Congratulate Me
Posted on April 16, 2005 by Ching under Poker.
I finally qualified! Thank the Lord! Today was the last day to qualify for the final event of the Park City Poker Round Up. The winner gets a seat at July 7, 2005 WSOP event. The buy-in is $10,000 and if you win first place at the final event tomorrow, they’ll cover your travel and lodging too! Not a bad deal at all.
Anyway, I was beginning to question my poker skills but it seems my mojo is back. And just in the nick of time, too as today is the last day to qualify. I needed to finish in the top 100 today to qualify for the finals tomorrow and I finished 25th. Not bad considering there were about 1600 poker players in first session.
So far in our little group of poker fanatics, only Mano and I have qualified. I haven’t seen him in a while but I’ll be seeing him at the coliseum tomorrow. I’ll have to tell you all about the experience today and explain why there’s pictures of Chris Moneymaker below etc. …
Okay, I’m back. Just got home from dinner. The time stamp for the first part of this post is around 6p, but it’s now almost 9p. I’m excited about having qualified so I just have to tell you how the experience went. Let me tell you all about it while the details are still fresh.
Brian and I woke up late this morning. In the past we’ve made an effort to get up at least by 7a so we can leave relatively early, beat the crowds at the Colliseum and get a good parking spot. Last night Brian expressed that he didn’t really feel like playing poker today. I told him that as long as he could find me a ride to the Colliseum (maybe ride with the Dills since Jason isn’t going) that I would be okay by myself.
When I woke up this morning, though, I didn’t really want to go by myself. I wanted Brian to go with me. We got up really late. It was almost 9a. Brian said that he didn’t want to go because he didn’t get any sleep last night. He said every little sound bothered him. I guess he is still really worried about the stupid attempted burglary incident. I’m mad about it but, shit, I’m not going to lose any sleep. They try to break in here while I’m home and they will surely regret it because I have no qualms about killing anyone. Brian said that if I do end up killing one of those teenagers that I need to make sure that (a) they are inside the house, (b) that they have a weapon on their person so it looks like I had to defend myself so that we can use the self-defense excuse and hopefully I won’t get life in prison (if they don’t have one, he suggested grabbing one of the kitchen knifes and planting it), and (c) if I come out of it unscathed (because you know, I’m just really good like that) I need to hurt myself just for good measure (not to the point that I’m hurt-hurt, but just so it looks like there was a struggle). But I digress..
So this morning, not only did we wake up late, I also had to convince Brian to go because it was too late to call our poker buddies. I told him I would even drive. And I never drive whenever we’re together so this is a major step. This appeased him and he decided to go. I took a quick shower, put on my favorite pair of jeans (the ones with a hole in them that I still need to take a picture of so you can decide if it’s time to give them up), pulled a random white shirt from a pile of already-worn clothes (it was wrinkled but I didn’t care), put my hair in a pony-tail, and I was ready to go. With thirty minutes before the start of the tourney, Brian and I decided to go to Sonic for a quick breakfast.
We were both starving and there was no time to eat anywhere else. Besides, you know how much I love those strawberry limeades. Unfortunately, our breakfast didn’t turn out to be quick because everyone and their freakin’ uncle decided to go to the exact same Sonic we decided to go to this morning. I got some of my breakfast on my shirt so now not only was my shirt wrinkled, it was dirty too. I hate that. I didn’t have any time to change, though. While we were eating breakfast, Dill called to find out if we were going to play. They were already there. We scarfed up our food and I raced to the Colliseum. Brian commented about how fast I was driving because I was doing a fair amount of passing and bitching about the other vehicles.
“Hey, if the speed limit is 70 that means you can go 80! I don’t know why all these fucktards are going 65!”
Brian protested because he claims that I always tell him to slow down whenever he goes five miles above the posted speed limit. The difference is that he’s a freakin’ cop magnet and he would easily get pulled over for speeding. That’s just his luck. Where as I could probably push fifteen miles above the speed limit and not get pulled over. Maybe.
I’m usually a good, safe, reasonable driver who obeys the posted speed limits, though. I had to make an exception for today, however. Can’t be late to poker! We arrive just in time for the national anthem. The circus just happened to be in town and people were having difficulty with parking so the event started later than expected. The ten minute delay worked to our advantage.
I got to my assigned table and before we could even start they decided to move us. We played a few hands. By around eleven I managed to take the chip lead. APL dude Brian came by and asked if I would go to the feature table. I was more than happy to this time. The last time that he asked me I declined and I still regret it to this day because players who get sent to the feature table usually fare better than everyone else. But then since I was eager to go, he said he was just joking (about sending me to the feature table). I pouted and told him that was an awful thing to do (to kid someone who easily gets excited over anything about going to the feature table). He got on his walkie-talkie thing and then he said, “Alright. Let’s go!”
Moving to the feature table was the best thing to ever happen to me. I realize now that part of the problem I’ve had before is that everytime I get moved to a new table, I’m playing with a whole new set of players and having to learn betting patterns over again after having gotten used to the betting styles of the previous players I was with. At the feature table, you’re there for the long haul. You’re not going to get moved to any other table as the number of players dwindle and they begin to consolidate the other tables. The only time you leave the table is when you finally get knocked out of the game. Another perk is that you get a designated dealer so you never have to worry about shuffling or dealing cards.
When I got there, they paused play to setup a shot of a rigged poker hand involving Chris Moneymaker. They were going to use the video footage for some publicity. I think it was going to be on TV or whatever. We needed an empty seat so that Chris could sit our table for the hand. They made us high card to see who would sit out and I got bumped out of the shot. I didn’t want to be video taped, though. Especially, not without my hair done and no makeup and wearing holey jeans and dirty, wrinkled shirt. I was perfectly fine with having to sit out.
I took the opportunity to take some pictures which were promptly sent to the blog as soon as they were taken (you’ll see them below if you scroll down). Afterwards, Chris signed some autographs for some of the players at the table. He signed one guy’s baseball cap and he even signed the ace of spades (he signed the front, thank you) from the deck we were playing with and the rest of the time we referred to it as the “autographed ace” (incidentally, the autographed ace never lost but once the whole time we played with the deck). Anyway, I regretted not having the foresight to bring a whole bunch of things for him to sign. I could’ve sold them on eBay!
Game play at the feature table is much better than at the other tables too. There wasn’t a lot of crazy monkey poker going on. Except for when funny Bob called me all the way to the river with a 5, 3. When the flop came, I paired my jack. I bet strong. Everyone folded but Bob. The flop gave him the bottom pair, 5s. The turn comes and it’s some card. I can’t remember what, but it was less than a jack. I bet strong again. He calls. The river comes and it’s a 3. At this point I’m wondering what he could possibly have that he was calling me with, so I checked.
He mentioned earlier that he was ready to go and he also commented that he didn’t know what he was doing still in this hand so when he pushed the remaining $460 chips he had and went all in, I didn’t think twice about calling. That 3 did a lot of damage to me and doubled Bob up. After he got some chips he sure changed his tune. He wanted to play and stick around longer. I couldn’t really complain because funny Bob is one of those really likeable, outgoing, gregarious people. He was the life of the table and I enjoyed playing with him. Everytime low cards would come on the flop, we would warn everyone to watch out of Bob and his low cards. We joked about it several times and he was really cool about it. I did get even much later in the game and pulled off a crazy play myself. Too bad funny Bob wasn’t there to witness it.
The blinds were $1K-$2K. I had 7, 2 of diamonds on my big blind. Everyone folded around the table except for a guy across from me who only had $2K left. He went all in. The small blind called $1K and I checked. Three players, $6K pot. The flop comes jack of diamonds, 8 of clubs and some other card but it was a diamond. The small blind checked it to me. I took that as a sign of weakness and I bet $4K on my flush draw. I had to do it because I didn’t want anyone else in the hand. It worked. The man in the small blind (Dennis) folded so it was just me and the all-in guy. The turn was an 8 of diamonds and the river was something insignificant. Disgusted with the cards, he rolled his pocket 7s up and started to walk off. He goes, “I’m playing the board, jacks and eights.” I couldn’t help but laugh as I rolled my 7, 2. I go, “I flushed!”
Anyway, just so you know, that was the only time I played crazy monkey poker today. The rest of the time I played a tight, rational game. As embarrassing as that hand was, I figured I was entitled to it because I proved my poker acumen a few hands prior. After my bad beat with the 5 3, I joked that I was on tilt. This guy in a black polo shirt who sat across from me (you’ll see him in one of the pictures below; the one with Chris money maker in the shot) played really agressively. I think the blinds were still $100-$200 at this time. I had king, queen of diamonds and raised to $400. He was big blind and decided to call the additional $200 raise. While doing so he said, “I’m half-way in I guess I’ll see it.” Flop came 10, 10, 2. I checked hoping that he didn’t have a ten and he checked as well. The turn was another 2 and he bets $1K. I knew he didn’t have a 10 because he checked after the flop. I didn’t think he would’ve called my raise with a 2 so I called. The river is some low card and he fires at the pot again. This time he bet $2K. I think about it for a few minutes but eventually call because I figured that he felt that his cards were so weak that the only way he could win the pot would be to bet at it. As I put my $2K in he complimented me on a good call. He said, “Jack high.” He had called my pre-flop raise with a jack 6 and was bluffing the whole way. I was really proud to roll over my king, queen. Even though I had nothing, I had the balls to call him and it paid off.
God, this must be boring for all you people who don’t play poker. This is probably all gibberish to you. It’s really cool exciting stuff to me, though, so I just have to write about it. And this is my blog so deal with it. I have to write about the girl that they sat next to me. My mojo just overpowered hers. I felt horrible. We went against each other twice and the second time knocked her out. The first time she had pocket 9s and raised pre-flop. I had ace, jack and re-raised all-in. I ended up hitting the ace on the turn and doubling up. The second time she got king, ten and decided to go all-in. I happened to have ace, jack again so I called. Another girl from across the way called. I hit a jack on the flop and fired at the pot, which got the other girl to fold. She regretted it after because he would’ve hit her flush. It was a good bet on my part, though, because it pushed her out of the hand. Shortly after that, I went against the other girl and took her out too. I had pocket aces to her pocket queens and my aces held. That was the last hand before the break. Louis did a really good job of dealing! The cards were falling in my favor and at break, I was sitting at $18,700. I was really excited because usually I don’t even make it to lunch. At lunch I told Brian how we’ll I’d been doing and how I knocked out the two girls. He goes, “That figures. You knock out the ONLY two cute girls are your table. Ching just has to have all the attention.” I thought to myself, “What am I? Chopped liver?” I guess I don’t qualify as a cute girl anymore now that I am twenty pounds overweight and almost thirty. I just need to give it up. When I came back from break I excitedly told APL Brian that I’m still in.
“Good,” he says, “I’m coming to deal.” The cards weren’t coming any more after that and I joked that Louis did a better job of dealing. With the blinds as high as they were after lunch, and as they brought new people (these people were chip leaders from their previous tables and had huge stacks of chips) to the feature table, my chip stack started to dwindle and soon I was short-stacked. Justin, webmaster of Wichitanightlife.com (you never know who you will meet playing poker), came to the feature table late in the game. He already built his stack to over $100K. It was insane. He sat to my left. The blinds were $3K-$6K. I was down to my last $6K and since no one else called, I just decided to just go all in at that point and take a chance with my king, 2. I got lucky, got a king on the flop and survived. I survided several all-in and just kept doubling up. I had a pretty hefty stack and got all the way up to $60K before my play started to decline and my chips followed suit. Once again, I found myself short-stacked. I was down to my last $12K when they finally announced that we were down to the top 100 players. Lots of cheering and congratulating ensued. Brian and Dill, who were playing in the losers bracket on the other side, came over to congratulate me. It was such a relief to finally get to that point. After that, I hung around for a while. Just kept getting lucky and surviving. I got all the way down to 25th place out of about 1600 poker players from all over. Believe it or not, there were players who came from far-away states. Brian is really proud of me for such an accomplishment. This is the best I’ve ever done yet. Before this, my best was a 2nd place finish out of 200 players at APL HQ.
Anyway, I was giddy about it all afternoon. We told everyone the good news, even those who neither had a clue or any interest in poker. I told Mom and Mama Iyay about it over dinner too, but I don’t think they fully comprehend how huge this is. Anyway, I’m excited and that’s all that matters. I could go on and on about this but I think I’ve already exceeded my thousand word quota. Thanks for letting me bore you to death about my passion for poker. Wish me luck tomorrow! 🙂
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