poker regularly in a few years so we are quite rusty. I invited everyone to play poker at Nilla’s (they’re located next to Club Rodeo) last Friday to knock off some cobwebs. It’s the only free Friday I had left since my Zumba classes are about to start again. I’m crossing my fingers that I won’t have to teach on Thursday or Friday nights this session, though. I really miss our salsa nights.
But I digress… Darcy, Cory, and April joined us. We all met up for dinner at Taste & See first. Cory and April had never been there before. It was the perfect night to go too, because Chef Jason will be gone for a week. He is leaving for LA today to film his episode of Bar Rescue. We took the opportunity to congratulate Chef Jason and wish him a safe trip.
Sorry, kids. No pictures of food this time because Darcy and I arrived later than everyone and Brian vetoed the picture-taking because, “We already have dozens of pictures of Taste & See food.” I didn’t argue because I was starving after working out with Darcy (my first genuine workout post-surgery) and he’s right. We didn’t order anything that night that we hadn’t already tried before.
After dinner the five of us went to try and conquer the poker tournament at Nilla’s, but only two were successful. Darcy was knocked out first, right before the break. I wasn’t getting any cards at all, but the add-on during the first break helped me last a while longer. Brian was the second one out. I followed shortly after that when my pocket jacks ran into pocket kings and the kings held up. Ironically, I had tripled up on pocket jacks vs. pocket kings vs. AQ earlier that night. I had the pocket kings that time, so I had the best hand going it at least. I just had to dodge an ace, which I did. So that helped a little, but it was about the only hand I had all night.
There were still three tables going when I got knocked out. Since Darcy, Brian, and I were all out of the tournament, we told Cory and April that we would just wait for them at our place where the drinks are free. LOL. Since we moved to this part of town, we live conveniently close to Nilla’s now.
Cory and April both did very well on Friday night. They both made the final table and, when they got down to five players, they chopped the pot five ways. They both made money. Great job, guys!
I doubt I’ll have time to play any more poker between now and the big tournament. I’ll just have to trust my instincts. I made a couple of mistakes the other night, which I recognized, but I thought I played well overall. I’m sure I’ll do well, rusty or not. And, if I don’t, it’s all good. My entry fee is going to a worthy cause that I would have donated money to anyway. See you all at the Hyatt in about three weeks!
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