Tales from the Southern Poker Championship

Its been a very turbulent Southern Poker Championship for me the past couple of weeks even though I continue to leave town a winner. I am beating the cash games and SNG's, but keep getting unlucky in my tournaments...which we all know can be very frustrating. I use to tell myself that as long as I play well...all is good...but that philosophy has been eating at me lately.

I feel I am playing well...putting myself in good spots only to get it shoved back down my throat.The 1st hand I want to talk about has already been discussed on Monks blog, but he had a better read on the guy then I did as he says the guy was angle shooting by throwing out the 5k chip...I really thought he had made a mistake...and I will tell you why...

About 30 mins before that hand I look down at K-10h from late position when from early position Wally Chambers opens for 2.5x...Wally has been opening alot of hands as that's his style and his range is wide so when there are 3 callers to me...I flat...flop comes out all low cards below a 9 with 2 hearts...Wally c-bets...I am the only caller. On the turn hits a black 10. Wally leads out again for about $400...so with top pair and a solid flush draw I decide to pop him to about $1250 and grab a 1-$500/7 -$100/2-$25 chips and tossed them in the pot....after several seconds of tanking Wally is staring at me and says, "That's a big raise"...and I look down and see that I had accidentally grabbed a $5k chip instead for a $500...making it $5750 (half my stack)...I made a face and when he continued to tank I knew I was good as he had that..."Damn...he made a big mistake right there and I wish I had a hand to take advantage of it"... look on his face...he eventually folds and we all laugh about it

Which takes us to my bustout hand where the earlier raiser does the same thing...I thought he made a mistake in sticking the $5k chip in with QQ...but Monk is confident he did it as an "angle shot"...having a big hand trying to make everyone think he made a mistake.Anyhow...I wake up with KK...get my money in good in a sweet double-up spot when villain shows QQ...Rusostreet who is also at the table in the 4 seat is just smiling and says, "you lucky F'er"...The guy next to Monk had folded a Q...aaaannnnnd the villain hits the only Q left in the deck on the flop...sigggggghhhhhhh.

Next I want to chat about a hand where the floor (Mostly the Dealer) makes a terrible call on me in a 1-2nl cash game. I am friendly with all the folks there at the Beau in the poker room, and I try to play in their Daily Nightly tourneys as often as possible. I am sitting with the Tiltin Texan on my immediate left and some Asian kid on my right we will call "Asian the Angle Shooter". In this particular hand I am in the BB with Q-Jo when there are several limpers...the sb limps...I knuckle. The flops hits "gin" for me with 9-10-K with 2 spades. Everyone limps to me and I bet out $15.00 and was only called by A.T.A.S...Turn is a red A which again...gives me the nuts...A.T.A.S checks...I check...turn is a 9 pairing the board. My read was that he was on a flush draw and normally I easily fade this trap and just check behind but I was going to value town if I could ...and I lead out for $20...

This is where it gets sketchy...and we are all real friendly and laughing/cutting up at the table...A.T.A.S grabs a $100 bill out of his stack and puts it in the pot and simultaneously....as close as it gets...as soon as the bill hits the table (It had already clearly crossed the line)...3 things took place...all at the the same time...The bill hits the table/A.T.A.S says "I make it $100"/I expose my hand...now what do you do. There are several players on my side...and the only person A.T.A.S has is the dealer. The dealer is adamant that it was a good raise to me and several others objection.

Floor is called and with the information she was given by the dealer (Obviously)...she rules the raise stands...after it was all over...I left as i was starting to tilt and berate A.T.A.S as a cheap shot artist...etc

As I was standing at the cash out line...the older guy that was in the 8 seat on Tex's left is behind me...on the side of us is the floor person...and The older guy does in fact tell her that it was a terrible call.

Several points...
1) I have seen this guy before...he plays alot of poker...if it was a mistake...he should have manned up and admitted it...he knows all you have to do is say "raise" at any point and you can do whatever
2) I would never have exposed my card had I not clearly thought he had called...how close is that?...is the floor gonna now tell me that I have a problem exposing my cars too early?....really?...is that what they want to claim
3) whenever there is a situation as this...the floor should always ask other people what happened...analyze the situation...and caution on the side "Against" the angle shooter.

If the floor used solid deductive reasoning here and asked was it close?...the player called had already exposed his hand...the guys never said anything about a raise until the bill hit the table...I would think it would be an easy call of "Sir...this will be a call...be more careful in the future of announcing your raises"...oh well...that's a wrap

What else is up?...lets see...I busted out of my last tournament where I raise PF in the BB with AA into 4 limper including the utg and sb...those 2 are the only callers. flop is harmless 9-6-2 rainbow. Check...I c-bet the size of the pot...utg pops me up enough where its "fold or shove"...I went in the tank and if I fold I still have 8-9 bigs...I run thru the hands I do beat....I grab my stack an say "Maybe you got Jacks or Queens" as I jam them in...of course he has a set of 9's

I'm not happy about it...although it was somewhat of a cooler. Everyone is telling me I can;t fold there...its just standard poker where your just gonna bust there...too many of these agro-aggressive kids pop me there with A-9/10-10/J-J/Q-Q....etc...some as light as K-9/Q-9...I guess thats poker

What else is up....I want to say shout out to Charlie Townshend who I had the pleasure of meeting at this series. It was kind of funny that we are next to each other in a sng when he tells me he is from Delaware somewhere...and he has been drinking beer in Abita, La at the Abita plant there...I ask him, "So you must be a tourist...just in town...decided to come play some poker"...he laughs and says "Yea man...That's what I am doing here"....Then I see him talking to all the best players there later and find out he has played against some of the best players in the world...including Stu Ungar...and has traveled the circuit...what a nice guy Charlie is

I was bullshitting with Tyler and Diaz when Dwyte Pilgrim walked up ...I got to meet him also and congratulate him on his 2010...Also a really nice guy

Shout out to TK and Jonathan Little...I have 3 words for you two guy..."SCOTCH...and ice" lol

Congrats to J Little's parents also as his Dad won a seat into the Main Event...and his Mom cashed in the Ladies event...not sure if his Dad was still in when I left.

Nice...I was going grab a beer at the middle bar at the Beau, and of course we all know that you have to "Be Playing" to get your drinks Free....OK....Sure...I put a 5 ball in the poker machine there on the bar and hit the progressive J-Pot on Jacks or Better....YATZEE...Ship a cool $1075.00

Hardest thing about my job and playing poker on the road is missing my little man. Wow...he is growing up so fact sometimes I can't believe it. He is 14 months old and he is already holding a bat and hitting plastic balls. I can't wait to get home to see him...nothing like walking through the door and seeing his face light up...Daddy's a "Rock Star" for those few seconds...

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon...
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin' home dad?...I don't know when...
but we'll get together then... son...
You know... we'll have a good time then
Lyrics from the song "Cats In The Cradle"
by Harry Chapin/Cat Stevens