West Coast Represent'n

Look at that... I offer up a little Poker Lesson and all of a sudden I get mad skillz. :) Took 4th place in Wil's West Coast Warm-Up, and I was the last West Coaster standing.

I got seated just to left of ToddCommish and across the table from Wil. I busted someone out early when my AJ flopped two-pair against his AK. Got some chips from Todd when I rivered a Flush against his top pair; and then flopped a Set (not Trips) against Wil. He paired his Ace on the flop and I just smooth-called. We checked the Turn and he folded on the River when I bet. I don't know if he was influenced by the fact that I typed "fold..." into the chat box before confirming my bet amount. I woulda felt bad for busting out the host so early on... :)

I was in the top 5 at that point and pretty much sat out and enjoyed Survivor. The blinds started creeping up and I was slipping towards the bottom of the ladder with about 1/2 the field gone. Made some moves and my pocket pairs actually held up. Maudie eventually showed up to the left of me, and the last time I had seen her she was down to T500. Now she had over T5000 and was using them to call my PFR and then raise my continuation bet! A few hands later she called my AT raise and the flop bet. So like a little whipped school boy I checked it through the Turn and River and luckily my Ace high was good. :)

I ended up to the left of The Film Geek in time to see him get check-raised by Joanne and start lamenting about having to make "good laydowns" and folding made hands. I put him out of his misery a short while later with my first (and only) AA against his 77.

Sitting on the bubble was excruciatingly painful, but there was a bright moment during it all. When the short-stack went All-in and was called, someone in LP went over the top, forcing the original caller out.

From the rail, The Film Geek voiced my thoughts exactly: STUPIDEST RAISE EVER! The player teetering on the bubble caught his Ace on the River against the isolation-raiser's JJ. The initial caller said he had KT, so he wouldn't have busted the bubble anyways... but still, if you've got a good hand and someone has already called an All-in, just make the overcall so there's a greater chance of bursting that bubble and everyone else making the money.

After the Ace fell, someone said, "9 people just cursed their screens."

Film Geek: "10 including me!"

We finally get to the final table and I fold fold fold my way to the top four, where I had an amusing back and forth with Mourn. I was only ahead of him by a few thousand chips when he went All-in, and because I had sat at a table with him for quite awhile and knew he was playing very aggressively, I didn't hesitate to call with my TT. He showed A5 of Spades. The flop came 772, two spades. Oh, my bankroll for a Hammer! A 3rd Spade came, no Ten to fill me up and I was down to T5000. I get the Hammer the very next hand, but decide to let it go to when someone else raises. Good thing too, 'cause the next hand dealt to me was AJ and I pushed and I got called by Mourn's smaller Ace. I was back in it, and pushed again with A5 of Diamonds. Mourn insta-called with his 99. Ummm... didn't we just go through this? The board was all low, and the Turn gave me the Diamond draw, but no Flush on the River. Instead, my 5 was good for a 7 high straight.

Mourn: You deserved that!

So the 4 of us left were all about even again. I get KJo and face a raise from CW21. I'm about to click Fold, when my wife tells me to just go All-in. I asked her, "You feeling it?" and she said Yea, so I pushed. Up against a pocket pair and I was out in 4th. I ragged on her for a bit, telling her if I ever make it to a Final table of a major tourney, she won't be allowed to be in the audience. She apologized profusely, saying she thought it was a good hand to steal the blinds/antes, not realizing there was a raise before me. So much for women's intuition!

Thanks to Wil for hosting the tourney and thinking of us Pacific Standard Time'rs. It was definitely a great warm-up, and I'll be looking forward to seeing you all in the the main event (whatever that may be)!