Dead Money Poker Satellite Table
We played our local dead money satellite poker table in Houma and in Lafayette, LA this past weekend. This satellite puts a player in the World Series of Poker Main Event, and while it isn't wrapped up or resolved as quickly as an online qualifer to something like the Aussie Millions, it's a fun thing to be able to sweat a representative of all of us.
We've had a couple of winners already qualify for the final table, with a Table Captain David Anderson performing his magic again coming into heads up play with huge chip disadvantage and going all the way to the title at the Lafayette table and a good player taking it down in NYC.
In Houma last night GeneD and Dinger got the action started and we had a good game. The Houma table was a battle as The Pool and HotTub King of Houma Robert Dinger dished out the bad beats like they were jacuzzis during a cold snap. 6-4 o/s got him in and out of trouble a few times.
John Price "is Right" and Tim Thompson also battled throughout the night. Yours truly rode a wave of good luck and an ample helping of good cards to navigate the table. I got to heads up action with Shane after Gene and Tim were eliminated in third and fourth place. Both those guys played really well but seemed to be pretty card dead. Twice I watched Gene make the right decision and get punished for it. Sucks when you are having that kind of night.
At heads up everything was still at stake. We had a small cash prize for second, and by small I mean $25, so most of the glory was in first as it tends to be in tournament and sit 'n go poker. Shane was a tricky and smart player. It was hard to put him on hands and his aggression was just the right amount to take down pots without creating a target on his back.
I knew to fear him a little bit when in a battle of the blinds earlier in the night I had JJ and he had QQ. Flop brought an ace and we both put the other on an underpair. He did the betting and I did the calling. He value bet the river and I mulled over an over the top move but lacked the conviction about him not having an ace. The bet was small enough to be weak.
In heads up play, I knew I was fortunate to have position on him because I was on his left. Unfortunately, that only seemed to apply half the time. Wish I could say I got my money in good and it held but quite the opposite was true. Some back story... Earlier I pulled off a bluff by completing from the small blind, him raising me, and then me firing back like I had a monster. He didn't like it.
The critical hand occurred after he took a small chip lead. This time I was in the big blind with A5 o/s a hand I'm not looking to go crazy with and he led out. I stewed and looked at the chips and figured the only way I could win this hand was to shove (yeah that's no crazy Texas Hold 'Em strategy... or as my friend says right before we do something stupid, it'd be stupid not, it'd be crazy not shove). His bet was suspicious because it was bigger than most he had made. Sometimes this is weakness and sometimes it's strength, for some reason, I thought weakness.
In my head I thought he had two face cards. If he called I'd be slightly ahead, if he folded I be happier. I shoved. He thought forever and came to the right conclusion with A9 and called for most of his stack. Neither of us paired our kickers and at the river he was pysched and I was in the midst of congratulating him, then I noticed the board was all red. Then the dealer said, "Don't you have a flush?"
Poker is brutal. I did hold the Ace of diamonds with four diamonds on board. I was so keyed into hitting my kicker I didn't even look at the suits. Sucks for Shane. Also, I've come in second in so many of these things I was just prepared for his hand to hold. This time the karma was on my side. Feel like Drew Brees and the Saints, I've been on the other side of it so much I'm not apologizing.
Later I got QQ and he had to shove on me and they held. Looks like he'll be doing a table in Thibodeaux so I wouldn't be surprised to see him again at the final table.
www.gulfcoastpoker.net
We've had a couple of winners already qualify for the final table, with a Table Captain David Anderson performing his magic again coming into heads up play with huge chip disadvantage and going all the way to the title at the Lafayette table and a good player taking it down in NYC.
In Houma last night GeneD and Dinger got the action started and we had a good game. The Houma table was a battle as The Pool and HotTub King of Houma Robert Dinger dished out the bad beats like they were jacuzzis during a cold snap. 6-4 o/s got him in and out of trouble a few times.
John Price "is Right" and Tim Thompson also battled throughout the night. Yours truly rode a wave of good luck and an ample helping of good cards to navigate the table. I got to heads up action with Shane after Gene and Tim were eliminated in third and fourth place. Both those guys played really well but seemed to be pretty card dead. Twice I watched Gene make the right decision and get punished for it. Sucks when you are having that kind of night.
At heads up everything was still at stake. We had a small cash prize for second, and by small I mean $25, so most of the glory was in first as it tends to be in tournament and sit 'n go poker. Shane was a tricky and smart player. It was hard to put him on hands and his aggression was just the right amount to take down pots without creating a target on his back.
I knew to fear him a little bit when in a battle of the blinds earlier in the night I had JJ and he had QQ. Flop brought an ace and we both put the other on an underpair. He did the betting and I did the calling. He value bet the river and I mulled over an over the top move but lacked the conviction about him not having an ace. The bet was small enough to be weak.
In heads up play, I knew I was fortunate to have position on him because I was on his left. Unfortunately, that only seemed to apply half the time. Wish I could say I got my money in good and it held but quite the opposite was true. Some back story... Earlier I pulled off a bluff by completing from the small blind, him raising me, and then me firing back like I had a monster. He didn't like it.
The critical hand occurred after he took a small chip lead. This time I was in the big blind with A5 o/s a hand I'm not looking to go crazy with and he led out. I stewed and looked at the chips and figured the only way I could win this hand was to shove (yeah that's no crazy Texas Hold 'Em strategy... or as my friend says right before we do something stupid, it'd be stupid not, it'd be crazy not shove). His bet was suspicious because it was bigger than most he had made. Sometimes this is weakness and sometimes it's strength, for some reason, I thought weakness.
In my head I thought he had two face cards. If he called I'd be slightly ahead, if he folded I be happier. I shoved. He thought forever and came to the right conclusion with A9 and called for most of his stack. Neither of us paired our kickers and at the river he was pysched and I was in the midst of congratulating him, then I noticed the board was all red. Then the dealer said, "Don't you have a flush?"
Poker is brutal. I did hold the Ace of diamonds with four diamonds on board. I was so keyed into hitting my kicker I didn't even look at the suits. Sucks for Shane. Also, I've come in second in so many of these things I was just prepared for his hand to hold. This time the karma was on my side. Feel like Drew Brees and the Saints, I've been on the other side of it so much I'm not apologizing.
Later I got QQ and he had to shove on me and they held. Looks like he'll be doing a table in Thibodeaux so I wouldn't be surprised to see him again at the final table.
www.gulfcoastpoker.net
Comments
2nd place Shane
(this time)
And I do agree that Dinger is the Pool, Hot Tub and four-section ping-pong king of Terrebonne Parish.
Looking forward to the next tourney!
JP
John, Four square ping pong, how could I forget. I wish I knew Dinger when i was a kid, he's got a setup like a funhouse.