|
I won!!!!
I went down to the 40 dollar ten am 1000 dollar guarantee tournament at Green Valley Ranch Casino down the street from my house with a friend because he had just turned twenty one. I must say I was rather shocked at how far I managed to advance. It seemed like everyone knew the dealers or each other and my friend and I just kept our heads low and played solo.
Friend got knocked out at the first table (we were seated together since we signed up at the same time). Some guy pushed a 1500 bet (start w/ 3500) with a pot of like 300 pre-flop (friend had small stack at the table with 1750). My friend had QQ so he went all-in (guy calls of course) and they flip up QQ v KK. So boom he's out within the first hour and I'm like there's no way I'm going to make it all the way to the end.
Apparently there were rebuys and you're allowed to show up late and start with 3000 in chips so this guy named Frank walks up with all this swagger and just goes all-in first hand, loses, and the guy who beat him starts talking about how stupid Frank was. Frank looks at him and goes, I'm a multi-millionaire I don't give a fuck. Dealer knows Frank and tells him to calm down its just a friendly jest, Frank re-buys in and we start up a convo. Just watching the news playing poker, talkin' about how fucked up shit is (I credit Frank with allowing me to keep my cool) yada yada. Frank gets knocked out and gives me his card (more later).
So I go to another table shortly after first break, my friend took off to go watch a movie while waiting on me. Play some more, and I find myself the low stack on my table with about 5000 in chips. Dealer gives me QQ so I push pre-flop with a 1k bet. Guy ahead of me goes all-in with 8k, no blinking, no sweating. Everyone who was left folds and it comes to my decision. I'm like... how do you toss away QQ... this is my chance to double up. I had been playing conservatively all morning and just decided to throw my hand away (face up).
The guy looks at me and says how could you fold such a great hand, that's so fucking stupid. Throws his hand up KK, I was so happy. I started shaking and had to go grab a drink of water. So I lost 1k in chips and I'm down to 4k, very next hand I get AA. So I push 1k again and two people call. Flop comes K J 9 and I'm like ok I still have high pair, and I push all-in (probably not the best choice here idk). One guy calls me, he has AK I was like yessssss, but still a straight chance. Turn is 8, river is 5. I was now chip lead on my table and got the first 5k chip of the tournament from the dealer.
Tourney continues, I'm down to the final table now, we decide to pay the bubble (top 5 get paid, bubble is the 6th guy so everyone agrees to take 45 bucks from the 1st place prize and give it to the bubble). I just maintain my place, wait for suited connectors (10 J came into my hand) and I push pre-flop 2k. Three people call me so I'm like ah shit at this point. Flop comes 8 9 A. At this point the final chick at the table (low-stack with something like 15k) goes all-in. I was sitting on 45k at this point (chip lead due to bought blinds and a lucky win) so I call her. Other two drop, turn comes the Q I needed and her pair of kings she had in her hand loses. At this point I'm VERY FAR in the lead, so I decide to play it safe and fold any non-pair hand.
Well at this point the damn blinds are 3k/6k and I'm bleeding chips. I drop to something like 30k and we're down to final 6. Hawaiin to my right goes all-in and I call with JJ. He had 99 and loses in an uninteresting flop, turn, river. So this kept me alive, at this point chip lead has like 65k and is buying EVERY pot. He manages to bleed dry two other people so now it's final three.
This is where it got interesting, they proposed a chop and we split the money three ways, which sounded fair to me until I found out they wanted to chop based on stack size (this might be standard idk). So I said no along with the other guy, I was sitting on around 35k while chip lead had managed to move up to 75k ish other guy around 40k. Lead starts playing loose buying pots (blinds are now 6k/12k wtf). So I get low pair 44 and push all-in. Lead calls me with 2 J suited. Seriously? wtf?
I won, thank god I would have punched him out if I had lost, and that put me up to around 60k, the other two hovering around somewhere. So now I propose a chop and while middle guy says yes, the guy who had been former chip lead now says no b/c he's low stack (even though he said not to worry about it when he was lead). Finally I draw Q 10 suited, call big blind, and wait for the flop (all three of us are looking at this flop). Flop comes 9 J 3. Small pushes all-in, low stack calls him, and I am not sure if this was the right decision but I decided to call as well. We all turn up, and I see KK and 77. I go awwww fuck. There's some kings I need ugh. Turn comes up an 8 and at that point I'm like well this was dumb. River comes up a K and I just about shit myself haha.
I was like FUCK YEAH WOOOOO my friend comes over and pats me on the back. Meanwhile short stack dude with the KK is convinced his 3 Ks won and he's yellin at the top of his lungs GO BOSTON (He was decked in celtics gear). Dealer just looks at him and shrugs while pushing all the chips to me. I felt like king of the world walkin' out of there with 600 (I gave my friend 200 of it since it was a birthday celebration for him after all).
I thought I'd share this with TL since it was my FIRST poker tournament and I know many like/watch/play in this community. One thing I need to get a hold of, though is a TL cap and jersey, because everyone at this thing was wearing a jersey of some sort and a cap. I wanna fit in >.<
Oh, and Frank was there too when I won, came up and congratulated me... AND OFFERED ME A JOB. Is that not the coolest thing ever? I start tomorrow tech support for one of his businesses doing some coding/helping customers with coding a 3D CAD/vector works program. I feel pretty cool right now 
Sorry for this being jumbled, I probably missed some stuff and the grammar is probably atrocious. <3
Edit: UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
Didn't feel like this deserved a whole new blog to itself since it covers poker as well, so I'll update here.
I went out to Boulder Station and sat down with one hundred and left with three hundred ninety three. Gave my friend a hundred so he could play with me tonight so that leaves me with total earnings of... 193!!! Btw between the time I sat down and left the clock only ticked by an hour and a half. So it was a pretty good night :D not for my friend, though, who lost the hundred I gave to him, and not even to me :<
I doubled up once on slow played AK (flop was A Q K) and from there I beat pocket aces with two-pair 5 3 (I was big blind and all the aces did was call blind, his fault for not pushing me out pre-flop) and bluffed another guy into losing a hundred faking a higher flush (he threw his cards face up showing 5 high spade because there were 4 spades on the board, I had a pair of 10s...). Having a blast going out and playing poker, never thought it would be this fun, then again I keep winning so it probably isn't as fun when you're losing :O
Maybe the joker was right, my friend IS a leak. Hahaha
 
|
Great story. I love some of the irl poker tables you find yourself in. Some days everyone is just a 10/10 comedian and you have a great time. Hell at one point I felt myself feeling, meh I don't mind if I have to lose a 100 buck bet to him.
(Then again there are people who try to be friendly for that exact reason, regardless, I've never had a really bad time at a poker table)
|
This blog has just about everything. 5/5. Nice job, congrats on winning and congrats on the new job!
|
sharing your winnings with your friend is a leak.
|
On a side note, I'm glad you shared your winnings.
Anyone else have a friendly understanding that if the people you go with bust out, and you win... You at least buy them a good meal? (Opposite too)
|
sounds like you had a great time. lol at the guy thinking his trip kings won haha
|
lol, congrats man! until i got my poker cap on, i was like wtf, what does this guy qq'ing have to do with the poker game? then i realized that im a dumb ass, lol. i need to get my ass into a tourney!
|
Baltimore, USA22259 Posts
Hahaha, congrats, nice read. Wish I could share similar war stories, but many of mine end up with ME being the damn bubble boy. 
|
What's a leak?
Side-question: The GVR people took my ID and asked for my SSN since I didn't have a player's card. Why?
|
folding QQ pre when ur short stack AND haven't gotten much action previously... man if i had that discipline i would be a winning player...
|
Epic story bro, glad to hear you had a night to remember!
|
I've played one tournament with a decent ammount of prize in it. Got to the finals table and basicly got my entry refunded when I got knocked out I had KK and the flop was K 7 10 and then a 2 so at this point I'm wondering why the hell this guy is going along with this, he must have K10 or 1010. the 10 goes down he shows his 1010 and right there I decided never to tourney again fuck me that's the worst feeling ever. I really can't fathom how people can put themselves through it.
|
I normally become uninterested in blogs towards the 4th paragraph, though you hooked me and I kept going.
I'm glad you won man, I love poker. I played 100 sit and gos the other day on party poker on the last day to get my 50$ bonus. I'm a total badass btw 
|
|
|
HAHAHA nice!!!! I've been playing a lot of freerolls on FullTilt and can say that you need enough luck to get past all the donks. Grats man! Spotlight this blog imo.
|
On October 11 2010 13:24 Risen wrote:
What's a leak?
Side-question: The GVR people took my ID and asked for my SSN since I didn't have a player's card. Why?
i think it has something to do with taxes 
|
Grats~! Nice work not getting too nervous at the final table.
|
On October 11 2010 14:21 a176 wrote:Show nested quote +On October 11 2010 13:24 Risen wrote:
What's a leak?
Side-question: The GVR people took my ID and asked for my SSN since I didn't have a player's card. Why? i think it has something to do with taxes
Ah ok thanks, it had been bugging me. Dealer was shocked when I said I didn't have a player card hahaha. Told the official it was my first time playing in a tourney and he was like... the fuck?
|
great story and congrats! down with celtic fans! 
|
Nice job! And WP sharing your winnings and all, that's a class act. Good luck on your new job .
|
On October 11 2010 13:24 Risen wrote:
What's a leak?
Side-question: The GVR people took my ID and asked for my SSN since I didn't have a player's card. Why?
A leak refers to a bad habit or something in your game that leaks away your profit. I believe he was joking, referring to your generosity as a 'leak' in your play/game.
|
damn that's AWESOME haha. the job offer is just icing on the cake
|
Congrats!
Don't get cocky if you ever go online though, the skill there is huge. Online tournaments with 1/100 the buy in can and will be harder.
|
On October 11 2010 14:21 a176 wrote:Show nested quote +On October 11 2010 13:24 Risen wrote:
What's a leak?
Side-question: The GVR people took my ID and asked for my SSN since I didn't have a player's card. Why? i think it has something to do with taxes
Ahahahaha. Great post man. Laughs were had.
|
Korea (South)17174 Posts
Meanwhile short stack dude with the KK is convinced his 3 Ks won and he's yellin at the top of his lungs GO BOSTON
lol, i live to witness moments like these
|
On October 11 2010 14:05 Khol wrote:I normally become uninterested in blogs towards the 4th paragraph, though you hooked me and I kept going. I'm glad you won man, I love poker. I played 100 sit and gos the other day on party poker on the last day to get my 50$ bonus. I'm a total badass btw
wow lol thats alot
|
I've never really been interested in Poker -- don't even know how to play -- but this blog for some reason lit something up inside of me. I must learn.
How did Frank just know he could hand you any random software job and you'd be able to do it? hahaha. Or was it more like, "I like you, kid, so come work for me, whatever position you're good at"?
|
On October 12 2010 02:12 Cedstick wrote:
I've never really been interested in Poker -- don't even know how to play -- but this blog for some reason lit something up inside of me. I must learn.
How did Frank just know he could hand you any random software job and you'd be able to do it? hahaha. Or was it more like, "I like you, kid, so come work for me, whatever position you're good at"?
I had been talking to him at the table telling him what I was interested in and the likes. Going to law school next year so he said I could continue working for him as long as I kept my nose clean and showed up on time. So I work 3 days a week for 25k a year, seemed like a pretty sweet gig so I jumped on it. Breaks over back to learning a new program :D
|
gg on the win , use that money to fly up here. and what computer language will you be using for your multi-millionaire friend.
|
Wow reminds me of my first poker tournament. I got to final 5 but only top 3 got paid . Was like 100 people or so all together. Just some friendly free tourney at school. Was really fun to play.
Such a nice read.
|
|
|
yeah I was joking about the leak :D but seriously you need to plug it.
|
On October 11 2010 12:34 Risen wrote: Meanwhile short stack dude with the KK is convinced his 3 Ks won and he's yellin at the top of his lungs GO BOSTON (He was decked in celtics gear). Dealer just looks at him and shrugs while pushing all the chips to me.
Rofl how embarrassing for him. My first IRL tourney was at a small place in New Hampshire and just like your experience everyone there was basically local, but I drove up from Boston with some friends. I got out in 3rd but the guy I knocked out in the bubble was CONVINCED that not hitting a flush with 4 to a flush on the flop was bad luck, and it happened to him like 3 times during the tourney. I don't know whether to be frustrated or just laugh at these ppl when they insist on telling me how lucky I am.
On October 11 2010 12:34 Risen wrote:Oh, and Frank was there too when I won, came up and congratulated me... AND OFFERED ME A JOB. Is that not the coolest thing ever? I start tomorrow tech support for one of his businesses doing some coding/helping customers with coding a 3D CAD/vector works program. I feel pretty cool right now
Wtf? Haha, if you don't mind me asking what did you used to do before this new job?
EDIT:
On October 11 2010 12:34 Risen wrote:(I gave my friend 200 of it since it was a birthday celebration for him after all).
Good stuff. 5/5
|
On October 12 2010 02:29 JinNJuice wrote:gg on the win , use that money to fly up here. and what computer language will you be using for your multi-millionaire friend.
Apparently I'm going to be using Python. Thank god because if it was something hard I would have been pissed (I'm assuming python is easy from what I've heard). Most of my work will involve learning to use vectorworks and the company's own custom 3d CAD program.
Also, I'm coming on Oct. 27th and staying until the 1st or 2nd :D
On October 12 2010 04:42 FiBsTeR wrote:
Wtf? Haha, if you don't mind me asking what did you used to do before this new job?
I got kicked out of college for failing to adhere to university standards (I skipped/slept through the majority of my classes). If I had the chance I'd probably go to those classes, but its whatevs I don't really care. It doesn't help your case when you go before a review board and say, "Well as you can see from my tests I know the material" like I thought it would. Apparently a few of my former teachers testified that I got lucky on tests and that my lack of effort didn't put me on the same level with other students (in spite of the fact that I usually helped most other students with their homework). I'd like to point out that many of my former teachers came and testified in my favor (shoutout to Shearer, Coppinger, Livesay, and Mueller), but in the end the department head of the ME department decided against allowing me re-admittance on the grounds that I was "what's wrong with young people today thinking that merit alone should allow them a free pass" (have to agree with his sentiment that I was a lazy bum)
Ah well, I'm actually much happier being back in Vegas with my old friends and being able to go to parties that aren't total sausage fests. As you can see, though, I'm very bitter about the whole thing. Maybe I'll write it up in another blog.
|
Didn't feel like this deserved a whole new blog to itself since it covers poker as well, so I'll update here.
I went out to Boulder Station and sat down with one hundred and left with three hundred ninety three. Gave my friend a hundred so he could play with me tonight so that leaves me with total earnings of... 193!!! Btw between the time I sat down and left the clock only ticked by an hour and a half. So it was a pretty good night :D not for my friend, though, who lost the hundred I gave to him, and not even to me :<
I doubled up once on slow played AK (flop was A Q K) and from there I beat pocket aces with two-pair 5 3 (I was big blind and all the aces did was call blind, his fault for not pushing me out pre-flop) and bluffed another guy into losing a hundred faking a higher flush (he threw his cards face up showing 5 high spade because there were 4 spades on the board, I had a pair of 10s...). Having a blast going out and playing poker, never thought it would be this fun, then again I keep winning so it probably isn't as fun when you're losing :O
Maybe the joker was right, my friend IS a leak. Hahaha
|
I love this story even more cause I live in Vegas too (only 20 though ), but hearing about the success with the locations I'm familiar with made it more enjoyable .
Awesome stuff.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
