Lodge Results for Sunday 05/28/06 - Week 28

Pretty small field due to the Memorial Day weekend. Started out with just 5 tables and the first table broke down quickly. Again I did not win a hand before the break so it appears I will be out before the final 2 tables. The blinds are at 20-40 and I get A8 and decide to call an all in for T65 in chips. There are two other callers and the all in turns over A8 and we split the pot. I am now back to even and 5 hands later I get A8 again in the big blind and an A comes on the flop. Another player goes all in for T80 more and I call. He turns over AK, but I catch an 8 on the turn and am starting to build my stack. We break down our table and I move to a table with 2 huge stacks. Blinds are now 25-50 and I am in the small blind with KK. UTG goes all in for T340 and there is one caller. I call as well and am up against KJ and J6. The kings hold up and I am now at T1100. The blinds are now at 150-300 and after stealing a few blinds I am sitting at T725 at the final table. The 2nd hand I am in big blind with pocket 8's. Button raises to T600 and small blind folds and I go all in which the button calls. He turns over KJ of clubs and he gets his flush on the turn and I am out in 9th place. I was disappointed because 1st place was a $500 buy in to a poker school with Clonie Gowen that included a tourney where 1st was a seat to the main event.

Lodge Results for Sunday 05/21/06 - Week 27

I was feeling real good about this game because the few days leading up to the tourney my cards have been holding up well. Start off decent, win a few hands and get up to about T330 and then get AKo, the pot is raised preflop to T30 with blinds at T5-10, then there is an all in, a call and it is to me. I think very hard and I notice the player to my left who raised initially was getting ready to call so I decide to fold. I have never folded AK before, but I felt that I would be up against made hands such as KK, QQ or even AA. Turns out I was against JJ, AQ and AT, but that still was a good fold because 2 of my outs were gone. I would have been out had I called because no A and no K showed up and the JJ took it. About 5 hands later I get 99 and short stack goes all in for T110 and there is a caller. I again see my opponent to my left was going to call so I throw them away. Short stack had 95o, the first caller had QQ and the other had AQ. Turns out I would have tripled up on that hand because the case 9 hit on the river. After that, I really did not get any cards worth calling the constant raising on the table. After the break I have T155 in chips and the blinds are T10-20 and I am in the small blind. I get QQ and push all in and my opponent to my left calls with AK and catches his K on the turn and I am done. Later he gets taken out by AA and he lost over T1200 in chips in two hands.

Lodge Results for Sunday 05/14/06 - Week 26

There is a new player at first place now. I have dropped to 4th, but a 1st place finish will propel me to the lead. The prize in addition to the normal prizes is a buyin to a charity tourney. Since its mother's day, the field is smaller than normal so my chances are much better. I start off very slow and go to the first break without winning a single pot. I only saw 3 flops in big blind due to the excessive preflop raising. Finally after the break I win a couple of pots and are T30 ahead. Blinds are now 20-40 and that hurts a stack when I only have T280 in chips. I decide to go all in with pocket 5's and get called for less by A8o... well you can guess what happened... she gets her ace on the river and I am down to about T55 in chips. A few hands later and she is is out and I decide to go all in under the gun with Q6o since that was the best I had seen since the pockeet 5's. I get 3 callers and beat everybody except for 34o (who was the button) who pairs her 4's and I am out.

I decide I haven't had enough poker and go play at another bar at 10:00pm and again I do not win one pot. I lost my chips in 2 hands... one was I had 35 of spades in the small blind and the flop comes 2 spades. There is some betting and I call, turn is a spade and more betting. River is a spade and it is checked to me so I bet big, get one caller who had the A of spades and I am down. Two hands later I get Q6 and call the blinds. Flop is AQ6 and there is a bet, a raise and I go all in expecting those opponents to have a A. Well on opponent has Q7 and the other has AQ!!! and I am out of the tourney.

Lodge Results for Sunday 05/07/06 - Week 25

I hate pocket kings now... Tourney started off on the wrong foot when I go out on the 2nd hand with AJ vs. A9 and my opponent catches his straight. I have a rebuy so I get my T250 back. Fairly slow until the 1st break where I finally catch a hand with AJ and split the pot with A6 who has the same full house. Blinds are now up to T20-40 and I raise with AQ and get a caller, flop is AQ8 and I go all in and get called so I double up there. A few hands later, I get AJ and go all in and get called by A9 which I hold up again. Blinds are beginning to go up quickly and I keep hovering around T300-T450 in chips with blinds at T50-100. I go all-in on big blind with AJ again and get called by AK. I get my jack and double up to T950. A few more orbits later and I am down to T250 with blinds at T100-200 and I am the button. We have to redraw because we lost both the small and big blind and I end up under the gun!!! I go all in with my Q9 against pocket 8's and I get my queen and now I am big blind. I get KQs and go all in vs KT and double up again. A few hands later I go all in with AQ after a raise and collect blinds and some callers. I am now up to T2100 with blinds at T150-300. I make a foolish call in the big blind when under the gun goes all in for T950 and I have KT and he turns over pocket aces. Two hands later I get pocket kings and I go all in for T1000 and get called by big blind who turns up AT. Guess what?? He catches his ace on the river!!! This is the 4th time I have gone out with pocket kings at this tourney and everytime but once (my opponent had pocket aces) my hand was dominant. I am out at 11th place.

Lodge Results for Sunday 04/30/06 - Week 24

This tournament had more riding on it because in addition to the normal 1st place prize, a seat was being awarded to a charity tournament that has a $200 buyin. 1st place in that tourney is a $10,000 seat in the WSOP. I was hoping that the bad run of cards the past weeks has ended. Started out well, finally won some pots and was up to 400 at the third blind level. One hand that stood out was ATo, I was in the big blind so I checked and the flop came T75, it checks to me and I bet 80 and get a caller. Next card is a J and my opponent bets 100 which I call. River is a K and my opponent goes all in for 200 more and after much thinking, I decide to call. He had pocket 6's and is out. I called him because I put him on an ace or a low pocket pair, also if I would have folded I would only have T180 left when blinds are 20/40, also this player had been aggressive and betting with draws or mid pair. I go on a dry run and then move tables, I have about T800 and blinds are 100/200 when we break down the final 2 tables. I am on the button and look down at A2s, but just before this the dealer dealt me a card that belonged to my opponent on my right and in the confusion I did not see another player go all in. I finally realized it after I called all in and placed my chips in the middle. Small blind folds and big blind calls with KQ. First all in player had pocket 10's. Flop comes 5TA and only runner runner 34 will keep me in. Turn is a blank and the river is a J giving the KQ a straight and I am out at 15th place. If I would have seen that other player go all in before me, I would have folded my hand, but that is why it is so important to pay attention to EVERYTHING at the table no matter what the distractions are.