Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Evolution of the Johnny
I finally participated in a vaunted World Poker Blogger Tour (WPBT) event. PokerStars is a pretty decent site (FTP still the best one going) and the buy in for tonight's tourney was $22 and started with T1500. There were 109 entries this evening and as evidenced by my second post of the day, things did not end as I had hoped.
Things started out decent enough, had to fold a few hands before I finally caught a KJ and opened up for the first time; with no callers.
Then it turns into the hot corner over on my side of the table. I get dealt pocket fives, call the minimum raiser in front of me and four of us see the flop. Queen-eight-seven. Raiser leads out for $120 and I have to fold as the entire board is over me. Turn card? Five. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
Two hands later I have 35 clubs in the big blind, three limpers come into the pot and we see the flop together. King-two-six. Guy leads out for $150 which is a little expensive to catch a gutshot so I fold. Turn card? Four. [expletives deleted]
On the next orbit I pick up 78 hearts and get two hearts on the flop. I lead out and the shortstack on the table raises all in for another $200 so I have to call. He has King-high and I river a seven to win. Sweet victory. [dancing]
Next orbit in the big blind I get... Eke... Ike. Lovely. There's a raise from middle position up to $250, a caller from the cutoff and I decide to simply call. Flop comes 672 and I lead out for $300, get raised up to $700 and I go all-in back over the top, which he calls. And the winner is... pocket sevens for a set. [insert game show loser music here] Thank you badblood44, thank you very much.
And then it begins. What's that, you ask? The Evolution of the Johnny. It seems so appropriate being my name and all but it just never treats me right. I get pocket Jacks not once... not twice... but five times in the next twenty minutes! What's even more astounding? I won every single time! If the board was over me, it got checked to me and I took it down. If it was under me, I raised and took it down. Glorious, glorious Jacks! Long live the Johnny!
I lose a hand right before the break at hour one but it was to a shortstack, so minimal damage done. I'm sitting in 14th place with $3306 chips and 66 players are left. If not for the AA debacle I'd be in the top five. Not a bad first hour's work. And then I get moved. [dum-dum-dum...]
I end up on the table with two of the top eight stacks, including the chip leader. HermWarfare has $8165 and Guinness has $4060, and this table is loaded with the blogger elite. Luckily Herm is in front of me, so I have that going for me, which is nice. First hand after the break I got A2 offsuit on the button and raise to $450 which puts the big blind all-in. He decides to gamble and calls, turning over J3 of clubs. Okay, I'm screwed. Screwed, you say? You're ahead 57-43% preflop. Two clubs on the flop. Jesus Christ. Brick on the turn. Now I'm up 66-34%. Here it comes... CLUB! [many expletives deleted]
The luck has turned. Big time.
And then.... drumroll, please... the final hand. I get A10 offsuit under the gun and raise to $450, Guinness calls and HermWarfare calls. Naturally, the top two stacks on the table. Flop comes J 10 5, and Herm leads out for $700 into the $1475 pot. Hmmmm, my sense tell me that it's middle pair, and I have the better middle pair. Not gonna let this chip leader bully me around, it's time to make a statement... ALL-IN! About $1500 more, what do you think about that Mr. Chip Leader!?!? Guinness gamely gets out of the way and after a momentary pause for drama... Herm calls. And shows me... Jack-Jack.
Evolution of the Johnny, I knew those sons-of-bitches were gonna turn on me....
63rd out of 109...
Things started out decent enough, had to fold a few hands before I finally caught a KJ and opened up for the first time; with no callers.
Then it turns into the hot corner over on my side of the table. I get dealt pocket fives, call the minimum raiser in front of me and four of us see the flop. Queen-eight-seven. Raiser leads out for $120 and I have to fold as the entire board is over me. Turn card? Five. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
Two hands later I have 35 clubs in the big blind, three limpers come into the pot and we see the flop together. King-two-six. Guy leads out for $150 which is a little expensive to catch a gutshot so I fold. Turn card? Four. [expletives deleted]
On the next orbit I pick up 78 hearts and get two hearts on the flop. I lead out and the shortstack on the table raises all in for another $200 so I have to call. He has King-high and I river a seven to win. Sweet victory. [dancing]
Next orbit in the big blind I get... Eke... Ike. Lovely. There's a raise from middle position up to $250, a caller from the cutoff and I decide to simply call. Flop comes 672 and I lead out for $300, get raised up to $700 and I go all-in back over the top, which he calls. And the winner is... pocket sevens for a set. [insert game show loser music here] Thank you badblood44, thank you very much.
And then it begins. What's that, you ask? The Evolution of the Johnny. It seems so appropriate being my name and all but it just never treats me right. I get pocket Jacks not once... not twice... but five times in the next twenty minutes! What's even more astounding? I won every single time! If the board was over me, it got checked to me and I took it down. If it was under me, I raised and took it down. Glorious, glorious Jacks! Long live the Johnny!
I lose a hand right before the break at hour one but it was to a shortstack, so minimal damage done. I'm sitting in 14th place with $3306 chips and 66 players are left. If not for the AA debacle I'd be in the top five. Not a bad first hour's work. And then I get moved. [dum-dum-dum...]
I end up on the table with two of the top eight stacks, including the chip leader. HermWarfare has $8165 and Guinness has $4060, and this table is loaded with the blogger elite. Luckily Herm is in front of me, so I have that going for me, which is nice. First hand after the break I got A2 offsuit on the button and raise to $450 which puts the big blind all-in. He decides to gamble and calls, turning over J3 of clubs. Okay, I'm screwed. Screwed, you say? You're ahead 57-43% preflop. Two clubs on the flop. Jesus Christ. Brick on the turn. Now I'm up 66-34%. Here it comes... CLUB! [many expletives deleted]
The luck has turned. Big time.
And then.... drumroll, please... the final hand. I get A10 offsuit under the gun and raise to $450, Guinness calls and HermWarfare calls. Naturally, the top two stacks on the table. Flop comes J 10 5, and Herm leads out for $700 into the $1475 pot. Hmmmm, my sense tell me that it's middle pair, and I have the better middle pair. Not gonna let this chip leader bully me around, it's time to make a statement... ALL-IN! About $1500 more, what do you think about that Mr. Chip Leader!?!? Guinness gamely gets out of the way and after a momentary pause for drama... Herm calls. And shows me... Jack-Jack.
Evolution of the Johnny, I knew those sons-of-bitches were gonna turn on me....
63rd out of 109...
