Lodge Results for Sunday 06/25/06 - Final Week

At long last the much anticipated Lodge Tournanment of Champions to end the 2005-2006 season. First place is a $1000 buy in to a WSOP event with airfare and hotel to Vegas. 2nd place was a poker table and 3rd place was a chip set. There were 45 players in the tourney and I expected tighter play and good folds. We started with T2500 in chips and blinds were 30 minutes each. Started out slow, lots of folding and some stealing of pots by other players. Also there was preflop raising so I had to make sure my hand was good enough to call a raise with. Get JJ and raise to 200 when blinds are 25-50 and big blind calls. Flop is AQQ, I check and big blind bets the pot and I fold. Blinds are now at 50-100 and I get QQ, raise to 300 and everyone folds. Just before the break when the blinds are 100-200, I get QQ raise to 600, get one caller, flop is 85x and I bet 1200 and opponent folds. Two hands later get TT, raise to 600 again, get 2 callers, flop is garbage, I bet 1200 after both opponents check and they fold. Another pot later and now after the break, the blinds are 100-200 with a 25 ante. Action begins to pick up as some small stacks are going all in to stay alive. I am up to 4500 in chips and one behind the button. UTG calls, next player is all in for 750, player to my right folds and I look down at AQs. I decide to push all in. Button folds and small blind goes into the tank for a couple minutes, states "I have to do it, I do not have a choice" and calls. Big blind automatically calls and I find myself up against QQ, JJ and 55. Flop is KJ3 and I hope for the T. Turn is a T!!! and I made my straight, 5's and queens are drawing dead and the excitement builds as I am going to pull a very nice pot... I can see Vegas on the horizon and then the river comes... that damn river, the 3 falls and JJ makes his boat and I am out in 23rd place. The next game is a heads up tournament on July 16th which Dan says is a preseason event.