Life and Times of a Poker Addict

"Few players recall big pots they have won -- strange as it seems -- but every player can remember with remarkable accuracy the outstanding tough beats of his career." Seems true to me, 'cause walking in here I can hardly remember how I built my bankroll, but I can't stop thinking how I lost it."

Okay. Thursday is now tournament day at the Warehouse. Started off slow tonight, only nine of us for a $50 no limit match, but my luck at hold'em continued at its usual pace... and by luck I mean the lack thereof. I was absolutely card dead for about ninety straight minutes. I made one position raise and took down the blinds with 94 suited, which was pretty much the best hand I had to that point.

Finally picked up some decent hands which was my signal that the end was near. KQ offsuit I brought in for a raise from CO+1, got a call from the big blind and flopped KK3. Checked it and got a brick on the turn; the big blind promptly folded when I led out on after the turn. Next hand I had A8 suited and was able to limp in and we saw a KKQ flop. Criminy. Lay it down to three-way action after the flop. On the third hand I pick up KQ offsuit again, this time on the button. I bring it in for a raise of about 3x the big blind, and JB is sitting to my left and immediately goes all-in. He definitely didn't like this third time I had raised his blinds. It folded back around to me and I thought long and hard before finally deciding I probably had overcards to a pair between 99-JJ. Got to win a coin flip sometime in a tournament so I call his all-in and he turns over Jacks. Naturally, I did not catch any of my outs and I was done. JB went on to take down the tournament after three ridiculous hands at the end.

Hand #1: Down to four handed play (top three pay) and three are in the hand when it comes 10 7 4. Pot bet, raise, JB is all-in, Motown folds after much hesitation and Uncle Rob decides to call. JB has A10 clubs, Motown folded Q10 offsuit and Uncle Rob has J10. Action, baby, action. Turn is a Jack of clubs putting two on the board for JB, and he pulls the miracle club on the river to basically cripple Rob.

Hand #2: Patrick is in the big blind, Motown folds, Rob moves in for his remaining chips, JB folds and Pat calls. Pat turns over pocket threes and Rob has K5 clubs, so it's a race. Junior is dealing and turns over the flop with an eight of clubs on top, which puts a smile on Rob's face. At this point Motown throws out a comment to the effect of, "put two three's on the board, Junior," which Junior promptly does. 833 flop, Pat quads up and Uncle Rob is destroyed in two hands.

Hand #3: After Motown gets knocked out, Pat and JB are heads up for a few hands with nothing much happening. Everyone is waiting to start another tournament and grumbling about the lack of action. JB raises out of the small blind, Pat reraises all-in and JB calls. Pat turns over wired eights to JB's wired threes. Brick, brick, brick. Brick on the turn. And ladies and gentlemen, a miracle three on the river and JB takes it all down.

This is the kind of stuff that happens all the time at the Warehouse apparently. Just make it to the river, you'll suck out.

So after a few minutes of debate, we start tournament two, pot-limit Omaha. From the jump I am absolutely running this tournament over. I decided beforehand that the only way to play this was aggressive, aggressive, with a side order of aggressive. I'm moving people off of made hands with two pair only. The only words coming out of my mouth are "pot", "pot", "pot".

Only made about three missteps the whole tournament, and when I get down to heads up it's against Bill (Teddy KGB). Bill starts off 2-1 chip leader against me but I make some aggressive moves post-flop and take it down. Suddenly I've just about caught up when I get all-in and take it down, giving me T16000 to KGB's T2000, approximately. Then we both caught hands, and KGB won three times in a row, so suddenly he's moved back ahead of me.

Not even upset with any of those losses because I know I played them correctly. Then we get into a hand where we checked it pre-flop, and it came 679. I had 58 in the hand and pot at KGB, he pots back at me, I pot back at him and I'm all-in. He shows 7 7 10 K, and I have a tenuous lead. The turn card is 5 and I've dodged bullet number one. So basically I just need to avoid a 5, 6 or 8. And as per Warehouse tradition, as I'm begging the board not to pair, a five (OF FUCKING DIAMONDS) washes me out of the tourney on the river.

Diamonds?!?!!? ALWAYS A DIAMOND!!! I'm really not that upset though, and as Bill and I discussed afterward, that was almost the most fun I've had playing a tourney ever. It was well played, with plenty of action, and I really didn't misplay a single hand. There were a few I folded that I shouldn't have, I got trapped in one hand that there was no getting away from, and other than that it all went swimmingly.

One final positive note: I walked out of the Warehouse tonight with more money than I had put in. Sweet, sweet victory! The day is mine!