Aces Cracked at Tourney

I just finished 36th out of 94 at the Bay 101 Spread-Limit tourney. The game plan going in was to play tourniquet tight. I played only 5 of the first 50 hands dealt to me mainly because the cards were arid. The best hand I saw in the first three rounds was 2-2. After the first break I was in the ICU with only 1200 chips left and the blinds at 300-600. In late position, I woke up with KJ suited. I tossed in my two big blinds realizing I would not probably see anything better before I was forced to play. The asian mafia dude immediately next to me goes all in for $5000. The big blind only has $600 left so he calls. The BB turns over a pair of 9s and the guy next to me flips up American Airlines. The flops comes out 10-K-6. Not dead yet. The turn is another K and the river a J. The full boat triples me up and I am back in the game. Two hands after reaching the $7000 mark with pocket aces, I get them again in middle position. The dude under the gun, goes all in preflop for $10,000. I have visions of winning the tourney as I immediately call thinking I can double up yet again when the raiser turns over KQ. I have him in a full metal jacket! The flop comes out 8-K-6. The turn is a 4 giving him no flush or straight draw. So he has only another King or Queen as outs (5 total). I am at least an 8-1 favorite to win this nice tasty pot. Just as I cracked aces, my were cracked when a king floats up on the river and I go home.

Budweiser Binge Guy and Going Hollywood

I have now been playing for almost three hours and am up about $100 bucks. I have played relatively tight and am now ready to take a few more chances. Again, I am in the big blind. That has been a very good position for me lately for some unknown reason. This time I have 4-4. Two guys raise to $15 bucks one in early position, one in late position. I am thinking: "Do they have high pairs and am I dominated if I call?". I think for a second and toss in the $15 bucks, hoping they have KQ or AK. The flop comes 4-K-J. I quickly check the set hoping to trap the raisers on the turn. One guy bets $20 and the other calls. I act like I am thinking for a few seconds and then call. The turn is an eight. No straight out there yet. I don't want anyone hanging around so I make $25 more to go. One guy folds and the other guy immediately calls. What does he have? Certainly a King or a Jack. Perhaps A-Q. The river is a 2c, no flush, no straight. The titanium nuts is trip kings. Could this guy be slow playing that hand? I think for a moment and decide to check. Was that weak or smart? The guy I am up against is the Budweiser Binge dude who is still hammered. When I check, he immediately makes it $80 bucks to go. I go into the pseudo tank. He is simply too hammered to lure my set of 4s into his pocket kings. I count out the $80 chips slowly and then decide to add on $60 bucks more, all in.

He again quickly calls and I stare at two pair KK-JJ. I really didn't mean to slow roll my set but I guess I did because he accused me of "Going Hollywood" when I eventually flipped over my set and hauled in a Silver Oak Magnum like pot. I didn't care what he thought as I stacked up HIS chips....

Chance from Surgical Poker.com

Quad 8s, No Action

Same spread limit game with another big blind special, 8-5 offsuit. No raisers so I limp in. The flop is 8-Q-8. A set for Daddy. I check. Two other limpers check. The turn, another 8. I now have quads. I check. So do the other limpers. A set on the board with a queen. The river comes out with a 6. This time I tried to look like I am stealing the scanty pot and bet 20 bucks. The two other guys fold and I flip over the quads. It would have been nice to get some action on that hand.

Chance from Surgical Poker.com

3-100 Spread Limit at Garden City

I decided to try to the new 3-100 Spread Limit at Garden City in San Jose. You can buy in for a maximum of $100. In the beginning I played tourniquet tight and try to get a feel for the game. It was a VERY tight game with several reasonable good players and one drunk guy with $500 bucks in front of him. He must have built the stack before his Budweiser Binge.

My first pot was a big blind special K-8s. No one raised it so I saw the flop for free. It came out Q-7-4, all spades. I had flopped the almost nut flush. I check it to three limpers who also check it. The turn was an A of hearts. So, I bet out like I had an ace--25 bucks. Two of the three limpers folded but and one guy called me. The river is a 3 of clubs. No help to anyone. So, I bet out another $25 feeler bet hoping to get called. No call, an all in raise!! What's going on here? Was the guy slow playing a made flush? Did he have the ace of spades? If he did, I will lose. I think about for a second and then call his all in. He flips over J-8 of spades and I show my king high flush for a very nice pot.

Chance from Surgical Poker.com